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April 18th, 2009 by KittyKitty

In koi care , it is inevitable that your pet needs to be moved from time to time. Like all domesticated pets, your fish will have its own medical issues in its lifetime (especially since it can live up to 30 years old!) And when you do not have a veterenarian that does house calls, chances are they’re going to tell you to “bring your pets in”.

Aside from medical issues, there’s also the pond issues, which can arise as an emergency move because your pond is being placed into harms by natural events, or it is due to a planned move for a new construction. You see, no matter what amount of planning and precaution you take in construction your pond, there’s always the possibility that you still need to move your pets whenever the occasion calls for it.

Recent tragedies such as that of the Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Katrina, and those common everyday illnesses, shows you that you need to have a plan of action when it comes to your pets. Whether an emergency or not, you should know how to bag and transport your pets properly so as to ensure their safety.

So in koi care, what are the equipments that you need for bagging and transporting your pets? Now, these equipments are relatively small and can easily be stored when they’re not in use.

1) Bags – Always have the proper and sizable bags to transport the pets. Never use those trash bags or regular plastic bags, which can cause damage to your pets. You may need to take a trip to your local pet store to buy them if you don’t have any bags at hand.

2) Net – You’ll need a net that’s big enough to compete with your pets. You can use it to lead and direct them to the place that you want them to go. Just be careful when using the larger nets, as they have the potential to damage your pets.

3) Rubber Bands – You’re going to need a number of rubber bands for each of the bags you purchase. Buy those that are of good quality, so as to make sure that they won’t pop up due to the pressure from the water when you transport your pets.

4) Paint Bucket – This is a better option for catching your pets, as it will not harm your pet like the net can. Just make sure they’re big enough to hold them.

Now, the process of catching and bagging your pets is really a simple task, provided that you have the proper equipments at hand. With a large pond, you can have your friends help you in bagging your pets. Use the net in guiding the pets into the paint bucket, and once they’re in there, remove the excess water, and then start bagging it. Check the bag for leaks, and once it is secured, place the bag over the fish from head to tail. Make it a point that there’s enough amount of water that will cover the gills completely.

Leave a lot of room for air so that the bag will not be very heavy to carry. After this, place the rubber bands around each ends of the bag to double it until the bag is fully secured. Place the bag in a horizontally in your container as you transport it. Be careful not to bend your pets as you lift it. Make sure that the bag won’t move with bumps and turns that you’ll encounter along the way, and cover the fish so that only a little amount of heat from the sun can penetrate in it.

April 18th, 2009 by KittyKitty

Herons, by nature, are majestic and beautiful birds, but they only have one big flaw: they are one of the predators that love to feast on the Koi. That’s why for pond owners, taking care of their fish means they must be on guard all the time by never leaving their pond unattended! This is one of the most important rules of koi care .

Herons are really deceptive birds: when you first notice them walking around your Koi garden, they may seem harmless. Standing around 2 to 3 feet in height, they have very wide wingspan, coupled with a very graceful appearance. But don’t get bamboozled by these looks, for what you’re looking at are cunning predators, getting ready to snatch up and eat your fish!

When you look at your Koi pond and you notice that you are lacking some fish, chances are that the heron is responsible for it. If you notice some large gaping holes seen at the sides of your fish, this tells you that a heron have attempted to catch your fish, but it didn’t have the grip to get it successfully. Other cases of heron attacks include fish lying on the lawn just a few feet away from the pond, and this is because the heron dropped the fish after it has scooped it up from the pond.

Here are some necessary measures that you can take in order to avoid these incidents. These kind of “detours” will only work for a small amount of time.

Plastic herons - Place a fake (plastic) heron in your Koi garden. This is to detour another heron from landing on that certain spot. This will work for parts of the season, but will be ineffective when mating season starts, as they may land near the fake heron as they are looking for their mate.

Making noise - If you catch a heron about to snatch your fish, make noises and physically frighten it. What you can do is shout, throw things at it, or whatever means there is to scare it. The more frightened it is, the lesser chance there is for it to return at a later time.

