Requirements for keeping Koi fish: 

1.      Setting Up the Perfect Environment: Your perfect Koi pond starts with the actual pond itself. You have to create a pond that will not only be pleasing to the eye, but will also adequately sustain Koi. Proper placement, size, and pond type is essential when building your pond. 

When it comes to pond size, the bigger is always better. Koi have a habit of growing rather fast, so you have to consider pond size at the same time you are considering how many Koi you are going to put it in.   

Unless you have a large amount of knowledge in outdoor landscaping, fish keeping, and construction, it may be a good idea to leave the pond building to a professional. While some people think that building the pond yourself with save you money, this could not be further from the case. If your pond is not built properly the first time, you will end up spending a large amount of money on fixing the problems that come up. Not only that, if your pond is not properly setup, you may not even be able to keep fish alive.  

Remember when you hire a professional, it is their job to give you what you want. They can give their knowledge when it comes to decision making, but ultimately, they will do whatever you want them too. Because of this, you cannot blame them if your pond fails due to location, size, or other factors. However, beware of extremely cheap quotes as they may cut corners that could potentially cause you problems later. While quotes will come in different, there should not be a very dramatic difference between them. 

2.      Learning about Koi Keeping: Knowledge is power when it comes to Koi keeping. It is important to learn as much as you possibly can about the hobby before jumping in with both feet.  

It is important to learn the information yourself rather than relying on other sources. People such as your product dealer and pond builder will have limited knowledge, but should not be trusted for a reliable source, as they are selling products and may be bias. Plus, once you are at home with your Koi, your product dealer or pond builder may not be available to help you in the event of a problem. 

3.      Picking Out Koi: Once you have created the perfect environment, you will need to start looking into buying your fish. It is important to remember never to purchase too many Koi because they will grow rather large, and they breed almost yearly. Overpopulating your Koi pond will cause serious problems in the future. 

4.      Preventing Common Koi Pond Problems: You can prevent certain types of Koi pond problems by following simple prevention steps. 

Ø  Always quarantine new fish before introducing them to your current Koi population. Koi can have certain illnesses and viruses, such as KHV or Koi Herpes Virus, with little or no showing symptoms. By quarantining, you will greatly reduce the risk of exposing your population to potentially deadly situations. 

Ø  Do water tests at least on a weekly basis. This will allow you to notice discrepancies in the test results long before your pond starts showing symptoms of stress. This will potentially save not only your pond, but your fish as well. 

5.      Feeding Your Koi: Finally, feeding your Koi can be one of the most pleasing parts of having a perfect Koi pond.  

You should check with your local pet store or Koi dealer when it comes to the amount and types of food that you should be feeding your fish. Feeding patterns change with season and temperature.  

Koi can be fed treats such as fruit, veggies, bread, and store-bought treats. 

Koi can literally be trained to eat directly from your hand. This takes time and patience, but will ultimately provide entertainment to you and your visitors.