Your Koi Pond and The Four Seasons

Spring

Spring Koi Ponds

Your Koi pond will literally come to life at the first of springtime. The life in your pond has spent the previous winter in a proverbial hibernation, and is ready to come to life at the first signs of warm weather. This is the perfect time to begin maintenance on your pond before the fish, plants, and other pond life come back to live from their winter slumber.

As the days begin to get warmer, your pond will start drastically changing. If you are not careful, you may miss this much needed opportunity to perform maintenance. Generally, watch for temperatures around 50 degrees, as this is the perfect time.

Spring time is a very weak time for your fish, because they have not eaten for months, and have may be living on a low level of energy. These cause your Koi to be more susceptible to attacks from organisms such as bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. This makes Spring the opportune time to take all preventative measures possible.

Adding a large spectrum of treatment solutions will greatly reduce the amount of disease causing pests and material. Once the temperature warms up, another dose of this treatment will ensure that your Koi will be well protected while they redevelop their immune systems. Once temperatures warm up, your Koi immune systems will be effective enough to protect themselves from disease.

Fall

Fall Koi Pond

Fall brings a change to your pond, as the majority of plant life begins to change. Fall is a time you move all plants that cannot withstand lower temperatures indoors, or in a green house.

Another issue during fall is leaves. Falling debris will have to be cleared more then any other time during the year. Skimming the pond daily will help maintain a healthy, clear pond. Alternatively, you may want to invest in a pond cover.

Winter

Winterizing Koi Pond

Winter is coming, and this will be the first winter that you go through with your Koi pond. Think of Winter as a down period for your pond, as less events happen during Winter then any other time. However, there are special precautions that you need to take before winter arrives, to ensure that your pond and fish survive.

You will need to feed your fish far less during the winter months. Talk with your local pet store to determine how often you should feed your Koi.

Prepare for cold weather by investing in the items you will need during the summer. Koi have been known to withstand constant temperatures as low 39 degrees, and temperatures slightly lower then 39 degrees, for short periods of time.

When buying a heater, remember to research what size you will need to adequately heat your pond during the winter, otherwise ice will still form, causing potentially dangerous amounts of gas in the water, due to it being trapped under the ice. In extreme events, it may be a good idea to have an emergency tank inside available.

Summer

Summer Koi Pond

Summer is considered one of the best and more vibrant times for your Koi pond. Temperatures are beautiful, and you are more able to enjoy your pond then during the cold winter months. However, by no means, should your maintenance drop during the summer months. Remembering a few things during the summer months will ensure that your pond stays beautiful and lively.

During the summer months, the oxygen level in your pond actually decreases. Proper precautions should be taken, especially if you live in an area where temperatures stay high for the majority of the year. If you witness your Koi hanging out towards the top of the water, and they seem to be gasping for air, this may be a good indication that your pond does not have a high enough concentration of Oxygen.

Not unlike other situations in life, heat brings on potential parasite and illness. The majority of parasites are not see-able by the naked eye, so instead, you must watch your Koi for signs of illness.

You may notice strange behaviors in your fish such as rubbing against objects, scratching, shaking, or shivering. Each symptom could indicate a different type of illness, so it is important to watch closely.

If any type of change is noticed, contact your local vet, pet store, or Koi dealer as soon as possible. While some parasites will cause little damage, some illness such as KHV or Koi Herpes Virus has a high mortality rate, and should be treated as soon as possible.

Koi Herpes Virus, The Deadly Disease

Koi Herpes Virus short for KHV is a deadly virus , which can cause 80-100 percent mortality in common carp. The first outbreak of Koi Herpes Virus was reported in 1998 and confirmed in 1999 in Israel. Since then, other cases have been confirmed in the United States, Europe and Asia as well.

The signs of KHV often non-specific. You need to monitor your Koi Fish, if your Koi remains near the surface, swims lethargically, exhibits respiratory distress, has gill lesions, has gill mottling with red and white patches, bleeding gills, has sunken eyes, pale patches or blisters on the skin and uncoordinated swimming.

The KHV seems to spread in the same ways as most herpes viruses: direct contact with infected fish, with fluids from infected fish, and/or with water or mud from infected systems. Once a fish has been exposed to the virus, it will always be a carrier. There is no known cure for Koi Herpes Virus. Mortality related to Koi Herpes Virus typically occurs between 18°C and 27°C. Almost no mortalities occur below 18°C, and there has been no reported occurrence of the disease above 30°C.

Sunken Eyes Brown Gills-Tell-Tell Signs Of KHV

How do you know your Koi Fish has KHV? You need the assistance of a fish health specialist and a fish disease diagnostic laboratory. There are direct and indirect methods.

Direct methods include: virus isolation and identification (it means growing the virus or not) and PCR techniques (it means testing for the presence of KHV genes).

Indirect tests for KHV include ELISA testing, which looks for antibodies produced by the fish against the herpes virus These testing method can give proof that a fish was infected with KHV. This indirect test cannot determine if the fish is still infected with virus, so it is not recommended as a primary diagnostic tool.

As I mentioned there is no known treatment for KHV and the mortality is very high. If your Koi fish have been diagnosed with Koi Herpes Virus unfortunately, you have not got other choice than depopulation (it means eliminating the entire population). This approach should be followed by disinfection of all materials and systems that have contacted the infected fish.

You can find free information and pictures about Koi Fish at Koi site.

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