The koi fish are a favorite in outside ponds, due to the longevity of their lives, their gracefulness and their gorgeous colors. Koi fish also have many traits that make them an ideal fish to thrive in an outside pond.
Due to the size your koi fish can grow it is realistic to have a pond that is five hundred gallons or more. Typically the health of the koi depends a lot upon the amount of space that they are provided with and the caliber of the water. Koi fish thrive in cold water and will do very will in temperatures between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit. This allows even those who live in cool climates to be able to enjoy a pond full of koi fish. In the colder climates when ice forms on the top of the pond they hibernate in the winter. Their digestive systems slow down almost to a halt allowing them to make it through the winter.
Koi fish are not the only thing that can make a pond gorgeous and interesting to look at Koi love to have shade like lilies. Lilies can cover up to seventy percent of the water's surface. They not only help to give your koi fish cover and shade, lilies help to reduce the amount of algae in the water. Since koi can only receive about five to six hours of direct sunshine, the water lilies really help with the protection of the koi. Plus, since koi are omnivorous
meaning they eat both meat and plants, they can find insects and insect larva within the plants. Another way to offer shade to your koi pond is to build your koi pond under a tree where it will receive plenty of shade. Although your fish will enjoy the much needed shade from the trees, the negative side is your pond most likely will be littered with twigs, needles and leaves.
Some thought must go into the depth of the koi fish pond when you are planning to build the pond yourself. To protect your fish from outside predators the depth of the water can provide a lot of protection. Raccoons would enjoy a good koi meal. Building your pond at least four feet deep will keep the raccoons at bay it will also give your koi more room to swim and an added protection from
the sun. The Great Blue Heron who live in some parts of the country would adore to feast on a good koi meal as well. One Blue Heron can eat a meal of about 100 six inch koi. To keep these kinds of predator at bay you should give your koi a water depth of at least 8 feet. Another way to keep bird predators away form your koi fish is to install a bird net over your pond.
When you build your own koi pond you are free to allow your imagination to run wild. A plus to building your own koi pond is that you can build it to your own specifications in order to enhance your landscape nicely.
