A koi pond is the perfect addition to your outdoor space!
If you’re an aquatic life hobbyist and want to take your love for freshwater fish from an indoor tank to the outdoors, a koi pond is an excellent option.
Curious about koi? The iFISH Store carries a wide selection of koi that will make your backyard pond a hit. Explore more about creating an outdoor pond for koi in today’s post.
Beyond A Water Feature
A koi pond is more than just a pond — watching large vibrant koi swim around is not only fun, but it also brings a sense of serenity to your outdoor space. In Japanese culture, ponds represent wealth, health, and wellbeing, and koi are symbols of beauty and positivity.
Whether you’d love a koi pond as a conversation piece, an added visual to your backyard landscape, or because you enjoy koi, adding this element can be meaningful for everyone.
Are Koi Easy Fish To Keep?
Koi are relatively easy to care for, compared to other large pond fish — it’s important to note that if you’re a beginner fish keeper, start with a more common koi variety. If cared for properly, koi can live a very long time, anywhere from 20 to 50 years.
Koi are extremely active fish and require room to swim around — at minimum, 1000 gallons. You’ll often find them exploring every part of your outdoor pond from skimming the surface to sheltering and foraging for food in the deeper ends.
At the end of the day, koi will thrive when provided ample room and the optimal pond conditions.
Key Considerations For Your Koi Pond
A koi’s natural habitat are streams, ponds, and lakes that are somewhat stagnant and muddy at the bottom, which make backyard ponds an easy transition. Replicating their natural habitat is not difficult, but it does take some work and maintenance for fish hobbyists.
A pond should maintain a temperature between 74 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, so if you live in a climate that experiences cold winter weather, a heating system will need to be implemented to prevent freezing and to keep the koi alive.
As mentioned above, water flow is not hugely important, but adding a waterfall or stream doesn’t affect the optimal conditions koi need to thrive.
The pH of a koi pond should be between seven and nine — the best way to maintain a healthy pH is to add crushed limestone. Ideally, your koi pond should be a concrete base that’s lined with rubber, and consists of a muddy bottom.
Aquatic plants are also a nice touch and add another element for both the aesthetics of your pond and a fun environment for the fish. Plants to include are:
- Water lettuce
- Water hyacinth
- Pond lilies
- Cattails
People also tend to either construct their ponds under trees or plant trees next to them, to add shade and cover to your fish. This keeps direct sunlight from overheating the water, and it also shields the pond from other elements.
Koi are peaceful fish that not only thrive in a school of five to fifteen other koi, but they also do well with goldfish, grass carp, catfish, sunfish, and other non-fish species such as frogs, newts, and salamanders.
Stocking Your Pond With Koi Fish
Koi fish are largely the most popular type of fish that inhabit garden ponds — not only are they colorful and relaxing to watch, but they add a depth to your water landscape.
There are many resources for building a koi pond that go more into depth about the process and specific requirements, but as always, The iFISH store is your resource for buying quality koi fish online! If you have any questions about the habitat conditions or need recommendations, never hesitate to reach out.
Peruse and shop our beautiful koi varieties online today for a stunning spring pond tomorrow!