The Secret to Having Koi in Your Pond

We don't have a photo of Juan, but he's in this video... Do you see him?
Just kidding. These are the fish in our pond before we moved.

Our family lost a favorite koi recently. We had him for 18 years. His name was Juan. We called him the "Juan I Love."  He had only one eye... get it.

It was sad to see him go. He came in with a shipment of large koi in 2005 but with one eye we didn't feel we should sell him. He lived at Cool Ponds until we took out the pond he was living in and he went home with us. When we sold our house he moved with us. He was well traveled. 

I don't know why he died. Probably it was age related. We don't really get caught up in why an individual fish dies; it just happens some times. For a fish with one eye, he did great. Never missed a speck of food we threw in,

Sometimes people are afraid to put koi in their ponds. They're afraid they will need more care than goldfish -- that they're more fragile than goldfish.

Well, here is the secret to keeping koi... are you ready...

There is no secret. Koi fish are just as hardy as gold fish. They do not typically overpopulate like goldfish and they are a cleaner fish than goldfish. 

For ANY pond fish, this is how to keep them happy:

Keep your water fairly clean.

Make sure the pond doesn't ice over completely in winter.

Give them some shade in the hot summer months (yes fish can get sunburned too.)

Water depth should be at least 24" (sometimes 18" works)

Feed them high protein food when the water is at or above 55 degrees. (If you feed them at all.)

Give them some aeration.

Buy from a retailer that quarantines them before the sale. (SO IMPORTANT.)

Don't take fish from a stranger. 

Finally, do not fuss over them. Let them be. Sometimes they might get a sore or some fungus. It's usually temperature related and doesn't need to be treated. Do you run to the doctor each time you get a cold? 

Pond fish are easy. Build a good pond and take care of it. The fish will take care of themselves!