Koi Fish Resource

Koi fish are the domesticated variety of the common carp. In fact, the word “koi” is actually Japanese for the word “carp”. The Japanese introduced koi in the 1820s. Since then, they’ve become a popular domesticated fish. Today, due to their popularity, koi fish come in a large variety of patterns and colors like black, red, orange, yellow, silver, green and blue. Follow this link for fish koi information.

Many people like to have koi ponds in their backyards because of how relaxing they are. The soothing sound of the gently trickling water makes it easy to let go of the day. They are even more entrancing and interesting to look at when koi pond owners are able to successfully mix living plants within their koi ponds in order to replicate a natural pond environment. Some people do not realize that certain koi and plants do not live harmoniously together. Koi fish can sometimes give their owners a hard time when it comes to potted plants within the pond.

Certain plants need to live on the floor of the pond to thrive and mix well. Sometimes people are so attracted to the look of the plant and they try to grow them within the water of the pond. When you place a plant that should be rooted in the sod of the pond free and loose in the water, the koi themselves inadvertently knock the plants about. This not only muddies the water, but can create havoc in the pond environment. Koi can also have the tendency of “digging” up the soil. You can have plants in your pond. Do not let these facts discourage your efforts to create a beautiful, serene pond. Find more koi colors information here.

There is more than one way to solve these pond issues. You can wrap netting over the tops of the pots to keep the koi from digging in them. Another method of circumventing the digging efforts of the koi is to use pea gravel along the bottom of the pond and on the tops of the plants. If you have a really large potted plant, then river stones would be an appropriate measure. The weight of the stones will prevent the koi from being able to knock the plants over. The stones will obviously outweigh the fish themselves. The stones also keep the fish from being able to loosen the dirt underneath the plants. Thus, the plants cannot be dug up by the koi.

A plant that works quite well in a koi pond is a lily. They come in several different varieties includes ones that grow well in shallow water and ones that grow better in deeper water. Lilies are not a good choice when what you need oxygenation, but they do bring shade and shelter for the koi. As a bonus, lilies are attractive to look at. Plus, having plants in the water will attract insects. Koi fish are omnivores and will search the plants foliage to seek out insects and larva to munch on.

Koi eat other things besides insects. They have a varied diet and can be fed many different things. It is not unusual for koi fish owners to mention that they successfully trained their fish to eat out of their hands. Koi fish have the ability to be able to recognize the person who feeds them and will approach that person during feeding time. In addition to pre-made koi food, koi fish enjoy a variety of people foods like peas, lettuce and even watermelons.

Having koi fish grace the waters of an outside pond is truly an enjoyable and unique experience. They area able to add a great amount of pleasure to their owners lives and in turn are rewarded by the generosity and good care of their owners.