Hand Feeding KOI at the Retail Store

Kikokuryu

Newly Listed - Buy It Now on eBay

Lemon Kikokuryu

Beautiful "Lemon" color that will certainly stand out in your pond!

Food for Koi

What Can I Feed My Koi?

Feeding your koi seems simple enough. Go to the pet store, find the bag/container with the koi on it, and return home and feed it.

But, it's really not that simple.. 

Most of the koi foods you find in stores is made with corn and fillers. Imagine eating white bread for the rest of your life. There's no nutrition in it, and your growth potential just isn't there. 

Just as you like variety in your diet, so do your koi!

So, let's talk about pellet foods... ponder to ponder. 

When I first started feeding my koi -not knowing ANYTHING about koi- I bought those little Tetra floating sticks that reminded me of dried up puff cereal. This went on for a few weeks, and then I noticed the water was all murky, there were food particles all over in the water, and my filter was filthy. 

I did a little research and found that there was nothing good in it for the koi, or the water quality. A friend of mine at the time was selling koi, and food, so I bought some from him. It was BlackWater Creek Koi Food. I bought a bag of Color Ehancing and a bag of Max Growth. I immediately noticed a difference. My water wasn't murky, my filters stayed clean, and my fish were crazy about eating it. I have fed this food for almost 4 years now, and my fish are still loving it! It's has such great ingredient content that even my turtles eat it! 

Hands down, this is the best food on the market, and it's extremely affordable! 

Buy BlackWater Koi Food HERE!

Now, moving on to other foods to add some variety.. 

• Orange Slices
• Watermelon
• Peas
• Crickets
• Banana (in moderation)
• Leafy Greens
• Silkworm Pupae
• Salad Shrimp

That is just a short list of what all you can feed your koi, but you want to ensure you get your koi on a good staple pelleted diet, so that they are getting all needed nutrients. 

BlackWater Creek Koi Food keeps your fish healthy, and active!

Happy Ponding!!

April Gift Certificate Winner

Congratulations to Thomas W from Cary, NC.  Thomas is the winner of April's $100 Gift Certificate drawing.  Thomas chose to use his Gift Certificate for a mix of assorted Blue Butterfly Koi!!  Thank you Thomas!

Doitsu Karasu Butterfly Koi

Doitsu Karasu Butterfly Koi

Featured Koi

Doitsu Karasu Butterfly Koi

Size: 9"

Starting Bid: $.99

Breeder: Blackwater Creek Koi Farms

Up for auction is this amazing doitsu Karasu Butterfly koi.

 Black Koi fish called the Karasu, or "crow" in Japanese, has a black body and fins, and can have either an orange or white stomach. It is one of the older species of  Koi fish. This Karasu has a nice orange stomach, and will be a great addition to your pond! 

Karasu are said to bring luck to the pond, so bid away, and bring some luck to your pond!

Karasu Ebay Auction 

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Showa Butterfly KOI

Featured KOI

Showa Butterfly KOI

Size: 7.25"

Starting Bid: $.99

Breeder: Blackwater Creek Koi Farms

A Beautiful Showa Butterfly Koi with a strong pattern and lots of potential.  Don't

miss out on this elegant beauty.  Auction starts at just $.99.

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The Nitrogen Cycle

Pond/Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle

When it comes to the Nitrogen Cycle, many of you think that it’s some huge complicated process in which you may never understand. But, there’s nothing to fear!

Here’s an easy to understand blog about the process. 

The Nitrogen Cycle, also known as “cycling” is the most important process when starting an aquarium/pond. It’s the process in which beneficial bacteria becomes established in your aquarium/pond in the filtration system that will assist in the conversion of TOXIC ammonia into non toxic Nitrates.

Stage 1:

When you first place your koi in the pond/aquarium, there is always a risk of the water becoming rather foul in just a few days. This is because the koi release their urine and feces in the water. Decaying food and plants also play a role in this process. These waste products break down and are converted into Ammonia. Ammonia is toxic to fish, especially in large amounts. A pond/aquarium is a closed system, which means that there is no way to get these toxins out without replacing the water. Without replacing water, ammonia can accumulate rapidly.

You can measure your ammonia levels by determining the PH of your water. You can do this by using a freshwater aquarium/pond testing kit. If the PH of the water is under 7, ammonia can still be relatively safe for your koi. However, if it’s 7 or over, it is no longer safe. A high PH level with ammonia present will stress your koi, and if not treated immediately, it can damage their internal organs, and ultimately lead to death.  

When ammonia starts to be produced, and it begins accumulating in your pond/aquarium this is the beginning of the nitrogen cycle.

Stage 2:

When your fish were introduced into their new home, their waste started producing ammonia, as stated in stage 1. By about the 3^rd week, without water changes, the water is most likely already toxic. If this is the case, a water change is needed. Water changes don’t always have to be done to keep the ammonia under control though. There are bacteria that grow in your pond/aquarium that help to eliminate the toxicity of ammonia. This bacteria isn’t present when you first set up your pond/aquarium and can take anywhere from weeks to months for it to have enough established to help neutralize the toxicity of ammonia. The bacteria present are called Nitrosomonas. This bacteria does eliminate ammonia, however, it turns it into another element called Nitrite. Nitrite is also dangerous to fish. 

Final Stage:

Once you have successfully established Nitrite in your pond/aquarium, to complete this cycle, you need another bacteria known as Nitrobacter. This bacteria turns Nitrite into Nitrate, which is NOT harmful to fish. This bacteria won’t develop until you have a bountiful colony of Nitrite. This is why the actual cycling of a tank can take a while to establish. If you have plants in your tank, they will help with the production of Nitrate, which will complete the cycle faster.

There are several products that can be bought at your pet store to start the cycling process. There are also several other ways to start the process such as adding household ammonia to your pond/aquarium, or adding a piece of raw shrimp.  If you chose these options, do NOT add fish to your pond/aquarium until the cycle is complete.

You can start the cycle as well by adding fish to your pond/aquarium, but it is not recommended, as those fish suffer ammonia burn and potential death.

When you test your water, you want a reading of:

0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, 10-25 Nitrate

If you do not have a Nitrate reading, your tank is not cycled!

Summary:

There are 3 stages in the Nitrogen cycle to understand.

1.      Ammonia is produced by fish waste and decaying plant/food matter.

2.      A certain type of bacteria consumes the ammonia and produces Nitrites, which are toxic.
3.      Another type of bacteria consumes Nitrites and turns them into Nitrates, which are not harmful.