petcarefun.info

April 24th, 2009 by KittyKitty

The first thing that you need to always remember is that a koi pond is not a just hole in the ground where you can store and keep your fish . To make a koi pond properly work, you should take into consideration different kinds of things in planning for your koi pond construction . Follow the few simple rules that’ll help you not to end up with an expensive hole filled with nothing but dead fish!

The first thing that you need to consider is to have a professional build your koi pond (that’s unless you have the necessary knowledge in fish keeping, outdoor landscaping and also koi pond structure). You might think that building the koi pond yourself will save you money, but this kind of notion could not take your further from the case!

You see, if your koi pond is not built properly right from the start, what will happen is that you’re going to end up spending a great deal of money on fixing the problems that may come up in the future. Also, with an improper koi pond set-up, you will not be able to save your koi from an inevitable demise!

Keep in mind that a professional will always give you what you want for your koi pond structure. They may give their inputs when it comes to a necessary decision making, but in the end, they will always do what you want them to do. With this, they are blameless if ever your koi pond fails due to factors such as size, location, etc. Beware also of those extremely cheap quotes, because they may cut corners that can really cause you problems later (while these will come in differently, there are no significant differences between them).

The fact of the matter is that these koi pond are, by no means, water troughs for animals or swimming pools, and that’s why much care should be taken in building and planning your koi pond. Although it may cost you more cash than building those typical swimming pools, the rewards that you can reap are really much greater! Make sure to keep all of the children and other pets out of your koi pond, because they can cause problems.

Children can cause a chemical imbalance and major problems like leaks if they take the liberty of swimming in the koi pond. As for the other kinds of pets, although it may be okay to have them around your koi pond, they may mess with the filtration system and even chase your koi around! That’s why it’s best to keep them away from your koi pond.

Keep in mind that like any other pets that people have, other issues may come up that may need your special attention. You can do these things: take some extra time to clear up those algae infections; if you’re going out for a vacation, make sure that somebody with the appropriate knowledge will maintain your koi pond to make it properly available when you return; and also, you can always visit your veterenarian.

Once built, most of these koi ponds are permanent, so you can’t decide in 2 or 3 weeks that you want to have the construction of your koi pond in the backyard instead of the front yard. Make sure that you plan carefully every aspect of the koi pond, consider things such as size requirements and placement. Remember you can do only a little to alter it once it’s built. And there’s also the much needed maintenance of your koi pond. This can demand a lot of work on your part, so just be sure that you will be able to have enough time to do it.

April 24th, 2009 by KittyKitty

Today, koi breeding have become quite popular. The first of their kind were produced by breeding Carp, such as the German and the Asian type. For years, they have been selectively bred, which resulted to many kinds of color mutations to show up. 1805 was the year when the first colors were recorded. To date, there are thousands and thousands of variations in color that are available.

The popular ones come in black, red, orange, silver, yellow, green, blue and white. The patterns can be combined, resulting in a countless possibility in the pattern of the koi. Each of the colors have been designated their own names, and it is as unique as the color being referred to.

In places like Japan, Singapore, Israel, and the United States (typically in warmer places like California and Nevada) raise the fish for purchase. The fish can be bought at most of the local pet stores. If ever there’s no stock on hand, you can always order them, wherein you are being presented with more options when ordering since you don’t have to pick right away from the available stock. The only disadvantage here is that you won’t be able to pick the specific fish that you’d like to have.

Keep in mind that your koi pond should be complete first before buying your fish. The size and number of fish that you’re going to purchase should be based with respect to the size of your koi pool. Never overcrowd your fish, as it may cause problems instantly in your koi pool, killing many of your fish and causing you to lose a lot of time and money. Consult your local dealer about the proper setup that you can have, and they will be the ones to advise you on the amount of fish that you should put in your own koi pool. Many fish owners know that most fish will only grow in line with the size of the enclosure that they’re in. Koi, on the other hand, will grow until they have reached their full-growth potential. Make sure that you are able to accommodate the number of fish that you’re going to buy in the future.