Changing your routine - Constantly change your routine. Herons are smart enough to know that you’re around. Make frequent visits to your pond to increase your chance of catching the herons in the act of stealing your fish. If you can’t, ask or enlist someone to visit your pond for you. Give permission to older and trustworthy children to visit your pond, as they can add presence to it.

Create a place for hiding in the pond for your fish - You can create a hiding place for your fish in the pond. You’ll observe that after a heron attacks a pond, it may seem that the bird has successfully gotten its prey, but the reality is that your fish will start to appear from strange hiding places once the attack stops.

As you provide a hiding place for your fish to protect them from heron attacks, you will be able to reduce significantly the amount of fish that the herons will catch (and do not worry if your fish may seem like they are hiding from you, as they will know and trust you that you will not give them harm!).

Don’t restock your pond immediately – In koi care, another thing that you can do for your fish is by not restocking your pond right away in the event of an attack from a heron. Taking a little bit of time before restocking your pond will force the heron to search for new feeding grounds in the process.

April 18th, 2009 by KittyKitty

In caring for koi, population control is something that you need to do. You see, your fish will always spawn and lay their eggs, and others will fertilize them as well. It is the fish’s nature as wild animals, and there’s only little you can do about it. Controlling the population will mean removing those unwanted babies after they’re already born.

Now, you may think that it is a cruel thing to do, but keep in mind that having many fish in your pond will give danger to your pond and to your original fish population too (especially the original parent fish).

Why the offspring are harmful:

These babies can grow up to three feet long. If you have many babies that you’ll keep in the pond and will grow this long, you can only imagine what your pond will look like: you’ll be having an unhealthy and overcrowded pond! With this, your fish will not be comfortable with this kind of set up, and this could be dangerous for them.

As you set up your pond, have a filtration system for a specific amount of fish. Take note that if you’re going to add extra koi without adding more to your system, what will happen is that unwanted gases and chemicals will form and these has a great potential to harm your fish.

Getting rid of the babies:

Getting rid of the babies can be done in many ways. You can stop feeding your fish with food and treats once spawning has happened for no less than three weeks. If you think that your fish are going to starve, don’t worry, for they can take care of themselves as they’re going to focus more on natural foods if they are not fed everyday. Their diet includes their offspring: they’ll eat those that are still eggs and those that looks like small insects (and this is only part of their nature).

You can also give those unwanted fish away to others who can take care of them. Local pet stores have programs for koi care that accept unwanted animals and give them shelter (some may also pay some money for this as they will sell it). Local zoos can also have this program. Another are the local Koi society that you know. There are also online message board and group wherein you can post your messages.

April 18th, 2009 by KittyKitty

Being a Koi owner, you enjoy taking care of them, feeding them with treats and spending your leisure time with them. But the question is this: how much do you really know about your pets? As part of koi care, this article will give you a profile about your koi.

Koi (which means “carp” in Japanese) are domesticated varieties of the carp. They were bred for the first time in Japan around the 1820’s. These fish come in a wide array of colors and patterns which include orange, red, white, black, blue, silver and green. The environment where they live and their diet affect their color, and this makes it easy to comprehend the skill and patience it took for the first breeders in developing such an amazing and magnificent koi.

The fish thrive in cold water, which makes them perform best in temperatures between 61 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Thriving in cooler temperatures, they can be kept outside during the colder seasons.

The Koi is one of the most popular fish that thrive in freshwater ponds, and they can be found in millions of outdoor ponds throughout the globe. They are loved for both their color patterns and lifespan (the oldest of which reached around 226 years old!). These fish are typically large, which requires them to be placed in ponds with 500 gallons of water (or even more), and the pond should be no less than 3 feet in depth.

For this, build your pond in such a way that it can hold your fish very well. Remember that your fish’ health will depend very much on the amount of space that you provide them. Water quality is another thing that you need to consider, as it is another factor that will affect the health of your fish. These are more expensive than the goldfish, that’s why they can be harder to replace.

They are not typically one of those schooling fish, but this doesn’t keep them from mingling and socializing with other breeds of fish. Just be sure not to place them next to bigger fish that might see them as prey. They seem to school together in smaller ponds, but will split up in smaller groups when placed in larger areas.

