Fish Care

Prepare the Pond Water:
1) Make sure that you have removed chlorine and chloramines. You can use either Ammo-Lock II or Fresh Start. Do not use Stress Coat to remove chloramines. It will remove them, but it will replace chloramines with ammonia which is just as bad.
2) It is recommended that before buying fish and after, to test your pond for pH, ammonia, and nitrates with our test kits.
3) Maintain good water circulation with a pump, filter and waterfall or fountain.
Purchasing Fish:
1) If your pond is brand new or has been recently drained and cleaned, start with only a few Trial Fish. It is probably better to start off with a few cheap ones first. After a few weeks you can then move on to bigger and prettier ones.
2) Koi and Butterfly Koi can get large. Make sure your pond can handle these.
3) After purchasing your fish, take them straight home. You should float the fish bag for 10-15 minutes so that the water temperature will acclimate. After this, you can slowly release them from the bag into freedom.
Feeding Your Fish:
1) Do not overfeed your fish. Remove what they have left behind after 5-10 minutes. The more they eat, the more they poop. This can create a messy, dirty pond. You can choose to feed them once a day, once a week, or not at all. They are forgiving creatures. It all depends on how large they are and how many other things they can find to munch on in your pond.
2) You can feed your fish in the spring, summer, and fall as long as the water temperature averages above 50-55 degrees. A pond thermometer is recommended.
3) Do not feed your fish during the cold winter months. They slow down and do not need food even if they eat it. The good bacteria in their digestive tract weaken and cannot break the food down fast enough. The food sits in their body for a long time which in turn causes a weakening metabolism. This makes the fish susceptible to disease, harmful bacteria, and inflammation.