TEESSIDE KOI AND AQUATICS

KOI CARE

When introducing new fish into a new pond a few simple precautions can help to ensure

The best possible environment for the fish,

Water quality

Always ensure the water in the pond is suitable for the fish, purchase your own test kits or get your local dealer to test it for you before introducing fish,

Suitability

If you are unsure of the suitability of your pond for your new fish, please ask, any reputable dealer will be only too happy to give impartial advice on the fish best suited for your needs, we believe ponds for general goldfish type fish should be a minimum of 24 inches deep and At least 100 gall capacity, However we advise koi ponds should be a minimum of 3 feet deep and not less than 500 galls, note The less water quantity the more prone to freezing in the winter months.

Water temperature

we at Teesside koi and aquatics, recommend a minimum of 10 deg Celsius in your pond before introducing fish at the beginning and end of the season, the main reason for this is if you need to treat the pond, it must be above 10 deg for the treatments to have any chance of working,

Introducing to the pond

leave the bag unopened to float on the water for about 5 mins, to equalize the water temperatures, Open the bag holding the fish and allow some of the pond water to mix with the water in the bag, leave for a further 5 mins whilst ensuring the fish do not show signs of stress if they do release them straight into the pond, when the 5 mins is up release them into the pond, please note it is not unusual for smaller fish to swim off and hide and not be seen for a couple of days, this is more noticeable when introducing fish in single numbers, you will usually notice them starting to swim about as it starts to get dark and they will slowly start to gain confidence over the coming days,

Oxygen

One of the biggest problems in the warm summer months is low levels of oxygen in the pond to ensure you do not have this problem make sure the water return pipes are higher than water level to allow the returning water from the filter to agitate the water to create oxygen in the pond, or install a waterfall or pond air pump with air stones, this is essential when you have high stock levels And you will see the health and activity of the fish improve,

TEESSIDE KOI AND AQUATICS is a family run business, we are all fish keepers who pride ourselves in the health and quality of our fish, advice is at the end of the phone during shop opening hours or by email enquiries@teessidekoi.co.uk,for emergency advice please phone our mobile number, but note this is our personal number and not for general enquiries after hours. This can be found on our business cards or from our website www.teessidekoi.co.uk

We want you to enjoy a lifetime of fishkeeping so please do not be afraid to ask for advice we all had to start somewhere.