maria hayward
DAVE WOLFENDEN
It’s the most rewarding time of the year for the koi keeper – a time to sit back with a tipple or two and enjoy the fruits of the year’s labour. But what’s required in terms of maintenance for the koi pond in summer? Dave Wolfenden explains…
Summer loving About the author:
Dave Wolfenden started his career with an honours degree in Zoology and Botany at Reading University. After a further year within the aquatics industry he became a lecturer in Animal Management at Merrist Wood College in Surrey, specialising in managing and tutoring on higher education courses. Now a lecturer at Reaseheath College, Dave also acts as a Tetra Consultant for the Tetra Information Centre.
Pictures courtesy of Jasper Kuijper, Evolution Aqua
an established one. This is due to the die- back of the filter’s microbial communities in colder conditions. It’s still important to monitor water
T
quality into the summer months, as increased demand for food from the koi and the associated increase in ammonia production from the fish can outstrip the filter’s ability to catch up. So be prepared to carry out water changes as necessary, and it might also be a requirement to carry out a good clean of both the pond itself and the filter’s mechanical section. The more regularly that any solid waste can be eliminated from the pond, the better the chances of maintaining optimal water quality.
monitoring oxygen Oxygen is, of course, pretty vital for our koi,
hroughout the spring, the pond may have been experiencing elevated levels of ammonia and nitrite, whether the filter is newly-installed or
so an oxygen test can be a good investment. These can be of the relatively inexpensive ‘test kit’ variety, or the more accurate electronic kind. The electronic versions are much more expensive, however, and tend to be of more interest to the koi breeder or dealer than the hobbyist. We should aim for as near saturation as
possible; in other words, the water physically cannot contain any more oxygen. But why is this so important to monitor in summer? Well, warmer water can contain less oxygen at saturation than colder water (see the table below).
Temperature (C/F)
5°C/41°F
10°C/50°F 15°C/59°F 20°C/68°F 25°C/77°F 30°C/86°F 35°C/95°F
100% Saturation of O2 in mg/l
12.8 mg/l 11.3 mg/l 10.2 mg/l 9.2 mg/l 8.4 mg/l 7.7 mg/l 7.1 mg/l
Oxygen is, of course, pretty vital for our koi, so an oxygen test can be a good investment
JULY 2010 35
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