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How to Care for Your Koi Fish

Koi fish are known for their beauty, bright colors, and docile, tame nature. But did you know that koi are also a relatively low maintenance addition to your pond or water feature?

As part of the carp family, koi appear in combinations of red, white, orange, yellow, cream, black, brown, and blue. The color of koi will change depending in the food elements they consume. For examples, a koi will become red in color if it is fed food containing carotene. Most koi come from Japan, the leader in breeding and hybridizing these fish, and can grow up to two or three feet long. Koi can even live up to 30 years.

Koi maintenance includes maintaining your pond, regulating the number of fish relative to the pond size, and ensuring koi have adequate, healthy food. Koi need space to live and grow and prefer to be with other small groups of fish. Keeping your pond clean and free of debris and food matter ensures a longer life for your fish. Invest in a good pump and filter system to keep your water clean. Ponds should also be covered with vegetation and have plenty of hiding spaces,

As a member of the carp family, koi fish are natural scavengers and will eat anything. Koi should feed on algae, vegetable matter, and pellets that can be purchased from most pet stores. Make sure to not overfeed your koi and remove any uneaten food from the pond, as excess food can cause algae and water quality problems. Koi can become so tame that they�re known to even out of your hand!

Contact Lost Creek Landscapes for more pond maintenance tips. The award-winning Lost Creek Landscapes has provided full landscape and masonry design services to the Northern Virginia area since 1997. Lost Creek Landscapes specializes in formal water features, among many other landscape and masonry services.