Quick Answer Use plain, non-iodized salt — sodium chloride (NaCl) with no additives — never table salt with iodine or anti-caking agents. For general support, 0.1% (1 lb per 100 gallons) is a common ongoing low dose. For treating parasites, 0.3% (2.5 lbs per 100 gallons) is the standard therapeutic concentration, added gradually over 2-3
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Quick Answer Potassium permanganate for koi is dosed one of two ways: a prolonged bath at 2-3 mg/L (ppm) for 4-6 hours, or a short dip at 10-20 mg/L for up to 30 minutes. The two concentrations aren’t interchangeable — never combine a high-concentration dip’s dosage with a prolonged bath’s duration. Always weigh crystals precisely,
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Quick Answer The best koi pond pump depends on your pond size and setup: submersible pumps suit ponds up to about 5,000-6,000 gallons and are easier to install, while external pumps handle larger ponds better and last longer (5-15 years vs. 2-5). The number on the box isn’t the number you’ll actually get, though —
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Quick Answer A properly equipped koi pond needs eight core categories of gear: a filtration system (mechanical + biological), a properly sized pump, a skimmer, a UV clarifier, an aeration system, water test kits, predator protection, and quality koi food. Skipping any one of these — not just filtration — is one of the most
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Quick Answer The best algae control depends on which algae you actually have: a UV clarifier or algaecide for green (floating) water, and manual removal plus barley straw or beneficial bacteria for string algae/blanketweed, which UV light doesn’t touch. Most well-maintained koi ponds end up combining two or three of these rather than relying on
Best Algae Control for Koi Ponds: Products Compared Read More »
Quick Answer Yes, raccoons do eat koi fish. Koi are slow swimmers with no natural defenses, making them easy targets for raccoons’ dexterous paws. Netting, a buried fence, motion-activated sprinklers, and adequate pond depth are the most effective ways to protect koi — most keepers combine two or three methods rather than relying on just
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Quick Answer Choosing the right aquarium comes down to four things: glass type (silicate vs. acrylic), size (bigger is almost always safer for fish health), shape (rectangular is the easiest to stock and clean), and which accessories — lid, lighting, filtration — actually matter for the fish you plan to keep. Image by Regina Wölk
Quick Answer A koi pond typically costs $500 to $3,000 for a small DIY build, or $3,500 to $17,000+ for a professionally installed pond, with the average mid-sized professional install landing around $7,500 to $15,000. Size, excavation difficulty, filtration quality, and whether you hire a professional are the biggest cost drivers — not just the
Quick Answer You generally don’t need to keep a whole koi pond from freezing — you need to keep it from freezing solid. As long as the pond is at least 3 feet deep and you maintain a small open hole in the ice for gas exchange (using a de-icer, an aerator, or both), koi
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Quick Answer Koi need dissolved oxygen to breathe, and a pond without adequate aeration can run short of it fast — especially in summer heat, dense stocking, or algae overgrowth. Waterfalls, fountains, and dedicated air pumps with a diffuser stone are the three main ways to keep oxygen levels up, and a pump is the
Pond Aerator Guide: How to Add Oxygen to a Koi Pond Read More »