Introduction And Advice For Beginners In Koi Keeping.

Introduction.

Most beginners in koi keeping had at one time or another kept koi in their aquariums. Some beginners have kept koi in old bathtubs, household water storage tanks and almost any water container that is large enough. Koi keeping as a hobby is steadily gaining popularity amongst people from all walks of life. Flat and condominium dwellers keep koi in tanks often made of fibreglass. Those who stay in houses with compounds keep koi in ponds often made with concrete. A fibreglass tank is a good choice to try out the hobby. Advantages includes easy mobility, less costly and easy disposal in case the hobby does not turn out to be. One could learn the basics of keeping good water through various DIY filtration techniques before embarking on something bigger and more permanent like a concrete pond. A sound advise to those who are planning on a concrete pond is to “Build it once but properly”. For those who already own a pond, be it a perfect or not-so-perfect pond, and intend on making use of it, do ensure that a good filtration system is in place even if it means you’ll have to build an extra filter. An external DIY trickle tower filter is easy to build and can supplement an existing submerged filter which is inadequate. Trickle tower filters remove nitrates efficiently. Start with cheaper, smaller koi. Have all the necessary water test kits. Read about koi keeping or better still join a koi discussion forum. I hope that any beginner to this exciting hobby will benefit in some way or another from this article. Remember that pond and filter construction, koi varieties, disease and some details from other topics are not covered here as the main purpose of this article is merely to introduce the beginner to the wonderful world of koi keeping.

Water Quality.

Importance of good water. It is not easy to maintain good water since there are koi living in it. Koi are active and voracious eaters. They excrete waste like urine and faeces into the water all the time. The waste must be removed and processed quickly in order that they do not accumulate and contaminate the water. Imagine breathing in toxic and polluted air all the time! This is exactly how koi would feel if the water is contaminated. Hence a good filter is necessary. Learn to keep good water and the koi will keep themselves well. Good water means a good filtration system. The parameters of good water suitable for koi are as follows. Temperature should be between 20-25deg C. pH between 7.0 to 8.5, KH or carbonate hardness or alkalinity measures carbonates or bicarbonates in water and should be between 4 dKH(72 ppm) and 7 dKH(125 ppm), GH or general hardness measures magnesium and calcium in water and should be between 4 dGH(72 ppm) and 10 dGH(180 ppm), Ammonia/Nitrites should register as not detectable, Nitrates not more than 40ppm, DO or dissolved oxygen of at least 5ppm. Koi generally do well in water with the above parameters. Koi are essentially cold water fish. In countries with winter, koi hibernates in frozen ponds until the winter months are over. Deep ponds are a good way for providing koi with cooler water in tropical countries. Koi thrives in water with pH above 7. The alkalinity of water can be maintained with buffering agents like shells or sodium bicarbonate(baking soda). When the pH of water swings from just above 7 to acidic in a short time, we say that a pH crash has occurred. The drastic change in pH is too rapid for the koi to adjust to and as a result they get severely stressed. This, coupled with the reduced bacterial function in acidic water condition causes filter to malfunction and toxins to accumulate. A large number of koi are lost in this way. This usually happens in water which are low in buffering capacity. Accumulation of rotting organic matter in old ponds or tanks and low levels of carbonates reduces the buffering capacity of water. This results in a delicate balance whereby the pH will swing suddenly to acidic if it is disturbed even slightly, like after a bout of acid rain or accidental addition of any acidic substance into water. Carbonates are used up when ammonia is converted into nitrites and nitrates. Hence a continuous source of carbonate is necessary for the filter to function properly. Lime from new concrete ponds is one such source. Tap water is another. Shells kept in filter chambers is another good source of carbonates. A quick way to increase the carbonate level in water would be adding baking soda or sodium bicarbonate. 100g of baking soda would increase the carbonate hardness or KH of 1 ton of water by approximately 5-6dKH or 100ppm. A KH of at least 4 dKH or 70ppm is considered safe to prevent pH swing. Therefore hard water is more suitable to koi than soft water. However water that is too hard will also pose certain problems to koi. Ammonia from koi waste is very toxic to koi and is continuously produced and removed by the good bacteria in the filter. It is converted into the less toxic nitrite and then into the non-toxic nitrate by these good bugs. The presence of nitrate in water is a sign that the filter is maturing. Nitrate level fluctuates in a pond with vegetations. In the early mornings it may be high but slowly drops in the evenings. This is due to it's consumption by the vegetations in the daylight hours and it's accumulation during the night hours. However very high level of nitrate (more than 200ppm) in water is bad for the koi and pond eventhough koi can tolerate quite high levels of nitrate. A nitrate level that is too high will affect the conversion of nitrite to nitrate. This will lead to higher nitrite levels. Algae also absorbs nitrate. So does regular water changes. Trickle tower systems are known to decrease level of nitrate in water.

