It's Necessary to Create a Budget Before Building a Koi Fish Pond!

Are you seriously thinking of setting up a pond in your garden to keep Koi fish? It's a really exciting to keep these big size ever energetic fish. However you would certainly expect them to grow bigger and live a long life. They may grow even up to a meter and they can live for decades! Remember these tips for taking a good care of your Koi -

1. You must have a pond to keep them. Smaller tanks inside your house may not be sufficient to accommodate them. A pond in your garden is an ideal place for keeping them.

2. The depth of the pond is very important. Even though you can manage with 4 feet depth, Koi may not be comfortable with it. Instead, you can provide at least 7 to 9 feet depth. This is very useful for protecting them against the predators like cats, raccoons and other animals. Such depth will also help in keeping the temperature of the water cooler in summertime.

3. The length of the pond should be as big as possible. The Koi will start growing very fast and then they will require a lot of place to swim around. Sometimes you are tempted to add some more beautiful and colorful Koi in your pond. So you should plan a large size pond in the beginning. The cost of rebuilding the pond is very high and the project will give you a lot of tension as the shifting of fish during the construction will be a problem. The pond should be at least 12,000 gallons capacity.

4. You should provide a heater to look after them in winter. Koi is the cold water fish but you cannot allow the water to freeze in winter. Also, Koi will grow nicely in warm water, so providing sufficient heating in winter will make them comfortable.

5. You should plan a shade for your pond. The pond should not receive direct sunlight for whole of the day. You should have a shade to cover at least part of the water. You can also add plants which will add to the beauty of your pond and provide shade to your Koi at the same time. However, never plan your pond under a tree. It becomes very difficult to pick up leaves from the surface of the water every now and then.

6. You should buy one net to protect your Koi. Many birds would love to catch the fish from the pond, as it is an easy source of food for them. You should plan carefully the location of your pond so that you can easily cover it any time with a net.

7. You should protect your pond from insecticides. At the time of landscaping the pond, you should remember not to stock any insecticides near the pond. Something may fall in the water while handling them. Even a small quantity of such poisonous material can kill your fish.

8. Do not compromise in purchasing necessary equipment for maintaining the pond. Some accessories are necessary for keeping the pond in a good condition. You should spend money in buying an ultraviolet sterilizer, an aerator for oxygenating the water, a water pump for keeping continuous flow of the water and a good filtration system to keep the water clean. The water in your pond must be floating. If it is still, it will get polluted soon and your fish may get sick and may die.

All these accessories are expensive, so it is better prepare the budget for all the expenses. You can go ahead with the construction of the pond only after satisfying yourself that it is within your reach.

Chintamani Abhyankar is a goldfish enthusiast and has been raising and breeding goldfish for many years. He is an expert on their care and an advocate for raising healthy goldfish the natural way. His famous digital book, "Secrets on Keeping Beautiful Goldfish", offers simple, easy to follow instruction for raising healthy, long-living goldfish. Visit his website http://www.goldfishcaretips.com to learn more about expertly raising your goldfish and to receive your FREE copy of his special report, "Fish-Keeping Hobby Secrets Revealed".