A storm can be distressing for your outdoor fish, especially for large koi carp, which, being large, probably do not have many places to hide. However, if you have designed your koi fish pond well, you will have taken this into consideration when your constructed the pond. Similarly, the pond must be deep enough for your fish to be able to get well below the choppy surface level.
If you got ready for the storm, you probably put a net over the fish pond, so the first thing you ought to do after the storm is clear up any fallen debris and take away the net, so that you can get a good look at your fish and what happened to them. They may be a bit stressed, so move slowly and try hard not to frighten them. Stress is a killer in the animal world as well as in ours.
Did you take the additional precaution of sand-bagging the rim of your pond to stop it over-flowing and the fish swimming away? If so, take away the sand bags, so that you can get a closer look.
Now you can get a good look at the upheaval, if there is any. Use a net to gently skim off any leaves that have blown under the netting and into the pond. If any plants have been uprooted, put them back where they should be. In general, put the pond back as it used to be, so that the fish feel at home. Again, move slowly and try not to put your fish under any more stress.
If you have to carry out major structural repairs, you could place your koi in a child's plastic paddling pool until you can sort the issue out. Put the pool in a shaded area and fold the netting over it several times so that the fish can not get out and cats and birds cannot get in. If you can aerate the pool with a pump so much the better.
Put a few plants in there with them for cover and feed in moderation. if the repairs will take a long time, you could ask your local pet store to take them away for a week or whatever. You will need to pay board and lodgings, but it is preferable to losing your prized koi carp.
Once any repairs have been carried out, you ought to check the water quality, which could have been affected by debris falling into the pond or by your repairs. Rain, especially acid rain, can have quite an effect, especially if it rained for a long time.
First check the water for nitrates. If the levels are unacceptable (see the testing kit for details), you should stabilize them. If the levels are very high, first remove the plants from the water.
Then analyze the KH levels. If they are low, say, below 100, then you could add a cup of baking soda per 1,000 gallons of water and check again. Whatever you do, the fastest way to de-stress your fish is to reinstate their environment to what it used to be with sparkling water to swim in.
If you got ready for the storm, you probably put a net over the fish pond, so the first thing you ought to do after the storm is clear up any fallen debris and take away the net, so that you can get a good look at your fish and what happened to them. They may be a bit stressed, so move slowly and try hard not to frighten them. Stress is a killer in the animal world as well as in ours.
Did you take the additional precaution of sand-bagging the rim of your pond to stop it over-flowing and the fish swimming away? If so, take away the sand bags, so that you can get a closer look.
Now you can get a good look at the upheaval, if there is any. Use a net to gently skim off any leaves that have blown under the netting and into the pond. If any plants have been uprooted, put them back where they should be. In general, put the pond back as it used to be, so that the fish feel at home. Again, move slowly and try not to put your fish under any more stress.
If you have to carry out major structural repairs, you could place your koi in a child's plastic paddling pool until you can sort the issue out. Put the pool in a shaded area and fold the netting over it several times so that the fish can not get out and cats and birds cannot get in. If you can aerate the pool with a pump so much the better.
Put a few plants in there with them for cover and feed in moderation. if the repairs will take a long time, you could ask your local pet store to take them away for a week or whatever. You will need to pay board and lodgings, but it is preferable to losing your prized koi carp.
Once any repairs have been carried out, you ought to check the water quality, which could have been affected by debris falling into the pond or by your repairs. Rain, especially acid rain, can have quite an effect, especially if it rained for a long time.
First check the water for nitrates. If the levels are unacceptable (see the testing kit for details), you should stabilize them. If the levels are very high, first remove the plants from the water.
Then analyze the KH levels. If they are low, say, below 100, then you could add a cup of baking soda per 1,000 gallons of water and check again. Whatever you do, the fastest way to de-stress your fish is to reinstate their environment to what it used to be with sparkling water to swim in.
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many topics, but is now involved with water garden pumps. If you are interested in a Solar Powered Pond Pump, please go to our web site now for a special deal.
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