Traits And Personality Of The Koi:

The Koi are non-aggressive fish. They don’t have teeth, so you don’t have to worry about getting bitten when you feed them using your hand. This allows you to get smaller children involved in the process, as they are drawn to the fish’s magnificent and eye-catching colors (added with their gentle nature). Like any other wild animal, your fish will be afraid of you in the beginning (as this instinct is what keeps them alive in the wild). Building complete trust with your fish really takes a certain amount of time and patience.

It is omnivorous, eating both meat and plants (which gives them an adaptable diet). They’ll eat whatever you put in the koi pool, regardless if its good for them or not. This makes you responsible in controlling their everyday diet. These fish have personalities, similar to the other animals. They are social by nature, and they can be trained to eat directly from the hands of their owners. You’ll get to see and observe more of their individual traits and characteristics as you spend more time with them.

The Koi is known for its long life span; in general, the average lifespan of a healthy one would reach around 30 years (although it has been known to live up to 200 years at a time). This makes them good choices if you’re someone who’s looking for a long-time pet companion. These facts make generating koi truly one great hobby to do!

April 24th, 2009 by KittyKitty

What are the things that you need to do with your koi pond after the storm? What you do first is just relax and take time to breathe, because your koi are just doing fine. Their condition right now is that they’re just traumatized by the experience (just a normal reaction for any koi who have undergone an unusual and extreme situation). Unless there’s a big damage done to the koi pond water and the whole koi pool, you don’t have to worry about their health. Now, what you should think about is their home, which need some repairs to be done.

Now, you may have either prepared completely for the storm or may have been taken by surprise by it… but whatever your case is, take the necessary action so as to make sure that no further damage will be done to it.

So here are the things that you need to do. First, undo all of the storm precautions that you have made to survey possible damages that have occurred. If you put a net over your koi pool, you have to remove as much debris off the net as you can and then remove it. Once removed, you’ll be able to make a survey of the damage and then check the condition of your koi.

If you were expecting high waters and then your sand has extended outward beyond the usual point in the area around the koi pool, you should remove all of the sand bags for you to have an easy access in your koi pool (given that the koi pool water level is normal too). Now, don’t fret or get discouraged if things seem out of their place, and it may not be as bad as its original setup.

Once all of the netting and the other precautions has been removed, what you need to do now is take your time to look and examine the area. If you see any debris, remove these by skimming over and netting. If the surrounding plants or other decorations has been uprooted or put out of their places, just bring them back to their original spot where they have been put.

Now, if your koi pool has undergone a major damage, make it a point to remove your koi as soon as you can from the koi pool. Although proper bagging as well as transporting techniques are needed if the damage will take some time to get fixed, there are some transitory options that you can have if the damage can be fixed fast. You can always use a children’s pool as a temporary place for your koi. You can also contact your local zoo or pet store and ask them of an available program to help you in housing your koi until the necessary maintenance can be made.

If only small repairs are required, what you should focus on is the koi pool water quality. Your pond’s water may now seem dark or cloudy because of the storm and the extra water given by the rainfall. You should be worrying about ammonia issues if the storm lasted for a longer period. Then test your koi pool water for Nitrates. If these are present, what you do is you add the right amount of salt to the koi pool water (about three-fourths to a pound of salt per 100 gallons of water).

It may be a good idea to add more salt if your koi got shocked by the storm or if they got any type of injuries (if you have plants lying around in your koi pool, remove them first before adding the salt). Just keep in mind that your koi should be of primary importance compared to your plants.

If you have any KH issues (especially those that fall below 100), just add baking soda to your koi pool (1 cup of unpacked baking soda per 1000 gallons of water). This will be able to protect your koi pool from a pH crash that may take place in the future.

April 23rd, 2009 by KittyKitty

A proper filter for koi pond for your pond environment is one of the things you need to have for a healthy and lively pets. The reality is that a koi pond filter is the one thing that promotes the biological balance needed for your koi pool. A good one will be able to work well and properly without the use of a pump to force water through it.

What are the kinds of koi pond filter that you can use for your pets? There are two types of these koi pond filter: the mechanical and the biological filters. The biological koi pond filter depends on the bacteria in the breakdown of the toxic wastes (ammonia or pH), converting them into nitrates. These nitrates are less harmful substances (they only become harmful to your pets when left untreated at high levels). The mechanical koi pond filter cleans the particles (solid wastes from your pets) from the koi pool’s water, which are trapped in the filter and cleaned up when the regular maintenance period of the koi pool comes.

