Make Sure Your Fish Are Healthy and Happy

Keeping fish in your pond is a great way to make your water feature really come to life. Like taking care of any pet, it is important to learn how to keep them healthy and happy. Here are some tips to make sure your fish are at their best. 

Water Quality

Maintaining high water quality is important in not only keeping a water feature, but also a healthy home for your fish. High water quality will be dechlorinated, have high dissolved oxygen levels, and low ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites. First, make sure that you dechlorinate any water before adding it into the pond. Next, make sure that you have one or more sources of dissolved oxygen, as this is what fish breathe in the water. Having an aerator, waterfall, fountain, and spitter are helpful sources of dissolved oxygen. Lastly, make sure unhealthy water levels have come to a balance when starting a new pond or restarting a pond before adding fish. Utilizing proper circulation, filtration, regular maintenance, and consistent partial water changes will help bring the water quality into balance. Excellent water is one of the best ways to ensure your fishes’ health. 

Pond Environment

When adding fish to a pond, it is important to consider the habitat you are adding them to. Fish will also need plenty of room to move around for an ideal home. You will want to have at least 10 gallons of water for every inch in length of your fish. Koi and other fish will do best in ponds at least 1.5 ft. deep, but in colder climates that experience freezing temperatures pond should be a minimum of 2-2.5 ft.  It is also a good idea to give your fish some places for shade or coverage by utilizing aquatic plants or constructed areas on the pond for them to hide. Making sure their habitat is large enough for them not to be overcrowded will help them stay healthy, and giving them some protection keeps them more comfortable.

Health Tips

While you are feeding you fish, it is a great time to check for any abnormalities to detect any injuries or sickness. Observe their mouths, eyes, scales and fins for any discoloration. If you do notice a difference it is best to look up what you are seeing online, to see what is the best course of action. Sometimes in a pond of many fish, it will be helpful to put the fish into its own holding tank to care for and observe until it is restored to full health to make sure no other fish become infected. 

Keep Them Happy

Your fish are your pets, and they add beauty and joy to a home. Make sure to share some treats with them from time to time. Try a few of these treats to see which ones are your fishes’ favorites: frozen silkworm, citrus fruits, or plants like duckweed or romaine. Make sure not to over do it and keep their diet balanced, but they will really love you for the extra treats.

With these few tips, your fish will be much more happy and healthy. Your water feature will be more of a joy than you probably could have imagined.