Green water. This is a condition whereby the water appears green and cloudy and one could barely see the koi. Green microscopic algae blooms due to favourable conditions like high nitrate level in water, exposure to sunlight and inadequate filtering capacity. However many a times we hear of green water in new ponds. The nitrate level in a new pond is definitely not high. Many new ponds with partial or total shading do experience green water too. So it seems that this phenomenon does not only exist in ponds with high nitrates and exposure to sunlight but also in new ponds where the filtration systems are not yet established. The following excerpt from Pond Water Chemistry Booklet by Norm Meck attempts to explain this. "Some of the statements that follow are somewhat controversial, but they are based on several years of research and experimentation dealing with the subject. From this research, I have concluded that within our biologic converters, a third group of bacteria exist. When these heterotroph bacteria consume dead algae in an aerobic environment, they release an enzyme, possibly used to help them digest the dead algae. The flow of water through the media carries surplus amounts of this enzyme back into the pond where it kills off the other algae. This enzyme appears to be effective against many species of string algae as well as the bloom algae. It does not seem to have as much effect on the string algae which is only partially submerged or within a high flow area, i.e. in a splashing brook or around a waterfall. This may have to do with contact time requirements. The short blackish-green mat algae found on the walls of a "healthy" pond is composed primarily of dead string algae which is also believed to be a result of control by the antibiotic. Further, this mat area may also be providing a portion of the enzyme as it is being broken down by the heterotroph bacteria." And this is the solution that he proposes. "It seems to be simply a properly sized biologic converter and a proper flow rate of oxygenated water through it. The bio-converter must be large enough to support the heterotroph bacteria colonies which need considerably more space than just the nitrification bacterial colonies. This has led to two rules of thumb. The first is that the amount of water in the pond and filter system should be circulated through the bio-converter at least once per hour. Second is that a flow rate of approximately 150 gallons per hour per square foot of media should be used. As an example of a 1500 gallon pond, we should be moving 1500 gallons of water through the bio-converter each hour and the bio-converter cross sectional area exposed to water flow should be 10 square feet. The thickness of the media is determined by the media selection." My experience with string algae near waterfalls and in the waterway where water flow is rapid is that shading of such areas drastically reduces their formation. Hence water plants with big broad leaves planted in these areas serve this function very well as well as being aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

Filtration.

There are two types of filtration systems, 1)Gravity-fed, 2)Pump-fed. Solid waste are mechanically filtered whereas liquid waste are biologically filtered. Hence any effective filtration system should have both. Filtered water should not only be clear and free from suspended solid waste, it should also be free from ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Another factor affecting the effectiveness of any filtration system is the size of the filter. There should be enough space for mechanical as well as biological filtration. Most also have space for vegetation to perform chemical filtration or the removal of nitrates. It has been estimated that the surface area of a filter should be at least 30% that of the pond. The bigger the better. Filtered water returns to the pond via a waterfall or venturi.

Gravity-fed filtration systems. Water in the pond enters the filter by gravity via the bottom drain and/or the middle feed (an inlet pipe in the wall at a height about the mid-level of the pond). The water carries with it solid wastes that are intact or unbroken. Once inside the settlement chamber, the heavier solids settle and water carries the rest passing through mechanical barriers like brushes and nets. Most solid wastes are stuck in the barriers while some will slowly settle down at the bottom and accumulate. Very minimal finer solids would escape into the biological chamber containing biomedia like bioballs or Japanese mats. The biomedia becomes relatively free from debris. This results in water that is substancially free of suspended solids.

Pump-fed filtration systems. Here, water is pushed into the filter by a pump in the pond. Solid wastes sucked into the pump are inevitably broken down into smaller and finer solids by the impellar. The resulting mixture of water and fine solids enters the filter. Much of this solids do not settle but instead passes thru the mechanical barrier with only a small portion of it being trapped as they are finer. Most escape into the biomedia and gets trapped there. The Japanese mats gets clogged up easily. The resulting water may carry some very fine suspended solids. There are pump-fed systems that are pressurised. They contain beads or sand that have both mechanical and biological functions. The water that comes out is crystal clear. However the media becomes clogged with debris easily or clumped together after sometime. Backflushing of the media regularly is necessary to prevent this.

