Koi To The World: 2014

Acclimating Your New KOI or Goldfish To Your Pond

The purpose of this article is to instruct our customers on how to acclimate new fish to their pond or quarantine tank. Following these steps is recommended however there are several other effective methods for acclimating new fish. The most important thing to remember is making the transition for your new fish as stress free as possible. Stress is the number one killer of new fish.

Step 1: Unpacking & Visual Inspection: Unpack your fish from the box and inspect them through the sides of the bag for any major signs of distress. Fish that are under distress may need to be given extra and immediate attention. A major distress would be fish that appear to be floating or not moving. Also, a leaking bag would be another situation where you may need to act quickly. Fish can be considered to be Acting normally if they are swimming around the bag, jumping or sitting on the bottom while maintaining balance without issue.

Tip: Don't open the box in direct sunlight. The fish have been in complete darkness for 18-24 hours and a bright light could startle them.

Step 2: Float The Bag: The bag should be floated on the surface of your pond for a period of 10-30 minutes. The time frame will vary depending on the temperature difference between the bag water and the pond water. If the bag water seems very warm as compared to your pond water you will need to float the bag for a longer period of time. Be sure to monitor the fish during the floating period. Going from Warm to Cold is MORE Stressful on the fish and takes more time than going from Cold To Warm.

TIP: Float the bag in a shaded area of the pond out of direct sunlight. If floated in the sunlight the bag will act as a greenhouse and slow the cooling process or even heat the water.

Step 3: Open the bag: Open the bag by either removing the rubber bands or poking a hole near the top of the bag. Over a period of 3-5 minutes slowly add pond water to the bag using a small cup/container. During this process the fish are being acclimated to other water parameters including PH and alkalinity.

Step 4: Release the fish: Gently scoop the fish out of the bag and place them into the pond. It is preferable this is done using your bare hand rather than a net. Your hand is a lot less abrasive and will be far less harmful to the fish's protective slime coating. If you are not comfortable using your hand or if the fish are too large to handle you can use a net or simply let the fish swim from the bag into the pond.

TIP: Avoid dumping the shipping water into your pond. The shipping water will be very dirty and full of toxic ammonia and fish feces.

Additional Advice

Quarantine New Fish - We HIGHLY recommend quarantining all new fish in a separate tank/pond for a period of 2-3 weeks. ALL fish are carriers of various bacteria and parasites and the stress of shipping and a new home can compromise the fish's immune system. This increases the risk of health related issues caused by these bacteria and parasites.

Add Only A few fish at at time - Adding too many fish at once can overload your biological filtration and compromise your water quality allowing for a spike in Ammonia and Nitrite levels. Water quality should be tested regularly.

Test Your Water: In order of importance, KH, Ammonia, Nitrite, PH & Nitrate levels should be tested regularly.

Buffer your water: Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda) should be added in order to maintain your KH levels over 150 ppm. A low KH reading increases the risk of a PH crash and other water quality issues due to reduced efficiency of your Biological Filtration.

One of the lesser known but most beautiful Goldfish varieties for your backyard pond is the Watonai (Pronounced Wa-Town-Eye). Watonai are similar to Wakin in body shape however they have broader, more elegant tail fins. They are every bit as hardy as the Wakin and will overwinter without issue in colder climates. High Quality Watonai Goldfish are hard to produce and therefore are only bred by a handful of breeders. The Watonai we offer for sale are are the best quality you will find and are bred by Blackwater Creek Koi Farms.

Pictured below are a few of our favorites sold during the 2013 season.

Watonai Godlfish For Sale HERE