Practical Koi Keeping Observe fish first Should be active, schooling, ”grazing”-specially in early morning and afternoon Look for solitary fish, lethargic at pond’s bottom Look for obvious wounds, frayed fins, red spots, or visible blood vessels All signs of stress Something causes- overcrowding, poor water quality, parasites

Water Quality pH- should be between 7 and 9 and stable Naturally wants to become lower (acidic) Unchecked, can have pH crash KH must be >80 for good filtration, > 150 for bead filter For both add baking soda 12 lb bag at Sam’s or Costco = $5 I check KH and add 5 lbs for my 3500 gal pond if KH is less than 150 Also check for ammonia, need Amquel if present Almost impossible to overdose pH stable at 8.3

Water Quality Ammonia & Nitrite should be 0 except in new pond/ filter or if biofilter is damaged I check once /month Nitrates < 40 ppm Water change to correct Minimum of 10%/ week or 25%/ month The more the better Drain, then replace, not just adding what has evaporated Always use Sodium Thiosulfate or Amquel if on city water Good to know chlorine level

Use of ORP for water quality detection > the ORP the less polluted the pond < 150 poor water quality 150 – 200 lots of algae OK, but good potential for problems 250 – 400 Great ! How to increase Increase flow rate; minimum 1.5 X /hr Add aeration Better /clean mechanical filtration Decrease fish load/ increase biofiltration Water change

If Koi are acting ill Check & change water If koi improve, maintain water quality If not, will have to catch and examine Ask for help if haven’t done before Don’t fix it if it aint broke !

Preventative measures Quarantine, Quarantine, Quarantine ! If you do not have adequate quarantine facility, ask other club members for help Always treat plants with potassium permaganate or bleach method (see this month’s “KOI” pg. 57) prior to putting in pond