Conclusion. It can be seen that for the purpose of keeping a fish like the koi, the most suitable filtration system would have to be the gravity-fed type with bottom drains. Eventhough this system takes up more land than the others, the benefits and advantages of having one is too important to ignore. In summary, they are, 1)early removal of waste from system to minimise contamination, 2)efficient wastes disposal by flushing, 3)effective mechanical filtration with cleaner biomedia and less maintenance, 4)cleaner pond bottom.

Biological filtration. The bioballs or green Japanese mattings support colonies of good bacteria. These good bugs convert the liquid waste ammonia into nitrites which are in turn converted into the less toxic nitrates. The good bacteria requires a lot of oxygen to survive. Hence good aeration of the biological media is important. The water that is free from toxins like ammonia and nitrites now gets pumped into the pond.

In some systems like the one shown above, the water is pumped into a waterway where vegetation grows. The roots remove nitrates and the water flows back into the pond via a waterfall. Still, in some systems, the water in the pump chamber is pumped into an external trickle tower filter. This trickle system removes nitrates and aerates the water which then flows to the pond. Regular maintenance of filtration system is important for continued efficient functioning of the system. The bottom drains also drain into a sump or standpipe chamber to facilitate daily removal of waste at the bottom of the pond by flushing. The settlement chamber can be serviced once a month. In well planned filtration systems, each chamber has a drain that allows for flushing of waste that has accumulated at the bottom over the weeks. This will ensure minimal disturbance of bio-media during cleaning.

Tank/Pond.

Fibreglass tanks should not be too small for the koi to live in. One has to take into consideration that it is possible for a well fed koi to achieve a size of 60cm to 80cm in just 2 to 3 years. A good minimal tank size would be one measuring at least 8ft length x 4ft width x 3ft depth. However, by that time, many beginners would have become serious hobbyist and would already have their larger ponds built. The old tank would make a good quarantine or hospital tank. Fibreglass tanks usually come with an undersized filter box also made of fibreglass. It is upto the beginner to use his or her ingeniuity to set up a filtration system that is efficient. One may also incorporate additional filters to achieve the desired water quality, like a DIY trickle tower filter. It is through trial and error that one finally strikes a balance between filtration capacity, fish load and feeding frequency in order to maintain good water quality. This, coupled with the frequent exchange of ideas in the koi discussion forum makes the hobby interesting and challenging. Concrete ponds are by far the best choice for many serious koi hobbyist. They can be in any shape, size and depth. For koi keeping, bigger is better and a minimal depth of 5ft is ideal. Better still is the ability to design your own filtration system. The beginner turned serious koi-keeper would by now better understand and appreciate the importance of a well designed filtration system. One could incorporate many useful features into a pond/filter system. The important ones are as follows, 1)bottom drains with their flushing chamber. 2)a good settlement chamber that is able to trap most solid waste. 3)large biological chambers that could support billions of colonies of good bacteria. 4)pump chamber that has control valves to the waterfall, venturi, waterway, external trickle tower filter or any other water feature. 5)a drainage outlet at the bottom of each chamber to facilitate removal of waste during back-flushing when cleaning the filter. 6)aeration of bio-chambers by a system of air- tubings supplied by an external air pump. 7)protein skimmer to remove dissolved organic compounds from water and surface skimmer to remove dirt floating on the surface of water. 8)UV sterilizer/clarifier to kill harmful pathogens in water and to kill green microscopic floating algae in water.

Landscaping.