Your koi pool is a large area that makes the strength of the filter alone insufficient for water circulation (your pets need to have an ongoing supply of oxygen in the water). To increase the strength, you can add additional features to your koi pool like waterfalls, fountains, etc. These give aeration to the pond, a process which agitates the water, giving more oxygen to the to it. It’s also important to keep the chemical mixture of the water at a healthy, normal range for your pets, that’s why you should test your water’s chemical make up every week, and you can do this by bringing a water sample to your local pet store and have it tested, or if you choose not to have any hassles in going to the pet store, you can buy a home testing kit to test the water yourself.

As a koi pool owner, you should always take the responsibility, time and effort needed to ensure its health. A rewarding hobby as it is, getting your koi pool the necessary equipments it needs (like the filter) will give you a healthier, long-lasting koi pool that you’ll always love to have!

April 23rd, 2009 by KittyKitty

The Koi have little fear with us humans, and this serves as one of their best features. Once your fish sees you as the one who feeds them and the one who’s not going to harm them, they are likely to eat right out of your hand (provided with the proper training). The reality is that koi feeding can be one of the most entertaining and funniest experiences that you’re going to get into.

These pets, by nature, are non-aggressive ones. They don’t have teeth, so you don’t have to worry about getting bitten if ever you decide in attempting to feed them with the use of your hand. This activity will also attract smaller kids, as they will be delighted and entertained by the pets’s gentle nature and beautiful patterns and colors. Like any other wild animal, they will have that fear of you in the start.

Their instincts are the ones that tell them to fear you, which is what keeps them alive and survive in the wild in the first place. So, what you have to do is to build up trust with your pets, and this will take a certain amount of time and patience in your part. Remember that hand feeding can’t be achieved over night!

Your pets feed on both meat and plants, as they are an omnivorous species. Being omnivorous brings versatility in their diets. They will eat almost everything that you give them, not caring whether it’s good for them or not. Since they don’t have the ability to judge what’s good or bad for them, you, as the owner, should be the one to control their diet.

Overfeeding is another problem, as your pets might get overweight from eating foods that are not nutritious for them. The healthiest treats for your pets are the natural ones, such as tadpoles and earthworms. Also, you can feed them with bread, lettuce, veggies and fruit. Just be careful when feeding your pets with food such as beans, corn and grapes, as they have those outer casings. These outer casings will be harmful for your pets if these are not properly digested by them. So, just make sure that you remove the outer casings before feeding them.

Now, the trick here is to start slow in feeding your pets. Don’t make any sudden movements, as this will scare away even the most trusting of your pets. What you should do is start hand training your pets right from the moment you get them (which is also applicable for those that are in your current population). You can start by placing few of the snacks or pellets in your hand and then put your hand under the water.

Then slowly allow the food to fall from your hand. Now, it may seem that your pets may not seem to pay any attention, but the reality is that they are aware of your hand (and that your hand is the ones giving them food). You can do this within a period of two days.

Doing this will help you gain the interest of your pets. Then as you have now gotten their interest, let the pets remove the food from your hand. Now, if your pet will refuse to take food from your hand, don’t feed them on that day (you’re not going to stare them in this process). They will have the notion that they must get the food from your hand if they want to feed. If you do this everyday, this will make them comfortable with you.

So once you have the pets feeding out of your hand, you can then start in making them feed from your fingers. And the same thing applies here: if they’re not going to feed from your fingers, don’t feed them on that day. Remember that food will serve as your motivator when it comes to feeding wild animals, and guaranteed, no fish will simply stare itself just because it is not sure of the situation it’s in.

In koi feeding, you have successfully made your pets feed from your hand, you can then alternate the routine between the regular and hand feeding. There’s no reason in trying to take the time in hand feeding if you’re in such a hurry. And another important thing is that once you get your pets to feed from your hand, always be careful in allowing your visitors to feed your pets. Supervise them (both the kids and the adults) in feeding your pets properly; no sudden movements and give your pets the right foods for them.

