Koi health is of paramount importance if you want to enjoy your fish for a long time. Koi fish are known to live for decades even though the usual life span is 20 to 30 years. Koi are hardy and tough; however, they can get sick. Their life expectancy depends mainly on genetics and living conditions.

The modern day koi are tough but they have lost much of the resiliency of their ancestor, the magoi carp. They can thrive in the poorest water conditions and stay unaffected by the existence of parasites. This is because of the inbreeding process that started from way back when nishikigoi was first being established. Breeders needed to pair koi with parents and siblings to get the perfect body shape, intense colors and beautiful patterns that make the present koi so admirable.

Nonetheless, the koi of today rarely get sick and if they get sick or perish, you can find the underlying cause to water quality problems. Other threats to koi health are parasites, ulcer disease, predators, medicine overdose, jumping out of the water, virus infections, toxic pesticide sprays, and tumor.

Water Quality

Poor water quality is the main cause of koi death. You will need to watch out for the pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and oxygen levels in your pond. Even marginal alterations in their levels can negatively affect koi health. PH pertains to the acid and alkaline content of your pond. Koi need a pH of 7.0 through 9.0. Ammonia is formed by your koi in the form of waste. It can be extracted effectively by using biological filter system that takes advantage of the nitrification cycle.

Bacteria will convert ammonia to nitrites. Even so, nitrites are still toxic to the koi and must also be converted by other bacteria into nitrates that are comparably safer to the koi. Nitrates, in turn, are absorbed by the plants and also algae in the pond. You already know how oxygen is needed to sustain life. As your koi grow in size, they will require more dissolved oxygen. To ensure that there is a lot of oxygen in the pond water install a waterfall, jets or air pump, or put air stones to add more oxygen to the water.

Parasites, Ulcer Disease and Bacterial Infections

If the koi fish die or display irregular behavior regardless of the good quality of your water, you could expect the cause to be either parasites or bacterial infections. Parasites such as anchor worms or fish lice can be harmful to your fish. The initial signs are red or white pimples that quickly turn into sores. The ulcer can get into the muscles of the fish so you have to discover the disease during its early stages.

You will have to keep you koi free from parasites. Hold the affected fish in salted water and feed with medicated food. You can swab the sores with betadine to help them recover. Talk to a veterinarian on how best to cure your koi.

Quarantine

You will need to isolate any brand new fish for at least three weeks before introducing them to the pond. During this period, you will need to treat the fish for parasites. If you don't have a different quarantine tank, be sure to purchase your koi only from reputable dealers that guarantees their fish to be parasite-free. Also carefully select the plants for addition to the pond which also has to be parasite-free.

Overcrowding

If you continue having koi health problems (like stunted growth or perhaps erratic behavior) despite that your water is of top quality and you bought only parasite-free fish, you may want to check your koi population. Your fish may be experiencing stress as a result of overcrowding.

All You Need To Know When Caring For Your Koi Fish
Many pond owners around the world choose koi for pond fish. It's because koi are colorful and have interesting personalities. In addition, Koi fish tend to live long, from 25 to 35 years. It has even been reported that the koi fish's ancestral predecessors lived as long as 200 hundred years.

The Black Koi Fish
Black koi fish are koi fish that have the black koi pattern. Many people prefer the black koi over other koi fish. In general, koi fish, which come from the carp family, are known to live up to 35 years

Salt Water Aquariums - Various Shapes And Sizes
Salt Water Aquariums come in a lot of different shapes and sizes. The number of fish you can keep will depend on the size of the tank that you buy.

When Shopping For Customized Aquariums
When choosing custom aquariums you will need to decide if you are going to keep freshwater or marine fish. There are many factors involved in setting up your fish tank and water quality is probably the most important.

Custom Aquariums - A Few Tips On Ways To Make Efficient Use Of Plants And Algae
Plants and Algae are often left out when planning custom aquariums yet they fulfill various important functions. Plants act as water conditioners, a source of food as well as being objects of beauty

Tropical Fish Guide - Prevent Problems
A tropical fish guide will help you to avoid the mistakes most new fish owners will make when looking after these beautiful creatures.

Salt Water Aquariums - Nitrogen Levels
With salt water aquariums it is very important to keep the nitrogen levels down or else the fish will die. Fish are living creatures and like humans they will eat food and release waste.

Technorati Tags: capresso coffee maker, coffee beans online, coffee maker with grinder, commercial coffee machine, kitchenaid coffee maker, one cup coffee makers, stainless, types of coffee beans, zojirushi coffee maker