A water feature be it in or outside the house creates a pleasing and relaxing atmosphere. The sound of water splashing, gushing or bubbling is indeed refreshing and soothing to the nerves. The sight of a body of water with koi swimming in it and the reflection of it’s waves is truly pleasing to the eye as well! I have spent many countless hours gazing at my pond and koi. It's amazing how one never gets enough of it and how time flies by! The area around the tank or pond could be landscaped or decorated to achieve this effect. Indoor tanks or ponds which generally have a more formal design can be decorated with artificial plants and rockworks with a small waterfall, special lighting effects, intricate decorative items, smooth pebbles or a raised timber edge cum seat that allows the owner to be close enough to enjoy the koi. Outdoor tanks or ponds which are generally more informal in design should have a natural looking landscape with real plants and large rocks and waterfall. Decorative features made from stone or concrete like seats, lanterns and figurines will be suitable. Rocks and pebbles are fine if they are used at the edges or outside the pond. It is not a good idea to have these on the floor of the pond eventhough they may seem to add an extra touch of naturalness to the pond. Problems with fish health may arise later. To save ourselves alot of work and trouble later, the interior of a koi pond should not have features that facilitate accumulation of debris. Movement of waste should not be hindered to ensure that they are continuously removed from the pond. Hard wood or timber like decks, pergola or trellis blends well with green plants and water. Large trees are not recommended near the vicinity of pond as fallen leaves may pose a problem for pond maintenance. A word about keeping plants in ponds. While having plants in ponds may make the pond look very nice and natural, problems may arise if these are not properly maintained. Most hobbyist may not have the time and resources to attend to these. Furthermore, koi are notorious for destroying plants. The presence of pots of soil on the floor of ponds may cause accumulation of waste due to poor drainage. Soil itself may contain pathogens harmful to koi. Plants can be planted at the periphery. Hydroponics are kept away from koi in a waterway or at the final stage of filtration. Fast growing plants with large leaves like the Yam plant can be grown entirely in water and is suitable as a nitrate absorber. The Pandan plant whose fragrance we use in flavouring cakes is also suitable as a hydroponic. These plants add greenery to the pond and provides some shade. A strong black netting over the pond could cut down the intensity of the afternoon sun and provide the required shading to prevent sunburnt to koi and greenwater. It also provides a nice cool ambience to the pond area.

Feeding.

This would appear as the single most important daily chore for most koi enthusiast as it brings tremendous joy and excitement to interact with their beloved koi. In fact for some, this would be the only time when they could actually be close to the koi. Close enough to scrutinise every fin and scale on the body hoping not to find any wounds or injuries. Koi especially the larger ones are quite prone to injuries like knocks and bumps. These usually heal fast without much scarring in a clean water environment. Koi eats almost anything that is edible. Food for koi should not contaminate the water and safe to eat. It is pointless to feed too much at any time because koi does not store food in their digestive tracts as they don’t have a stomach. Food taken in immediately passes along the gut and whatever is not digested will be passed out. Frequent smaller feeds are more ideal. Pellet food are popular and safe for koi. Look for some reliable brands and stick to them. Choose a size that even the smallest koi is able to consume. One could also feed pellets of mixed sizes. One may even use more than a brand of pellets and have a weekly schedule of feeding. How much to feed and how often? I always divide a measured amount of pellets into a few portions and feed one portion at one go and continue with another until the last pellet is finished by the end of 10min. By this method, all the koi, large and small would get to eat at the same time and the mad rush for food is avoided. A single feeding session may last from 5min to 10min. There may be 2 or 3 of such sessions daily. Measure the amount of food required to be given in order that the last pellet stay afloat in the pond for 5-10min before it is consumed by the koi. Food should be increased gradually as the koi are growing. If you are throwing in the pellets slowly you will of course spend more time feeding the koi. This method may be more enjoyable as one will train the koi to know one better. However one should not be tempted to overfeed as some koi will appear never to be satisfied by the amount of food given! It is also true that some koi will not take anymore food or show less interest once they have had enough. Once you have determined the amount of food to be given, you could take your time to slowly feed your koi but ensure that all are given their share of food. Colour enhancers? Some of the food that we feed to our koi like fruits or shrimps contain caroteinoids or Vitamin A which have colour enhancing properties. Another popular naturally occurring food substance that contains Vitamin A is spirulina, a seaweed. Young koi do not require additional or too much colour enhancers in their diet as it may damage their immature liver. Futhermore, the coloured pigmentations in a koi depends a lot on other more important factors like bloodline, water quality and exposure to sunlight. Colour enhancers in substantial amounts will enhance colour pigmentation in koi entering competitions. Prolonged intake of Vitamin A can lead to yellowish discolouration of the white areas and is a sign of liver toxicity. In some koi, the white areas adjacent to the red(Hi) take on a reddish tinge. This is a sign of excessive caroteinoids in the diet. Besides pellets, other non-live foods like paste food, whole-meal bread and soaked barley can be safely given to koi. Fruits like oranges, papayas or mangoes, vegetables like lettuce and carrots have been tried by many. Cooked prawns or shrimps are safe to be given. Live foods like worms, insects or uncooked prawns or shrimps may be tried provided these are free from harmful pathogens.