April 22nd, 2009 by KittyKitty

When it comes to taking care of your Koi, part of it is protecting them from a deadly koi ailment known as the KHV (or Koi Herpes Virus). Fact of the matter is that your koi is really susceptible to this kind of disease. So what can you do to protect them from it? The only way you can protect them from this virus is to ensure that they never get exposed to it. Getting the necessary information that you need to know about this koi disease will get your fish the best protection that they’re going to need.

The Facts About The Disease:

Since its first outbreak, little has been known about this koi disease. Knowing the facts is an essential thing for the protection of your fish. The KHV is a deadly koi disease which has just recently appeared in the Koi industry. In the late 1998 and early 1999, the first outbreak has been reported in Israel, then in the following years has been confirmed in places like Europe, Asia and the U.S. This kind of koi disease is known to infect the victim throughout their life. Even those who don’t show signs of the virus are considered as carriers if they have been exposed to it for a certain amount of time. The mortality rate for those that have been exposed to the koi disease is 60 percent to 80 percent.

There is still no known cure for this koi disease. Even if proper treatment has been given to your fish, they will never again go to a new home, because if you put them in a healthy fish population, they will spread the virus to the others. This virus can spread in many ways, like the fish coming into contact with the infected ones, tools used to handle the infected fish, the water in which the infected fish swam, and many more. Stress can increase the mortality rate of the fish. Temperatures around 74 degrees Fahrenheit can be used to track the koi disease, and it will allow the necessary testing and quarantining of your fish to observe if they have been exposed or not.

The Preventative Measures: Depopulation and Quarantine

Depopulation is one of the best preventative measures that you can do to eliminate the possibilities of this koi disease, and this means the elimination of your whole pet population. Although this may seem cruel to your fish, with this you can really ensure that you don’t infect the other fish in your pond. Another method is by quarantining. If you buy a new fish, quarantine it before mixing it with your current Koi population (for 15 days or more).

In quarantining your fish, they should be totally isolated from anything else. Separate the food, tools and water that you’re going to use for the quarantined fish, and ensure that the tools that you use for them doesn’t leave the area in which they have been used. Procedures for proper hand washing in handling your fish and the essential items should be observed. Following these effective preventative measures can help you avoid your fish from catching the infectious disease.

April 22nd, 2009 by KittyKitty

The Koi Herpes Virus (abbreviated as KHV) is a deadly koi virus which has recently emerged in the Koi industry. Its first outbreak was confirmed in the late period of the year 1998, early in the year 1999 in Israel. Since its emergence, outbreaks have been reported all throughout the globe, especially in Europe, Asia and the United States.

The KHV is believed to remain with the infected fish for the rest of its life. The pets that have been exposed to the virus immediately become carriers! The mortality rate for the pets that have been exposed to this kind of virus would fall around 60 to 80 percent. These pets are susceptible to the virus. The only way to prevent your pets from getting infected by the koi ailment is by making sure that your pets will never get exposed to it. Being knowledgeable about the koi ailment would really slim the chances of making your pets get infected by the virus.

The Facts About The Virus:

A little has been gathered about the koi ailment since its outbreak in 1998, and knowing the facts about this virus can prevent it from spreading into your pond. Once the pets have been exposed to virus, it will always be a carrier for the rest of its life. Even with the proper treatment, these pets should never be transferred to another pond to prevent the spreading of the infection. Temperature levels around 74 degrees Fahrenheit will activate the koi ailment (a valuable information for testing to see if the pets really have the virus or not). Stress is not a cause of the koi ailment, but it can cause the disease to gain a higher mortality rate. Spreading of the virus will occur if the pets will come in contact with an infected fish; if it will come into contact with the tools used in handling the infected pets; if it will be exposed to the water in which the infected ones swam in; and others. There’s no known cure for the KHV.

Preventative measures of the spreading of the KHV:

If your pets has been diagnosed with the virus, the only way to make sure that you don’t infect other pets is by depopulation. In here you eliminate your entire fish population. This is the best way so as to make sure that no other fish will ever catch the koi ailment. When purchasing a fish, quarantine the new pets separately from your current population in a period not less than 15 days. With the knowledge of the exact temperature level to activate the disease (around 74 degrees Fahrenheit), this will allow you to expose your pets to the right conditions for the koi ailment to show itself. Those that live in this conditions for this given period and don’t develop any symptoms have less chance of getting infected.

