Koi are famous for their long life span, which is one of the reasons why you may be thinking about adding them to your water garden, large aquarium, or pond. However, although they could live extremely long, you must guarantee that you create the best environment for them, especially since this can help them live even longer.
Because of this, you might be wondering how long do koi fish live, as well as what you can do to increase their lifespan. Fortunately for all people that are wondering the same thing, our 2024 guide below can help! Here are the top things you must know and do if you’re planning on keeping koi fish:
What is Their Lifespan?
If you’ve never had this type of fish before, you must know that they live extremely long, especially since they’re resistant to a wide array of situations and illnesses. Because of this, the average lifespan of this particular fish species is somewhere between twenty to thirty years. However, you should keep in mind that their lifespan will heavily depend on how you choose to keep them, meaning that you must understand how to tend to them properly.
When you set suitable conditions for them, you’ll be capable of keeping them fit and healthy, thus, you can also assure that they live longer. When they aren’t kept in the right living situations, they won’t live as long as they can, hence, even if you’re a beginner at keeping koi, you should learn which factors can influence their lifespan. Also, if they are held in poor conditions, they won’t be capable of reaching ten years of age.
Additionally, the maximum lifespan will rely on the sort of fish you opt for keeping. For instance, Koroma, butterfly, and Kohaku species can live from 25 to 30 years, while Pancho and Taisho koi generally live up to twenty to 28 years. So, if you want your fish to live as long as possible, you should also consider the type you’ll purchase. So, what can you do to ensure that your fish live as long as they can?
There Are Several Aspects That’ll Influence Their Longervity
Since you now know that koi could live up to thirty years, you should also know that there is a wide array of factors that can either cut that time short or prolong it. Because of this, some of the most important things that you could do and ensure if you’re planning on owning koi are the following:
1. They Must Have a Large Aquarium or Pond
One of the first and perhaps, the most important thing that you could do is to ensure that the fish have enough space for swimming, which implies that the bigger the pond or aquarium is, the more suitable it is for them. Generally, they shouldn’t have less than 400 gallons of liquid, which can house them for as long as they live, and this can also be beneficial for you if you’re planning on keeping an entire group of them.
Also, a larger body of water will assure that there are fewer toxic build-ups, mostly because the water will dilute it. By choosing a smaller aquarium or pond, the fish will most likely feel completely anxious, which is something that can lead to their immunity going down, thus, they could end up getting sick and dying. So, before you even think about purchasing the fish, ensure that you have sufficient space for them.
2. The Food You Provide Them With
According to the experts, BKTfish that specialize in selling exotic fish, ensuring that your koi get the proper nutrition is critical to their longevity. Hence, you might want to feed them a diet that features high-quality pellets, but you should also provide them with live food such as a wide array of insects, various worms, and of course, larvae. Doing this will make sure that they’re healthy, thus, they’ll have a longer lifespan.
3. The Quality of Water
Another thing that could influence how long they’ll live in is the quality of water. And, because of this, you should completely cycle the aquarium, pool, or pond before placing them inside of it. Besides this, you should install two to four filters that’ll guarantee that there are beneficial bacteria in the water, but more importantly, that’ll ensure that the ammonia and nitrate levels are low. Maintaining the body of water is crucial, thus, learn what you need to do before getting the fish.
4. Oxygen is The Key
All fish require oxygen to live, and adding the aforementioned filters that produce larger bubbles will help increase the oxygen in the pond. If you want to, you could also opt for installing small waterfalls that’ll move the surface, thus, more oxygen will enter the water. If you don’t make sure that there is enough oxygen, the fish will most likely suffocate and get ill – which is something that you’ll want to avoid.
5. They Must Be Protected From The Cold
Last on our list of tips, but as important as everything else we’ve mentioned is the fact that you must ensure that you know how to go through the wintering stage. What does this mean? Well, if you don’t know how to provide them with suitable conditions during winter, they might end up dying or never getting to be old. Because of this, you should install a 200W heating device on one of the sides of the pool, pond, or aquarium since this will help them keep warm.
Conclusion
If you’re thinking about purchasing koi fish for your pond or large aquarium, there are some things that you must do in order to ensure that they live longer. By following the tips we’ve mentioned above, you’ll make sure that your fish are healthy, and in return, this will guarantee that they live longer.
Since you now know what you must-do if you’re planning on keeping this type of fish, you shouldn’t spend your free time reading articles similar to this one. Instead, you should start preparing the area where the koi will be placed and from there, start looking for a company that’ll sell you the fish you want to have.
