Pond FishDeciding to keep koi pond fish in your backyard pond can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. Koi are the most popular freshwater pond fish among pond owners. Their beauty, grace, and brilliant colors have made them a favorite. 
Koi fish are members of the carp family. While goldfish are relatively easy to keep, koi are more demanding and are usually unsuitable for small ponds. They are not as tolerant of temperature swings as their smaller goldfish cousins. Most koi, like carp, also have a tendency to nibble on your pond plants. Koi have a natural lifespan of several decades. Koi have little whiskers on their faces, which adds to their personalities. They will eat out of your hands and can learn how to jump through hoops. Koi will require a deeper pond than some other types of pond fish, requiring at least 3 foot of water. The preferred temperature range for koi is between 39 degrees and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Koi also have hearty appetites, and therefore generate a lot of waste. Some authorities believe that koi originated in Persia and were spread throughout the ancient world, eventually finding their way to China and Japan. One of the earliest koi history references mentions koi with different colors dates back to a Chinese book written during the Western Chin Dynasty, 265 to 316 A.D. which describes carp with black, blue, red and white coloration. Koi are revered in Japan and symbolize strength and loyalty. The Japanese also regard them as good luck. It was the Japanese who became the leaders in selective breeding of koi for colors. Koi breeding began in Japan in the seventeenth century when rice farmers noticed that some carp offspring would form unusual colors and patterns. They carefully selected for these colors and over many generations established the koi varieties that we know today. The Japanese classify koi varieties according to various features including color, patterns, and scale type arrangement. Today, there are 13 major traditional koi varieties. Butterfly koi, available from some mail order suppliers, are a non-traditional variety of pond fish. They are smaller and have longer fins and tails. They are slightly more expensive than common koi, but are especially hardy and are beautiful to watch. 
Koi need supplemental food in spring and fall. They become active as soon as the water reaches 50 degrees Fahrenheit and will need to be fed as soon as they become active because the plants that usually supplement their diet have not leafed out yet. The season dictates the type of koi food you should select. Fish should be fed only once or twice per day. Do not feed more food than they can clean up in 5 minutes. More than that will only pollute the pond, and end up in your pond filter. Avoid feeding too late in the day. After you feed them, their metabolism will go up and they will need more oxygen. Plants give off less oxygen at night, so feeding too late could cause your fish to suffer for having too little oxygen. There are several common koi fish diseases that you should be aware of and know how to treat at the first signs of it. Common diseases include anchor worm, dropsy, fin rot or body rot, flukes, fungus, lice, tuberculosis, ulcers, and white spot. Generally keeping your pond well balanced and healthy will be all you ever need to do to ensure your koi’s health. Finally, selecting a koi pond supplier that will guarantee the health of their fish is critical to making sure that you don’t accidentally introduce diseases into your otherwise healthy pond. One thing you can do is to quarantine the new fish for 30 days before introducing them into your existing population of pond fish.
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