Quarantining your pets means totally isolating them; don’t allow anything to come near the infected ones, especially those items that may come into contact with the present population. Use separate food, tools and water for this one. Ensure that those tools you have used for your quarantined pets should just stay always in the area in which they were used. Proper hand washing procedures should also be observed when handling both the pets and their items within the same period of time. These steps can really help in the prevention of the spreading of this koi ailment.

April 22nd, 2009 by KittyKitty

Koi pond owners always look for a perfect koi pond construction, and to achieve such goal, everything should start with the pond itself. A perfect koi pond structure is not only pleasing to the eye of the spectator; it also sustains your koi very well.

1st Step: Set Up The Perfect Environment For Your koi pond

The proper size, placement, and type of the koi pond is very important in your koi pond structure. When we talk about the size, remember this: the bigger, the better. Your koi grows quite long in a fast rate, so the factors that you need to keep in mind are the koi pond size and also the number of koi that you’re going to put into your koi pond.

It’s a great idea to hire a professional to build your koi pond (unless of course if you are knowledgeable enough in fish keeping, outdoor landscaping and koi pond structure). Although you might think that building the koi pond yourself may save you a great deal of money, this could not be the case.

You see, if you haven’t built your koi pond properly from the start, chances are you’ll end up spending quite a lot of money on giving remedies to problems that might come up in the future. Also, you might not be able to ensure the survival of your koi with an improper koi pond setup.

Keep in mind that professionals will always give what you want. They might give their own input in decision-making, but in the end, your decision will be the one that they’re going to follow. So, you can’t put a blame on them if your koi pond will fail in terms of size, location, and others. But just be on guard with those very cheap quotes, because they may cut corners that could cause potential problems in a later period. Although there are differences in quotes, there’s really no significant variations between them.

2nd Step: Learn About Keeping The koi

When it comes to the topic of keeping the koi, it’s truly an advantage for you if you have a lot of knowledge regarding the matter. Learn as much as you can about this kind of hobby before you get on with it. It’s quite important to learn the necessary info yourself instead of getting inputs from other sources, such as your pond builder and product dealer (who have limited knowledge, and could be bias as they are selling their products too!). Also, these people won’t be available to help you when you’re going to experience some problems with your koi at home.

3rd Step: Purchase Your koi

So now you have created your pond and the perfect environment for your koi. What you’re going to do next is to buy your koi. Never purchase too much of them as they will grow great in length (about 2 to 3 feet long), and they also breed almost on a yearly basis. Overpopulation will cause serious problems later for your koi pond and koi.

4th Step: Prevent Common Problems For Your koi pond

To prevent koi pond problems, always make it a point that you put your new koi in quarantine before you put them into your current population. Watch out for illnesses such as KHV, as they show little or no symptoms at all.

Quarantining the new ones will help in reducing the risk and possibility of exposing your current population to harmful situations. Perform a weekly water testing, and this will help you to observe the differences in the test results before your koi pond will show symptoms of stress (which can save both your koi and your koi pond).

5th Step: Feed Your koi

The feeding of your koi is considered to be one of the pleasing things as you have a perfect koi pond structure. Consult your dealer or local pet store about the amount of food that you should feed your koi. The feeding patterns will change with respect to temperature and season.

Food such as veggies, fruit, bread, and the like that you can purchase from the store are also great for them. The good thing about your koi is that they can be trained to feed from your hand (which might take you a certain amount of time and patience). This one, plus a good and beautiful koi pond structure, is sure to give a great entertainment for both you and your visitors.

April 20th, 2009 by KittyKitty

In caring for koi , there are necessary precautions that you can take when faced with small and large-scale storms.It is a fact that no matter where you live in, it’s inevitable that you’d be bound to come into contact with at least a single extreme weather condition throughout the year. We’ve seen the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, and this have shown us that having an emergency plan is the best way to avoid the results of total destruction for your koi and your koi pool .