As winter comes, they will begin their hibernation. During this time, their digestive system will slow down, almost reaching to a stop. The food stored in their stomachs may grow bad, which can cause them to get ill. In caring for koi, this is the main reason why your fish shouldn’t be fed in temperatures dropping less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Koi are magnificent ornamental fish that will really complete the relaxing sounds of water flows coming from your pond. Owners are lucky to have pets such as these that would always touch their lives.

April 5th, 2009 by KittyKitty

Adding aquarium supplies into your aquarium will help out the possibility of your beautiful fish. As a result, wherever you put the fish (in aquarium or in bowls), you have to make sure that it has the aquarium supplies inside.

Essentially, you are not recommended to look after the goldfish in a bowl, as it is much too small to maintain them alive for any length of time. Bowls also require daily maintenance as the water gets smelly fast. As a result, try to put them in the aquarium with aquarium supplies inside it.

If you’ve ever heard the story about the goldfish that lived for thirty years in a gallon bowl, that is the omission than the rule. Goldfish are ordinarily require larger tank to live in and don’t forget to add the aquarium supplies in it.

The Tank

This might seem obvious for a list of necessary aquarium supplies, but some people require helpful advice. Get a new tank or a tank that only housed fish successfully in the past. For example, you could take on old gallon goldfish tank that still good to put your goldfish.

If possible, you have to make sure that the tank for your goldfish is large sufficient for them to live in. Find the biggest tank that you can afford. It is as smaller tank tends to dirt sooner than bigger tank. If you place them in a smaller tank, you may require to clean it everyday since the water can smell bad.

The Filter

Filtration systems are also necessary as the aquarium supplies for your fish. They are easier to maintain and less untidy than the filtration systems on the past. It is very recommended to give the goldfish biological filtration systems. They ordinarily hang over the side of the tank. You can also add the extra filter cartridges into your list of necessary aquarium supplies.

The Air Pump

You may also require some sort of water agitation system for your necessary aquarium supplies. This includes an incredibly reasonably priced air hose, various air stones or sometimes called bubble stones, and the most main thing is air pump. If possible, you can get two air pumps in case of the one air pump doesn’t work for you.

Thermometer

Even if goldfish are categorize as cold water fish, they favor a constant water temperature of about 68 degrees Fahrenheight. As a result, you have to identify exactly about the temperature of the water in order to maintain your fish at the optimum health. Tank thermometer is reasonably priced, but it is necessary for the aquarium supplies. You can set it on the inside or outside the tank.

Electrical Outlet Strip

This might seem like a bizarre item to add to a list of necessary aquarium supplies, but it makes life for you and your fish much easier. Fundamentally, a tank requires some electrical outlets and having a strip to plug them in saves you lots of time trying to figure out what wire goes to what home appliance.

We all identify that insert aquarium supplies inside the tank is very main. It is as the aquarium supplies can determine possibility of the fish and supply all the their lives.

Are you still at sea of knowing more about aquarium supplies? Just look around and click the links your best answer herein!

April 4th, 2009 by KittyKitty

Koi enthusiasts always find it fun and popular to give their pets some treats. It’s fun to see your pets respond to the snacks that you give to them, an activity that you can do with your children and grandchildren. Feeding your pets is a great bonding experience with them, and some important precautions should be taken all the time. It’s important for you to know that your pets will eat anything that they’re going to get (not minding if it’s good for them or not). For this, you should be the one who controls their diet. Overfeeding of your pets should be avoided, as this could cause some weight issues for them if not monitored closely.

Any owner would think that their pets deserve snacks, so there are many kinds of food that you can give your fish that contain nutritional value, and those that are guaranteed not to harm them in any way.

Natural Koi Treats: The best snacks for your pets are those that can be found naturally in the pond, and these are bloodworms, earthworms and tadpoles. You can look around your pond to find them, and once you locate them, you can always dig up these treats from the ground around the pond, or you can also buy similar products at your local pet store.

Lettuce: This Koi fish food is rich in essential vitamins and minerals, making it very healthy for your pet. No need to tear it into small bits, as the Koi will enjoy doing it themselves!

Prawns: These are edible crustaceans which are quite similar to shrimp, only larger. These are great for your pets as they’re rich in protein. You can purchase prawns in department stores, local pet stores, and also feed stores. Prawns are sold as regular and frozen (if frozen, be sure to melt them down before feeding it to them). These are good in promoting hand feeding.

