Koi fish are a joy to pet and nurture. They are very vibrant in nature; With them around, it’s never a sad time. If you are looking for new fish for your aquarium, read this. This article serves to show you all the wonderful attributes of this fish, basically everything you need to know about them. By the end of this article, you should be able to adapt and care for your own Koi fish.

Average size

Koi fish range in length from 22 inches to 26 inches. This is an average: which means some can even range from 34 inches to 36 inches long. The smaller guys will be around 12 inches to 15 inches in length. Due to their enormous adult size and similarities to goldfish, some even call the Koi a giant goldfish.

The koi can grow at a rate of one inch per day given that it maintains good living conditions. For a higher growth rate, try protein-rich foods. An overdose of carbohydrates makes the Koi’s belly fat and slows down its growth. You should also avoid overcrowding the tank if you want them to grow faster. An overcrowded environment will stress the fish and reduce the growth rate. For this to happen, it would have been the result of competition for space, food, and other resources.

Life expectancy

Koi fish make ideal pets. They have a very long useful life, the average of which is around twenty-five years. This means that some even live longer than this, imagine that! Some have been recorded to have lived as long as thirty-five years, which is quite impressive. One’s grandchildren might even live to see one’s Koi. Some also say that a lifespan of about a hundred years is also possible for them, given the right conditions to grow.

To ensure a longer lifespan for your Koi, care must be taken with care. This means that the proper temperature and pH must be maintained. The ratio of water to fish must be in accordance with the acceptable standard. This means around 29 gallons for small fish and around 50 gallons for adult fish.

Hears! Avoid dangerous chemicals. These can be collected from hazardous water sources, such as open bodies of water that have been exposed to industrial waste. The chlorine concentration, if too high, can reduce the lifespan of your fish. This means you need to keep an eye on your water source and keep your water fresh and clean.

Appearance

Well, it’s pretty easy to distinguish Koi fish from other species. They are a colorful lot. In most cases, they are white with a variety of bright colors on their surface. In other cases, they come in light, bright colors. Orange is a fairly common color. Some may even have red or black spots. These spots often have irregular shapes that come in many different sizes.

The Koi is a beautiful breed of fish. They are colorful and very attractive to look at. Here are some of the common colors associated with Koi fish: red; yellow; blue; white; orange; black. These colors may actually be the basic solid colors or the color of the other stains. You can play with colors if you are well versed in Koi breeding. If you don’t know how to do it, you can get help from professionals. Parenting is fun, you can learn it and master it.

Behaviour

Koi are very peaceful. They can bond well with other types of fish. However, they are very energetic but not aggressive. In addition to their high energy, Koi fish are a hyperactive eater. They eat almost anything. However, they enjoy the company. They can live in twos, threes, or even in much larger groups if resources are sufficient, such as tank space and sufficient food.

Koi fish are quite intelligent. I mean, you can teach them tricks and even hand feed them. They are very playful if you ask me. However, they get nasty when it’s time to breed. They can eat their young. Therefore, you may need to separate them from the Koi fries when they mate or anytime near mating season. You can do this by putting them in a separate tank.

Aquarium conditions

In the case of Koi fish, it is necessary to maintain constant temperatures that range between 18 ° C and 24 ° C. This translates to 65 – 75 Fahrenheit. The required pH ranges from 7 to 8.6. This data means that Koi need neutral to slightly basic conditions. This fish does not do well in acidic conditions. You can test the pH with DIY pH kits when you change the water in your tank.

Koi fish like warm temperatures. If you place them in cold conditions, their activity is likely to be greatly reduced. As for the high temperatures; these seem to have no effect on Koi.

As much as they can handle a wide range of temperatures, they don’t like fast freeze-thaw action. Avoid the habit of suddenly changing temperatures. This means that before sinking your Koi, place their water bag in the tank for a few minutes until a slow adaptation occurs. After that, you can proceed to let the bag out into the aquarium.

Feeding

The Koi’s diet is not that demanding to keep up. This pet is omnivorous, which means it can eat both organic and meat-based foods. They can eat many horticultural products.

Examples of these are peas, lettuce, some forms of beans, seaweed, and rice; almost the entire human diet is edible to them. They are not fussy at all, all you have to do is maintain a good nutritional balance. This means that if you gave them some insects today, for example, tomorrow try rice or shrimp. However, if you want to give them the best, try specialized pellets, made specifically for your Koi fish. This is especially useful for distributing proteins.

You can feed Koi fish up to once a day. The food should be able to be eaten in about 4 minutes. However, overfeeding is not a good idea. If you notice that your fish cannot finish the food in the prescribed time, you should readjust the amount you are giving it. A very interesting fact about Koi fish is that these guys can go up to ten days without eating, and this will not harm their health. This, therefore, allows you to take it easy with the amounts of food. Although the above statements are true, they do like to eat and can eat almost anything.

Tank mates and compatibility

Koi are not picky when it comes to companionship. They can share the aquarium with several types of fish. This is due to its docile character and low level of aggressiveness. However, they can be irritating to calmer breeds. This is because Koi fish are very energetic.

However, be sure not to mix Koi fish with more aggressive breeds. They will likely suffer the consequences of the mismatch due to their calm nature. So if you find a happy species that enjoys peace and calm, you can add it to your Koi aquarium. Tank mates should favor almost similar conditions and care as the Koi. There should be no competition for resources or attention.

Some good examples of tank mates are barbs, bars, catfish, goldfish, pleco, tench, golden orfe, and sturgeon. Fish like Gourami do not work because they require different temperatures, they are tropical fish. Also, the difference in their sizes upon reaching maturity will result in hostility. The best tank mates are bottom feeders, this means there would be less conflict between them.

Common myths

There are many different myths surrounding the Koi fish. Most of these myths are of Japanese origin. This is why people, over the years, have developed a low-key respect for Koi fish. Koi fish are believed to have good luck. In the end, some people keep them to maintain their prosperity. They are the Japanese samurai symbol.

As depicted in an ancient Japanese legend; they mean perseverance and determination to reach one’s goal in the face of adversity. Its unique colors are also rich in meaning. Black is in favor of the patriarchy. Red means power and vigour. Blue, on the other hand, is synonymous with peace and tranquility. Orange is for character and determination. This is why some colors are more expensive than others.

Care

One must be comfortable with cleaning the aquarium constantly in order for Koi to live longer. When cleaning your tank, avoid traditional detergents like soap; these can be harmful to your fish. Also, you may want to avoid touching Koi with your bare hands. First, this will remove the layer of fluid that the fish uses to adapt. That fluid substance can also be harmful to human health, especially that of children. However, if your child handles the fish, he should wash his hands thoroughly to remove the substance completely. Keep yourself and your fish safe.

You can also continue to check the droppings to avoid conditions that lead to the multiplication of diseases. The above can be removed. For fish to be happy, they must first be healthy. In fact, you can tell if a Koi fish is sick. Indicators may change in behavior, such as sudden slowness in movement or clumsiness in movement compared to the original state.

To check the health of your Koi, you can also look at the physical characteristics of the fish. By this I mean: the scales, whether shiny or dull; their stomachs – basically anything out of place can indicate a lack of proper health for the fish. And when you notice that something is wrong, be sure to report it to the nearest specialists or look it up online.

Resume

So, as you have seen, this is an interesting breed. For more information on management, contact professional aquarium managers. Here’s a basic rundown of what you’ll have to deal with when you get your own Koi fish: