Advice for Koi keepers during summer
As summer approaches the water temperatures will come up and stabilize. The fish will be feeding better now and the pond will be at it’s most active. Now is still a good time to keep an eye on the water condition (Nitrite, Nitrate, PH & Ammonia). These are all worth checking regularly.
Water condition
As the fish are eating more they will be producing more waste, if the water is in poor condition it can cause poor health in the fish. The best thing to do is to make regular small water changes, flush the waste chambers of the filter to waste, and top up with fresh water. This will help keep the water in the pond in tip top condition, but will not upset the overall balance of the pond. Regular small maintenance is the key to a happy healthy fish pond. If you do not have a water purifier for topping up the pond it is best then to use a product like Chlor-go which will condition the tap water to suit the pond. Removing such substances like metals and chlorine and fluoride from the tap water.
Diet
As well as the pellet food that you may be feeding your fish with you can also subsidise the fish diet with brown bread, oranges etc these are all little fishy treats as well as others you may wish to try. Hi Protein foods can be fed to your fish but only recommended when the water temperature is very warm, around 70°F. (This will normally be in June/July/August). Mixing foods is also a good idea as you can change foods throughout the four seasons. You can mix the food so fish are weaned off one food and onto another.
Oxygen Levels
It is also important at these hottest months to add extra aeration to the pond as the water temperature rises it holds less oxygen. Waterfalls / Fountains / Venturis and Air Pumps are all good ways of adding the extra oxygen that will be needed especially at night.
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| Air stone closeup |
If your pond is heavily planted, in the day the plants will promote oxygen, but at night reverse osmosis takes place, the plants now remove oxygen from the water, this is why it is best to leave your water pump and air pumps running all the time. Note: Air pumps can be turned off in colder winter months.
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| Summer airation |
U.V Clarifiers
If you wish to keep your water nice and clear during these hottest months, then a U.V Clarifier is a must. This will kill off the algae bloom that causes green water. Note: In the cooler months of the year when the algae bloom has died off naturally then the U.V. Clarifier can be switched off.