Bread: Wheat bread is one of the cheapest fish food for your Koi available. What you do is take a piece of it, break it up, and roll it into small balls, and then throw it into the pond. Avoid all types of those white bread, which contain small amounts of bleach and other chemicals that can be very harmful to your Koi.

Fruit: Koi eat a wide variety of fruit. When feeding, break the fruit up into smaller pieces. Keep in mind that most fruits contain a high amount of natural sugar which can be harmful to Koi if given in large amounts, so make sure to feed them with fruits only on special occasions.

As you feed your pets with snacks like corn, beans and grapes, make it a point to remove the outer casing that comes with these, because swallowing those casings will be dangerous and harmful to them. Also, never overfeed your pets, regardless of the kind of snacks you give to them, because giving them too much will interfere with their diet, which can do more harm than good to them.

April 4th, 2009 by KittyKitty

Having a garden for Koi is a great experience for a pond owner. But before adding fish into your outdoor garden or planning a pond for your Koi, you need to consider some things first. Talking about gardens, plants will surely pop out of anybody’s mind. A garden for Koi is a beautiful sight to behold, and it is a healthy and thriving system that mixes different kinds of elements. It is composed of three vital things: the pond, the fish (Koi), and the plants.

Consider the size and depth of your pond. In giving your Koi enough room to live in, ensure that your pond’s depth is around 4 feet deep at the very least. Having these depth will protect them from outside predators. A great space is needed for your pond as your pets can grow to large sizes. This kind of space will help you to add more Koi in your pond. Having determined the size of your pond, now you can decide where you will place the garden. A great spot would be that where its not directly laid down under the sunlight, but where it can have a shade from a tree (which will also provide protection from flying predators), and also those spots that are protected from harmful chemicals like pesticides.

It is a fact that the plants and Koi really can’t co-exist that much in certain habitats, but this doesn’t make placing plants in your own garden for Koi a bad thing to do. The Koi sometimes mess up with the pond itself, destroying the plants placed in the pots, digging into the soil and knocking the plants over. For this, you can wrap netting over your pots, unabling the fish to dig into them. You can place big river stones and pea gravel over your plants to keep the fish from invading the pots. Your Koi will feed on the foliage of the plants located at the bottom of the pond. In planning as to what kind of plants your going to place in your garden for Koi, you can choose to put lilies. Some of these plants live in shallow ponds, and others live in further depths of the water. Having lilies will provide you the necessary shade and shelter for your Koi.

Observing your garden for Koi as a whole rather than just the Koi and plants will really guarantee you a beautiful sight to behold, and what you can do with it is to make it flourish for a long time!

April 4th, 2009 by KittyKitty

The Koi is well-known for its uniqueness when it comes to its wide array of colors and patterns. The black Koi are is unique due to its own distinctive coloring, and nothing more. In terms of age, the fish normally lives about 25 to 35 years old. These fish thrive in outdoor ponds throughout the world. The females can lay up to a thousand eggs. The males have concave anal sections and those breeding spots on the top of their heads. The babies (known as the fry) will start to emerge within four to seven days, but it depends on the water temperature conditions, and their colors will surface when they’re three to twelve weeks old. Through years of breeding, these Koi have come in a wide variety of colors.

The Koi can reach up to about a length of 36 inches, which calls a need for them to be kept in ponds that are large in size. The species known as the Magoi Koi is considered as one of the first black mutations which can reach to great sizes in length. Their actual color is deep bronze, which can be seen as black when they are being viewed from above. Due to their unique possibilities in terms of size, the blood of the Magoi is being re-introduced to the other species so as to maximize their potential when it comes to growth.

The Karasu Koi (“karasu” which means “crow” in Japan) is another one of those extremely old species. These fish are characterized by their black fins and black body. They can also have an orange or a white belly.

These Koi can also have the ability to change color due to environmental or dietary effects. The color changes range from duller to brighter shades. The Matsukawabake Koi is known for this characteristic, which is typically black in color that has areas or white on its own body. Depending on the temperature of the water or seasons, its color can completely change. It can turn to a full white or full black, and will return to its original pattern once the temperature conditions will change.

The Kumonryu Koi (“kumonryu” which means “dragon fish”), which first appeared in the 1980’s, is considered to be as the most popular of the species of the black Koi. It was designated with such a name as it is reminiscent of the bodies of dragons that are depicted by the paintings of the ancient times (some would say that these fish looked as if they were dragons that ascend through the white clouds). This Koi can also change in color.

Enthusiasts love the Koi for their colors and patterns, and what’s even more exciting is that they can own a fish that can literally change their color right before their eyes, such as the black-colored Koi!

March 18th, 2009 by KittyKitty

Keeping fish is a popular hobby for a number of reasons, because fish are fun pets to keep and also exciting to learn about. There are several considerations that need to be made when it comes to planningup your own fish keeping hobby, including selecting the tank aquarium, selecting the environment, choosing your fish and selecting the right accessories.

The initial step to setting up your aquarium is to decide what size aquarium you want to begin with. There a quite a few tank aquariums to choose from but even as a beginner, larger is usually better. So while you may be able to begin with a 10 gallon aquarium, the smallest that is recommended is closer to 25 or 30 gallons.

Where are you going to put your aquarium? Make sure that you have enoughspace on a surface, or that you are prepared to purchase an appropriate stand. If placing your aquarium on another piece of furniture, keep in mind that a single gallon of water weighs 8 lbs.

Most tank aquariums will already come with a basic light and a hood that will work on a general purpose basis unless you plan to grow a few aquatic plants. If your hood and light are not already running on a timer, it would be useful to purchase one when you buy your aquarium. Depending on the species of fish you keep, your aquarium lights should only run for between 8 and 10 hours a day for the best results.

Your aquarium will also require a filter and a heater. There are a number of choices to consider, and the choices that you make for these pieces of equipment should hinge on the type of environment you are looking to create. Each filter type, as an example, has pros and cons associated with it.

Bio-Wheel filters are popular for small and medium sized aquariums. What you should consider when buying an aquarium filter is the gallons per hour flow that the filter has. Your GPH rating should be 2 times the size of the aquarium that you are purchasing for the best results.

Heaters are important if you need to keep the water above 78 degrees, which is essential for tropical species of fish.

Another important consideration to make is the substrate that you will use for your aquarium. If you are looking to create a tropical fish aquarium, then sand or gravel is usually ideal. Some species of fish tend to favour one or the other, so make sure that the fish you are going to purchase will work well with the substrate that you want to use.

Aquarium décor is completely up to you. Ask someone at your local pet store before you add anything that you didn’t purchase from the store. The décor you buy at a pet store is designed to be safe for your aquarium, but bringing home random shells, driftwood or other décor may cause problems with your aquarium.

Setting up your aquarium is the next step before you buy your fish. Set your tank up exactly how you like it, fill it with water, and apply the necessary water conditioners and treatments. Your aquarium should be allowed to run just as it is for at least 24 hours before you buy your fish, though longer is always better.

The last step is to add your fish. Choose community fish and always ask a professional before you mix different species, because even some community fish are aggressive towards other species. The rule of thumb is to stick to 1 inch of fish per gallon of water, based on the full grown length of each fish. Start with a small number of fish when your aquarium is still cycling to make sure that everything is working right before you add too many new bodies to your tank. After about a month you can begin to add more fish in, when you know that the water has properly cycled.

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March 3rd, 2009 by KittyKitty

Having a fish pond in your vicinity can help you get a peace of mind. Imagine going back home from work in the afternoon or early evening and you set your sights on your pond full of fishes, how would you feel? Would you feel refreshed and relaxed? Of course, you would. But your fish pond can be more attractive and more appealing and amazing to look at if you have Koi fishes in your pond. You know what are Koi fishes now, do you? Maybe you already have your own Koi fishes and you really are taking good care of them. But just the same, whether you’re still considering Koi fishes or you may already have your own, it’s best that you should learn more things on how to properly care for them and how to do a little Koi pond care to make your Koi fishes happy and thriving. There is a good book guide today that can teach you things like these and this what you need to add to your little library of information and knowledge when it comes to Koi fishes.