Summer is the best and most lively time for your Koi pond. During this time, the temperatures are beautiful, letting you enjoy your pond even more. But you should continue to take care and maintain your pond during this season. Keeping in mind those few necessary things during the summertime will keep the beauty and liveliness of your outdoor pond.
High temperature can cause less amount of oxygen:
During the summer, the oxygen level or your outdoor pond will drop down. That's why it's very important to take the necessary measures, especially if you live in places where warm temperatures are experienced most of the time. A good indicator that your outdoor pond don't have high enough concentration of oxygen is when you see your fish hanging out towards the top of the surface of the pond, seemingly gasping for air. You can put extra water features in your pond like fountains and waterfalls to keep the oxygen moving.
The more motion the water will have, the more oxygen there will be for your fish. Also, if these features are not available, you can change the water frequently in order to give your fish the right amount of oxygen they'll be needing.
You should watch out for evaporation:
Higher amounts of heat cause the water to evaporate at a faster rate. What you do is observe the pond's water levels very well, and then do the necessary adjustments. It is important to remove all of the chlorine from the water that you're going to add.
Summertime paves way for parasites:
Heat makes way for illnesses and parasites, and because most of them are invisible, it is important for you to watch your fish for those signs of illness. Symptoms such as scratching, shaking, shivering or rubbing against objects indicate different types of illnesses.
Pay attention to your pets if they start to develop visible spots on their body (they may also knock off some of their fins)!). If you obeserve any of these changes, you can contact your Koi dealer, vet and local pet store as soon as possible. Some parasites may cause only minimal damage, but illnesses like the KHV (or Koi herpes virus) can cause real serious problems to your fish, that's why it should be treated immediately.
Giving Food To Your Pet:
To ensure the health of your fish throughout the summertime, feed them with nutritious foods. Feed them low-protein food at least 1 or 3 times everyday. If your pets still look hungry after feeding them, you can slightly increase the feeding amount. Take note that feeding your fish with only small amounts of food will prevent the spoiling of food. Feeding them with larger amounts will give way to uneaten foods that will spoil quickly (which could cause water quality issues).
Your fish will only eat what's necessary for their survival, and will leave those extra ones. Feeding your fish will also cause less oxygen content in the water, and this can be an issue during the summertime, as oxygen depletes in high temperatures. This can be resolved by feeding your fish in the cooler times of the day.
Summer is the best time to feed your Koi using your hand. By doing this, you'll be able to get to know yoiur pets a little better, and they in turn will familiarize you as someone who takes good care of them. You can also let kids join this activity, which would be an unforgettable experience for them!
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