6 Koi Pond Essentials That Pond Owners Didn’t Know They Need

While we all know about the most basic essential elements of a koi pond (a basin of water and some big fish), you can add some crucial components to get the most out of your koi pond.

1. Flow-Through

The water in a koi pond needs to be changed periodically to help maintain your koi’s health. At a minimum, you should be changing 10-20% of the water each week to help your koi grow.

However, water changes must be done carefully because changing the water incorrectly can lead your fish to become sick. Besides, who has time to change the water that often?

Idea: Make water changes obsolete with a flow-through. A flow-through offers constant water removal through a bottom drain, sending it to a sewer line, ditch, or whatever form of wastewater removal system you have installed. Then, you can add new fresh water, rich in minerals, through another koi pond essential: the auto-fill (more on that later).

This gentle water change isn’t drastic enough to stress your fish out and saves you from having to do it yourself.

2. Auto Fill

An auto-fill system automatically adds water to your pond as needed. An auto-fill is handy in climates with high evaporation rates so it ensures you don’t wake up to an empty pond. It is also an essential addition to the flow-through, and takes a lot of work out of your regular koi pond routine.

3. Drop Test Kit

Koi fish need a specific water type to thrive, and it’s impossible to tell whether the water in your pond is best for them by just eyeballing it. However, a drop test kit that tests for wide-range PH, ammonia, and nitrate at a minimum can help you tell if any changes need to be made to the water to keep it healthy for your fish (Try the NT Labs test kits!).

4. Pond Netting

While you may be attracted to the natural water feature aspect of a koi pond, you have a flight risk. Koi fish have been known to jump when stressed, leading them to throw themselves out of their nice safe home you’ve invested a lot in.

Installing pond netting around the pond’s edges can help keep them safely inside their pond. It has the added benefit of keeping sticks or leaves from clogging filters and mucking up the water (check out the Teton pond cover nets!)

5. Clove Oil

Clove oil comes in handy when you need to safely sedate your koi fish (at a minimal dosage) while carrying out pond treatment. If you need to conduct pond treatment, or your fish to another pond or tank, koi fish can get overexcited and hurt themselves, so sedating them is a great way to keep them safe.

Be careful about how much you put in because high doses of clove oil are used to euthanize koi fish. Keep the dosage under seven drops per gallon for 3-5 minutes, and everyone will get through the pond treatment relaxed and stress-free.

6. Koi Net

Speaking of moving the little guys around, a koi net is essential for any maintenance requiring safely passing your koi to another pond or tank. Koi nets are soft fabric cushions for your koi, keeping them safe and held while you move them where you need them (check out the PondMAX Koi Nets!).

Do You Now Know What Do You Need For a Koi Pond?

Koi ponds are fun and enjoyable experiments in keeping critters alive in a pond setting. A few things will make your life (and your Kois lives) easier, including ways to keep your pond clean and healthy. Check out our PondMAX (www.pondmax.com) and Teton (www.tetonus.com) websites to find products for your pond!

If you are ready to order, visit our Dealer Locator to find a store near you: castleaquatics.com/dealer

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