Security, Safety and Power Outages.

Children are a curious lot. Adult supervision is necessary when children are in the vicinity of a deep pond. Do not wait for a tragedy to occur. Otherwise some form of barrier should be constructed to prevent children from falling into the pond. A balance may have to be struck between safety and aesthetics. Koi theft is a real threat in this part of the world where I live. Eventhough I have never been a victim of one, I do not take chances. High fences, motion sensors triggering alarms and spotlights are just some of the precautions that can be taken to discourage theives. A pond depth of 5ft should discourage predators like cats and others. In some areas, power outages lasting upto a few hours are common. During such a time, the filtration system will come to a standstill. In a large pond with few koi, this is not a problem. The same cannot be said for a pond which is overstocked. The koi will be suffocated due to lack of oxygen and accumulation of toxic waste in the water. Many a times, owners lose many precious koi overnight due to power outages. Hence it is always good to have a warning and backup system. A warning device similar to that of a house alarm system can be installed to warn the owner who is not at home when a power outage occurs. A power generator large enough to power the pumps is not only a good choice for a backup system but also a wise investment.

Buying koi.

A beginner in the hobby could start with small young koi. These may be 10cm to 12cm long. Alternatively he or she may start with larger koi about 30cm long. Larger koi are stronger and easier to keep. Furthermore their colours and patterns are more established. Local or Imported? Those who insist on keeping Japanese koi should buy only from reputable dealers. Of late, reasonably good looking koi from Taiwan have become available. Locally bred koi are much cheaper than their Japanese counterparts. Ask someone who knows or bring along that person to help and select koi. A pretty good idea of the dealer can be obtained by observing the condition of the koi in the water and tanks in the shop. Carefully net a few koi with potential and place them gently in a separate container with just enough water to cover the dorsal fins. Do not select those koi that 1)appears severely wasted or deformed like missing eye, deformed snout or crooked spine or with severely torn and rotting fins. 2)does not swim normally or prefers to stay away from others. 3)has skin which does not appear healthy like wounds or missing scales. If possible observe the sides and under (belly)of the selected koi in an aquarium or clear plastic bag to confirm that it is free from disease. The variety of koi to buy will depend on ones preference later when he or she is more familiar with them. Good koi selection is an art and takes a lot of time to master. Many hobbyists have once too often “paid a price or a learning fee” before they actually become good at selecting koi! The following are some useful points to note when choosing a good young koi, 1)Size. A large head with broad mouth, broad shoulder and thick caudal peduncle. Fins that are not too big. Feeds aggressively. These usually are the characteristics of a koi that is healthy and would grow big at a fast rate. 2)Colour. Thick white skin and sharp demarcation with red(Hi) area. Hi need not be very intense but should be even and thick. Black(Sumi) areas may be faint and not be fully developed in young koi. Too much sumi at this stage may be undesirable.

Quarantine.

Many a times, our beloved resident koi die suddenly from seemingly unknown reasons when new koi are introduced directly into a tank or pond. This is because harmful pathogens were introduced together with the new koi. These pathogens multiply and infect healthy residents of the pond. It is disheartening and painful to see your favourite koi die one after another. Hence it is important to always separate newcomers and observe them for awhile. Remember that quarantine is also good for the new koi. It helps new koi to recover as they have been subjected to stress since they were netted from the farm and transported over great distances to their destinations to be sold. An aquarium, a fibreglass tank or even an old water tank can be used as a quarantine tank. However, the tank should be large enough as the purpose is to observe the newcomer and not to stress it further. The one shown above measures 6ft length x 3ft width x 3ft depth and is suitable as a Hospital or Quarantine Tank. Ensure that the water condition in the quarantine tank is good at all times. Adding sodium chloride(rock salt) to make a 0.1% to 0.3% concentration(100g to 300g into 100L of water) is helpful for reducing stress, healing minor wounds and killing some parasites. High DO level is helpful. Perform daily water test for ammonia and nitrite and do water change when necessary. Feeding should not be excessive. Quarantine for at least 4 weeks. This is to ensure that the new koi is completely disease free before adding into the main pond. My rule of thumb is “No Quarantine, No New Koi”. Therefore make sure that you have the necessary quarantine facilities before you buy that nice looking koi! If the new koi developes disease during quarantine, it should be treated appropriately.