Understanding and Caring for the Butterfly Koi
Butterfly koi are beautiful ornamental fish that come with long, flowing fins and brightly patterned scales. They are usually mistaken for goldfish, but they’re actually traditional koi fish and carp hybrids.
Because of their length (up to 36 inches), they require big ponds.The environment dictates the type of outdoor pond required by butterfly koi. They usually thrive in temperatures from 32 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Large Japanese koi typically live in mud ponds, but digging a hole outside and filling it with water to create a simple pond is not advised because of the soil and planktonic algae.
It’s not enough to have filler systems, so mud ponds should come with a drainage system to take out the impurities. Maintaining the pond requires complete draining and cleaning on a regular basis. A lot of space is needed by butterfly koi so they can swim and spread their fins freely. Ponds should be clean and filtered, and liners help with this.
In-ground ponds come with liners that make sure the soil is kept away from the water. Liners may be flexible or rigid, depending on the ground’s shape or evenness. Steel-meshed concrete or prefabrigated fiberglass sealed with polyurethane is the material used to make liners.
Another good home for butterfly koi are above-ground ponds placed on a level surface. Prefab ornament ponds, often made of plastic, wood, concrete or fiberglass, can be placed on backyard decks and cement surfaces.
Smaller kits may come in plastic or wood. Wherever you place the pond, make it a point that the container (with water, 8 pounds per gallon) can be supported by the surface.
For butterfly koi, too much aquatic vegetation and other fish can be stressful, so it’s a must that your ponds are kept clean and well-aerated. These kois need a constant pH balance of 6.8 to 7.2. Algae growth can be prevented by maintaining this balance, especially when there are aquatic plants in the pond.
To remove excess phosphates and nitrates in the water and restore the pond’s ecological balance, organic materials such as barley straw and salts may be added. To maintain consistency through the process, the filters should be cleaned twice a month and water temperature must be monitored. To keep water aerated and circulating, it helps to add a waterfall or fountain. Water temperature must be maintained between 65 and 75 F, though 32 to 95 degrees is okay as long as fluctuations aren’t drastic.
Caring for Butterfly Koi
First off, pond water has to be well-aerated. To keep water circulating, the pump also needs to be kept clean. Lastly, as plants suck draw oxygen, vegetation must be reduced to rejuvenate the water.