Hi from UK....SOS. Koi for idiots. up 4 da challenge?

hello and welcome to AC.
i know nothing of Koi so will move this to a section that should have info for you.
thanks
dixon

Aright I've got some koi knowledge as my family has a pond in their backyard. First of all.... I'm guessing you left them in the pond? The pond will be good if it is cleaned out. Keep going adding water slowly back to the pond... too much freshwater when they are used to other nasty water may make them sick, so just keep adding it slowly.

Are you using a water conditioner of some sort to take the chlorine out of tap water? That might be something to look into as chlorine can harm a fish's gills.

My koi always ate koi sticks that we bought at a fish store. Koi are pretty common for ponds, so if you go to a pet shop, they are bound to have some sort of koi food. How big are your koi? If they are small, the sticks may be too big for their mouths and you may have to break them i half.

Its a good idea to get some kind of filter going through the pond to get some oxygen in the water which is what the fish survive on. My pond in particular has a waterfall rock that helps to circulate water through the filter.

As for your other comments, your ph will be fine for the moment..... what you're looking for is ammonia, or NH3.... that is what will harm your fish if you add fresh water back too quickly since they are so used to the ammonia in the water. If you can get a kit to test for ammonia, that would be excellent. We've never had a thermometer for our outdoor pond, as koi and goldfish are pretty hardy fish and can survive colder temperatures normally with some sort of heater in the tank, but in your case, your kois are fighters. I hope this helps a little! Good luck!

i'd agree with everything sphinx posted except:
-i would change as much water as you can IMMEDIATELY. all but perhaps 6 inches of water, to save some good bacteria in the old water. i don't think fish ever "get used to" nasty water, and i doubt changing to fresh, clean water would make them sick. the only two things to keep in mind - check the temperature and make sure that the water you're adding is the same temperature. if it isn't, that could certainly shock them. also, use dechlorinator. you might be able to find it in large quantities in the pond section of any pet store.

once you're there, here's what you'll need:
-test kit. one that tests for pH, nitrAte, nitrIte, ammonia, chlorine - at least. more tests are fine, but these are essentials.
-filter or at least large pond pump. make sure it has no sharp edges or places where fins could get sucked in. this will get oxygen into the pond. try to find a pump that sucks water from the bottom of the pond and sprays it across or onto the surface. a good rule is if you can hear the pond, you've got enough oxygen in it.
-a large pond net. once you have clear water and you can get a good look at these guys, you may find they have quite a few health problems - bacterial infections, parasites, fungus, etc. if this is the case, it will be important to net them and get them into a rubbermaid tub or other smaller body of water to inspect them thoroughly and determine the exact cause of the problem. many koi medications are injected, depending on the size of the koi, and having them in a small container aids the medicating process.
-as mentioned, you'll also need koi-specific food. they may not have been interested in the food you supplied because they don't recognize it as food. koi and goldfish are notorious for ignoring new foods for quite a while until they realize they're good to eat! koi pellets or sticks will work. you can find koi food at any local fish/pet store.


once you change the water, you'll need to test it for all the parameters.
your tests should read as close as possible to this:
pH - between 6.5 and 8
nitrite - 0
nitrate - 0
ammonia - 0
chlorine - 0

if you don't get these readings right away, don't worry. perform large water changes once each day until you have these readings. each time, make sure to dechlorinate and make sure not to shock the fish with large temperature changes.

these links will help you:

http://www.vcnet.com/koi_net/
-general koi and pond information. a GREAT resource.

http://www.koivet.com
-good for sick or injured fish, but their "cool stuff" section is a godsend.

http://www.koicrisis.com/
also good for sick fish or a dirty, poorly functioning pond. probably worth looking at in your situation.

http://www.koisupplies.net/
a great place to find food, filters, dechlor, test kits, just about everything relating to koi.

http://www.hartzpro.com/koi_feeding_assessment_koi_food_labels.html
an EXCELLENT site for determining what a good food would be and how much/how often to feed.


and if you have any more questions, we're always here! good luck and keep us updated.

Leaving out the buckets of water will 'age' the water, which is always a good idea- i believe it helps the chemicals/minerals stabilize, and any unhealthy gases escape. someone else, correct me if im wrong on that.

however, the dechlorinator removes chlorine and chloramine from the water. if you're getting your water from a well or if you can determine for sure that the water isn't sterilized with chlorine, you can safely add it to the tank. otherwise, wait until you can find some dechlorinator. try calling around to local fish stores, pet stores, etc. it's sort of a necessity, so someone's bound to have it!

OR, if you were able to get a test kit, you can simply test the water before you add it to the pond, and if your chlorine reading is 0, you're good to go. that way you know there is no chlorine in the water.


i mentioned getting a pump OR a filter because a pond filter might be tough to find, or rather expensive. the filter will be a necessity because without it, the only way to remove built-up ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, etc. from the water, not to mention just plain old fish poo, will be to perform water changes- say 25% every third day. and that's a lot of work. once you have a filter, you won't need to do nearly as many water changes to keep the pond clear and safe for the fish.

so if you can't find/afford a large pond filter yet, a pump will help oxygenate and circulate the water. it won't remove toxins from the water like a filter, but it will help keep the water moving and aerated, which is definitely better than a stagnant pool of water. we all know what those get like. you've seen that firsthand- when you moved in!

i'm glad you asked actually, i wasn't too clear on that point.


yeah, koi and goldfish are sort of silly about new foods. they've probably been living on algae and water bugs since the last homeowner moved out. rather resourceful creatures, koi.

Aright so two things for you..... one is that depending on what type of fountain you get or whichever, they should say what type of pump they are compatable with (alot of them will be compatable with more than one and you will just have to find a specific type of pump in the end.) And two, for the picture, if you click on User CP at the top of the screen, you can click Edit Avatar in there and that's where we all upload our pictures. Good luck!

Hahaha rock on for having a picture from Shark Tale! Now we have the Pixar fish movies covered Also very cool for having tadpoles! My only advice for you is for when they turn into frogs.... ours always tended to eat any little fish we got, especially when we had baby fish born in the spring. Just a fair warning if you decide in the long run you want to breed some fish. Or even if you don't, they might do it themselves!