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| Home Koi Goldfish Arowana Filtration
| Facts about KoiKoi are called 'living jewels' thanks to their fantastic colour schemes. Koi are directly related to carp - they are the same species. Koi are selectively bred carp from a natural anomaly first discovered and developed in Japan, from where all things Koi emanate. The Japanese are the best breeders of Koi in the world by a substantial margin. Koi can live to be 30 years old. They can reach lengths in excess of 1m and at this length will weigh up to 12 kg. Bigger Koi are rare but not unknown especially in Japan. Koi are also known as water pigs, pigs of the dam, pigs of the river etc. This is because being carp, they typically eat anything. And they like to eat a lot of it. A Koi can consume up to 2% of it's body weight a day, which for a fish is impressive. This is however bad news if you want to keep plants in your Koi pond. You will have to think carefully about how you want to incorporate plants so that the Koi can't get at them. Or else the score line will read something like Koi:1, Plants:0. Vegetable filters (plants in a Koi pond) are a great idea. They help reduce nitrate levels. Reduced nitrates lead to reduced algae growth since nitrates are a plant food. This is a positive contribution to a Koi pond. Koi are not warm water fish. However they are more active and grow faster in warm water. Water temperatures below 10C are not dangerous but a Koi's immune system shuts itself down progressively as the temperature drops. They also eat less and virtually stop below 10C. This can be dangerous for them when the water warms up as their immune systems start up more slowly than the bugs it is protecting the Koi against. This is why spring is a dangerous time for Koi. Koi grow fast. They typically reach 50% of their final adult length at age of 2 years. Koi are cute and cuddly. They can be trained to hand feed. Koi enjoy variety in their diet. Try peeled oranges, lettuce, brown bread and earth worms. There is no substitute for live food in terms of quality. But a big Koi can eat you out of house and home if you insist on feeding it live food all the time. Koi, as with all fish are integrally linked with their watery environment. They are a direct reflection of that quality and your skill in maintaining it.
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