We have had several of our clients ask us if it is okay to put plants in koi ponds. Simple answer? Yes! Read along for our recommendations for the best plants in koi ponds. But aren’t plants bad for fish? Not one published scientific study has shown any plants attacking fish. Yes, they may be …
What should you use to disinfect fish equipment and what is the safest way to use it? If you keep any fish you will have multiple tanks at some point, even just a simple hospital/quarantine tank at the ready. You may have adopted a new tank off the “FREE” Craigslist page and want to use …
Most pet fish live in either an indoor tank or outdoor pond. We already covered what the bottom of your tank should look like, but what is the best pond substrate? Ponds are much more diverse than tanks and can come in a variety of shapes, layouts and “all natural” finishes. What is the “healthiest” …
We commonly hear this question and it’s a little bit of a headscratcher. Let’s look into the similarities and differences of koi and goldfish and what diseases you should consider between the two. The Goldfish – Carassus auratus Among the many variations of goldfish is a common ancestor. Thought to be a distant descendant of …
Now that we’ve covered all your potential options for fish pond substrates, how is the best way to go about cleaning the bottom of your fish pond? Here’s the full checklist of tasks for all ponds to keep up with on a daily/weekly/monthly/yearly basis. If you have rocks on the bottom of your fish pond: …
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Koi ponds make up the majority of our veterinary practice, and in seeing so many cases, some common themes occur. Don’t make the same mistakes with your fish! Not Checking Your Koi Pond Daily – We know in the winter, when metabolisms are quiet, your fish are not very entertaining. However, even in the slower, …
The biggest hurdle for new fish owners is New Tank Syndrome. When you set up a new fish tank for the first time, there are a few things you can expect to happen that can severely impact your fish’s survival. With a brand new filter, your nitrogen cycle has not been established. It will take …
Have you ever been cleaning your pond, maybe pulling out dead plants, and smelled rotting eggs? This unfortunate smell is hydrogen sulfide, the product of anaerobic bacteria buried deep in the mud. Hydrogen sulfide is highly toxic to fish and can can death very quickly. Fish who are exposed suffer an increase in secondary infections …
Everyone always wants to know how to keep their fish system from becoming infested with some horrible disease that puts all their fish at risk. Well, it’s a lot simpler than you think! Checklist to Prevent Disease in Pet Fish Quarantine. Quarantine. Quarantine. This includes plants and ALL NEW FISH. The stress of handling and …
What are the pros and cons to having plants in fish tanks and ponds? As is the dilemma facing most freshwater tank and pond owners. Live plants can add beauty and filtration, but come with their own set of issues. If you are interested in pursing adding live plants to your system, be sure to …
Most fish kept as pets are maintained in artificial systems; tanks and ponds meant to replicate their “wild” environment, and require regular water changes to keep their environment healthy. In a “wild” environment, water flushes into and out of a system through streams, rivers, brooks, rain or the ocean. In an artificial tank or pond, …
One of the most important factors that comes into keeping fish in tanks or ponds is how many fish you can get away with keeping in one system. The tried and true rule of how many fish per gallon is: 1″ of fish per gallon of water. Well, that’s great and all, but have you …
** This post contains affiliate links that give us a small percentage of your purchase for our recomendations. ** If you have any experience with keeping koi in large outdoor ponds, you’ve had some experience with algae. Controlling it is not always an easy task. Throughout your struggles, you’ve probably heard something about barley for …
Want to learn the secrets to a healthy fish tank? Proper fish tank or pond maintenance takes patience to learn but is easy to master. Once you find a routine that works for you, your water will always be perfect and your fish will thank you for it. Not to mention all the money you’ll …
In every veterinarian’s career, there will come cases that try us mentally, physically and emotionally. For us here at Aquatic Veterinary Services, we have been tested by a case that we battled for almost 6 months. What started as a simple lesion steamrolled into a serious bacteria problem for multiple large koi. Princess, a 28″ …