The Small-Scale Storms:

The reality is that preparing your koi pool for small-scale storms is quite easier compared to preparing for the larger ones. These steps will guide your koi pool to get through such storms.

Stop feeding your pets with food: Your koi pool has enough natural sources for food for the pets to eat so that they will not starve for a long time. If your filters have not been damaged, giving no food to your pets will reduce the risk of ammonia problems in the days to come.

You should make big water changes for the koi pool: If something goes wrong and you’re not able to take care of the koi pool immediately, your pets will get the freshest water available to them. What you do is you leave out several inches of water to make up for the coming rainfall to have lesser chances of overflowing problems. If you have drainage system, clear it of any debris to make it work properly. If your koi pool is at ground level and you expect that high waters will occur, add some protection by placing sand bags around the area (this will keep your pets confined within the area if flooding happens).

Place a net over your koi pool to protect it from flying debris: You can use the same net that you have used for the fall to keep out the leaves, and secure it down properly.

Remove any object that can blow over, away or fall into the koi pool: Remember that if you can push a thing over, so can the wind as well! The things that can be blown away by the wind should be removed and then placed inside your house for safety.

Large-Scale Storms:

Large-scale storms prevent preventative measures from being effective. In koi care, the only way to completely save your koi pool from large storms is by removing your pets completely from the pond. In koi care, it’s good to have all the equipment and materials that you need to transport your pets readily. The equipment/materials needed to bag and transport your pets is small and can be stored easily when they’re not used.

You must have the appropriate bags to transport your pets. Never use trash bags or regular plastic bags, as these aren’t designed for the task, and may even damage your pets. Get bags that are big enough to hold your pets. You’re going to need rubber bands for each bag that you purchase. Choose those that have great quality, so as not to let the pressure of the water pop the rubber band out as you are transporting your pets.

Get a net that’s big enough to compete with your pets. Although you won’t need the net to pull the fish out of the pond, you’re going to need it to direct your pets to the place you want them to go. Take the necessary precaution in handling the net, as they can damage your pets, especially the big ones. Also, if you want to give it the best care possible, using a paint bucket is a better way to catch your pets, because these can’t hurt your pets like those nets can. Just make sure that your bucket is big enough to accommodate your pets.

April 20th, 2009 by KittyKitty

With the majority of the domesticated pets, population control is just an easy thing to do, as it is usually just as simple as removing any possibility of conception until the time in which the opportunity for it has already come to pass. But unlike these domesticated pets, propagating koi is very different. You see, it doesn’t matter whether you want them or not, they will always lay and spawn eggs, and others will also fertilize them. Now, since contraceptive methods are not available for your fish, you can remove the unwanted baby fish after they’re born. This method might seem harsh, but keep in mind that keeping all the baby fish can damage both your pond and the parent fish too!

So, why are the baby fish harmful? It has something to do with the size that they can potentially grow into. They will grow up to 3 feet, no matter of what kind of habitat they’re placed into. Now, an overpopulation will turn a beautiful koi pond into a wasteful ones! Having too many fish will destroy a smaller koi pond, and the fish themselves will not be comfortable. As you set up your koi pond, you should have a filtration system for a specific number of fish. Remember that adding in extra amounts of fish without adding more system to your koi pond will create harmful chemicals and gases in the process.

There are several ways of getting rid of the baby fish . First, stop feeding your fish the moment you see that spawning has occurred. Never worry about them starving: they will focus more on natural foods if they do not get fed by their owners regularly. Their “natural diet” includes their young. They eat their young when they are still eggs or if they appear like little insects, and will only stop feeding on them until they see their young looking like real fish.You should start this process as soon as you observe spawning in the pond.

You can also choose to give the unwanted baby fish away. Check your local pet store and see if they have programs that will accept unwanted animals and give them shelter. Some may even pay a certain amount of cash for each fish since they’re going to sell them. Also, look for local zoos that have this program too. If you know of any local Koi society, notify them that you have unwanted babies. You can also go to online message board or groups where you can post your notifications there.

The reality is that reproducing koi and keeping them as pets is a fun hobby to have, but just make sure that you take care of them properly by monitoring their population in the koi pond regularly.