When we choose a backyard pond pump, one of the important things to know it how much it will cost to operate it. Most backyard pond pumps run 24 hours daily, 7 days weekly, so the electricity costs can mount up fast. It is relatively easy to find out how much it is going to cost to run your pump.
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For illustration purposes only. Based on $ 0.10 per Kilowatt Hour and 12 months continuous use. Your actual costs may vary depending on your cost per KWH, head height, tubing diameter and actual use.
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Watts divided by 1000 = Kilowatts x $ 0.10 per KWH (Kilowatt Hour) x 24 hours x 365 days.
Types of Koi
Types of Koi
Koi fish can reach up t three feet in length which makes them one of the largest fish that people commonly keep in their garden ponds.
Usually they have two barbells on either side of their jaw and have a round snout that they use for taking in prey.
The female Koi are larger and have a rounder body shape than males. Their fins are short and rounded with lobed fins. Certain varieties can be bred to have long trailing fins.
Koi are available in a variety of colors. Most white or silver with colorful markings and spots.
These markings can be red, gold, black, deep blue or even orange. Their exact color and marks depend on the type of Koi.
Butterfly Koi
Butterfly Koi can also be known as Drago Koi. They have long pectoral and caudial fins. Keepers of Koi seek them out as they are highly prized and valuable.
These Koi can have the same color markings are other Koi and can only be set apart by the length of their fins.
Japanese Koi
These are the most common Koi and recognizable as the variety that you will see in most garden ponds and water gardens.
They are two varieties of Japanese Koi. The Kohaku are white with orange and red markings and are more standard. The second type is the Tancho and look the same as Kohaku with the exception of a single red dot on the top of their head.
Dragon Fish Koi
Not to be confused with the Butterfly Koi variety, the Dragon Koi Fish or Kumonryu is a black and white fish with markings that may change during different seasons.
Black and White Koi
There are two varieties of this breed. The Shor Utsui that have white with black spots and markings. You may see black on one side of the head and white on the other in some of this type.
The other is the Matsuba which is black and white too but it may have black markings over a gold or red body.
Gold Koi
This type of Koi is also called an Ogon and is a prized one color. It will be entirely silver, gold or orange. Koi that have gold marks over a white body are called Ki. Kinrin fish sparkle in the water like gold coins due to their beautiful scales.
Next time we will talk about Koi habitats and the condition of their Ponds. If you would like to know more, ask one of our experts.
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Introduction to Koi
Introduction to Koi
Let’s talk about Koi. What are they? In simple terms, Koi are fish. Specifically, they are an ornamental variation of a carp that are in the family Cyprinidae. In fact, the word Koi is the word for carp in Japanese.
Koi become popular in the 19th century when farmers in Japan started to use them in their rice gardens. They are now more common place in the world and have become a lucrative industry if you have the inclination to breed and grow them. That is not necessary to enjoy the simplicity of these wonderful fish as they are quite relaxing and mesmerizing to keep as pets.
Commonly in the wild, carp only live for twenty years but captive carp or Koi can be kept in a confined setting like a garden pond for up to fifty years with proper care and maintenance. Like any animal, they are a long-term commitment and certainly will last longer than most other pets.
Where can you get Koi fish? Common carp varieties can be found in many garden ponds and they can be purchased from reputable pond and aquarium dealers. The cost for each one ranges in price from fifty to eighty dollars.
What are Koi like? These lovely fish are very peaceful and will interact with others in their school and prefer to leave other species of fish alone. Typically, a school of fish will have between five and fifteen individual fish. When in a school, they will swim in a coordinated fashion that is beautiful. These are active fish and prefer to free-swim and show off their vibrant colors.
When you first purchase Koi, they will explore every part of their new environment. Expect to see them swim along the top or middle and look for natural food along the bottom of the pond.
Koi forage for food by taking a large inhale of food and then will filter out any debris that got into their mouth. For this reason, they are not recommended for freshwater ecosystems as they can disturb the natural setting of an aquarium. Koi will burrow and dig into sediment and uproot plants to eat on the seeds.
Will I have enough room for Koi? Koi fish are schooling fish and as such, you will want to have a few of them so they don’t get lonely. They can grow up to three feet in length. This is an important fact when calculating how big to make your garden pond if you eventually want to have Koi in your pond. The general rule of thumb is to have ten gallons of water for every inch of fish. This means you will want to have around 250 gallons of water for a single Koi fish at minimum.
If you are considering setting up a Koi pond, our professionals can help you with planning and design. Next time we will discuss the multiple varieties of Koi and setup for their pond.
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