Caring for Koi Fish
In many ways, caring for koi fish can be a large task. Still, with the right guidelines and ideas in mind, your fish can last up to thirty years.
Unlike the common goldfish that does not live very long, koi can live for many years if they are cared for properly. To begin caring for koi fish, it helps to know a bit about them. One of the most important things to keep in mind is the fact that these fish love to eat. In fact, you can feed this type of fish up to eight times per day (and some will even eat more than that). However, the type of food that you feed them is very important, since they are highly susceptible to chemicals.
Did you know that your koi will change color depending upon the type of chemicals that they consume? Some people even feed their fish things such as carotene to change the color of the fish (carotene will turn them pink). Interestingly, professional breeders change the color of their fish by playing around with their diet, though this is not recommended for amateurs. For those that want to feed their fish with ease, there are numerous types of commercial pet foods available.
Also, these fish will eat lettuce if you give it to them. The only thing to remember is that the more your fish eat, the more that it will release toxic ammonia into the water. This ammonia can effectively pollute the water and clog up the filter, so resist the urge to over feed them. In addition to eating large amounts of food, koi will also eat directly from your hand if you train them to do so. The dietary habit of these fish is the most important part of caring for koi fish.
Once you have their diet down to a neat science, you can then begin to enjoy everything about these fish. From the way that they like to be stroked to the way that they eat from your hand, these are truly magnificent pets.
The moment that you bring your koi home, you will see that caring for koi fish can be relatively easy. Just keep the advice of the pet store sales clerk in mind, tend to their diet properly, and soon enough you will have some very devoted lifelong companions.