Koi can be more expensive than others of the same size because of many different factors, mainly color and pattern. The colors on a more expensive koi will tend to be deeper and more vibrant. A koi that has deep red or jet black will be more desirable than a koi with fading red or light grey spots. This can also apply to the pattern of color. The pattern must be evenly distributed throughout the body, without too much color concentrated on one end or side of the koi. Usually, an expensive koi, as compared to another the same size, will have a visually pleasing and balanced pattern, with deep, dark colors.
Believe it or not, the oldest documented koi on record was a Japanese koi named Hanako that lived to the ripe old age of 226 years.
Of course, Hanako was an extreme outlier. However, koi that are well cared for can regularly live to 20-30 years of age.
We recommend that you discontinue feeding your koi and goldfish whenever the water temperature drops below 50 degrees.
This is a difficult question to answer, and there is no single correct answer. It all depends on multiple factors, including:
How strong is your filter system? How often do you do water changes? Are your filters fully cycled?
Koi and Goldfish don’t mind being crowded, IF the water parameters are at the correct levels. We generally recommend two hundred gallons of holding space for one box of fish. However, they can be stocked at a higher density if the ammonia and pH levels remain consistent and healthy.
Koi fish are actually scavengers and will feed off of anything in the pond, including algae. On the other hand, if you want your koi fish to grow, feeding them daily helps.
The rule of thumb is one inch of fish for every square foot of pond surface. So if you have a pond that’s 10’ wide and 15’ long, you’ll have 150 square feet of pond surface. In that pond you can safely accommodate 10 fish that are each 15” long, so long as they don’t grow.
Ninety percent of backyard residential ponds do not have a problem with predators, so the odds are in your favor. As for the other 10%, the most practical solution is to have a koi fish cave under which they can hide when predators come close.
In the late fall when the water temperature regularly gets down to 55 degrees or lower, you should stop feeding your koi fish. Feeding beyond this point can cause metabolism problems for your koi fishy friends.
During the summer, when the water temperature is above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, feed your Koi fish a high protein Koi food. During the fall and spring, when the water temperature is between 52 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, feed them an easy to digest wheat germ based Koi food. When the water is below 52 degrees, stop feeding your Koi.We recomend dainichi koi food which we sell at our retail location.
