Koi Fish Ponds

Koi are colorful graceful and are long lived, making them the ideal fish to
thrive in an outdoor pond. They also have many other traits that make them
the ideal candidate for your pond.
You can expect your Koi Fish to grow to be quite large and therefore if
they are to thrive they will need a large pond of 500 gallons or more.  The
amount of space and the quality of the water in it will ultimately
determine the health of the fish.  Koi require water temperatures between
60 and 67 degrees fehrenheit as they are essentially cold water fish.
Koi can live in a wide geographic area becasuse of this and so people who
live in a cooler climate will still be able to enjoy having a pond stocked
with Koi.  In the winter the Koi simply hibernate when ice forms on the
surface of the pond.
A Koi Pond offers more than just raising fish.  Its also a wonderfull
garden.  A chance to build your own little getaway in your back yard.
Koi love to have shade from the sun as they are cold water fish.  Water
lilies offer the best shade for you Koi.  They come in many varieties
and can cover up to 70% of the waters surface.  Not only are the lilies
good for shade but they also help to control the algae in the pond.
Koi only tolerate five or six hours of sunlight a day and the lilies give
them good protection from the sun.  Koi eat both meat and plants and
they can find both insects and larva within and around the plants.  Another
way of providing shade for your Koi is to build the pond under a tree, but
keep in mind you’ll have to deal with the leaves and twigs from the tree.
You may want to keep a skimmer near the pond to do the cleanup.
Predators are always a concern when rasising Koi. Raccoons love a good Koi
meal and you will need to provide your Koi with at least 4 feet of water
to keep them safe from predators such as raccoon.  The Great Blue Heron is
also a big concern in certain parts of the world.  A Blue Heron can eat up
a hundred six inch Koi in one meal.  Your pond should have a depth of at
leat 8 feet in order to protect from these predators.  You could also
place a bird net over your pond.  A tree also offers some protection from
birds.
Use your imagination freely when bulding your Koi Pond.  You can build the
pond to your own specifications and create an outdoor living area that
you can enjoy for years to come.
articles from http://www.raisingkoifish.com