Top 10 Koi Fish FAQ’s, and Answers to Them

1. Q: Are koi fish really a necessary part of my pond?
A: Koi fish are part and parcel of a naturally balanced, aquatic ecosystem. A pond without koi fish is kind of like love and marriage. It just works better with than without. And once you get used to watching them glide gracefully around your pond, and you realize how little work is involved in koi fish keeping, you’ll get past the apprehension and be glad you have koi fish in your pond.

2. Q: If I choose to have koi fish, do I really need to feed them?
A: Koi fish are actually scavengers and will feed off of anything in the pond, including algae. On the other hand, if you want your koi fish to grow, feeding them daily helps.

3. Q: How often should I feed my koi fish?
A: Every other day or twice a week is plenty. Too much feeding will begin to affect the water quality in a negative way, and can encourage algae growth.

4. Q: How many koi fish can I safely put in my pond?
A: The rule of thumb is one inch of fish for every square foot of pond surface. So if you have a pond that’s 10’ wide and 15’ long, you’ll have 150 square feet of pond surface. In that pond you can safely accommodate 10 fish that are each 15” long, so long as they don’t grow.

5. Q: What kinds of fish work best with a water feature?
A: Generally speaking, some varieties of koi or gold fish are the pond owners’ most popular choice. Why, you ask? They’re popular mainly because they’re colorful, easy to see, and unafraid of humans who always want to feed them.

6. Q: Will my koi fish survive the winter?
A: If there’s a hole in the ice for gasses (including oxygen) to be exchanged, they’ll go down to the bottom of your pond and hibernate until spring. In a pond that’s 24” deep, the ice freezes up to 8” thick in the coldest of climates, and the koi fish still have 16” of liquid in which to survive.

7. Q: What’s fish-safe liner?
A: When liner companies produce liner for roofing purposes, they use a variety of raw materials that can be harmful to fish. fish-safe liner is simply liner that uses materials that are all safe for your fish. Look for the “fish safe” label on the liner.

8. Q: When should I stop feeding my koi fish for the season?
A: In the late fall when the water temperature regularly gets down to 55 degrees or lower, you should stop feeding your koi fish. Feeding beyond this point can cause metabolism problems for your koi fishy friends.

9. Q: When should I start feeding my koi fish again?
A: It’s just the opposite. In the spring of the year, when the temperatures start to go above the 55-degrees regularly, start feeding them again.

10 Q: Will predators eat my koi fish? How do I prevent that?
A: Ninety percent of backyard residential ponds do not have a problem with predators, so the odds are in your favor. As for the other 10%, the most practical solution is to have a koi fish cave under which they can hide when predators come close.