Sunday, April 28, 2013

How to Keep Outdoor Fish Happy and Healthy





Summer is right around the corner, and it’s time to begin thinking about those
beautiful, lazy summer evenings where you can relax in your backyard. This year,
it’s time to build that outdoor pond or re-fill your existing one with beautiful fish.
But don’t act too quickly -- like any other living thing, fish need your care to ensure
they’re safe, healthy, and actually able to beautify your pond. There’s a lot of work
involved, but once you’re done your pond will look miraculous.




pond image from Fotolia 



Supplies You’ll Need

Be sure to purchase koi pond filters, which are extremely important to support the
health of your fish. The filters keep water moving, so it doesn’t become stagnant and
the filter cleans out toxins from the water, which are harmful to your fish. The more
fish you have, the more important it is to have a filter to keep your fish clean and
healthy.

Filters also help with keeping the water looking clean, which will keep your pond
beautiful and display-worthy in your backyard. They are relatively inexpensive but
will add longevity to the water and the fish in your pond. Because they keep the
water moving, they add a nice appearance to the pond as well, instead of stagnant
water just sitting there, the movement is quite nice to watch on a summer evening.

Protecting Your Fish

As you might imagine, it’s difficult to ensure that your fish stay safe from outdoor
predators, such as neighborhood cats. At times you are not home or at night,
consider purchasing a heavy-duty netting to lie over the pond, so if a wayward
neighborhood cat gets into your yard, your fish will be protected. In the colder
months, you’ll want to transport them to a safe area, such as a bathtub or a kiddie
pool in a warmer room. Be sure to transport some of their habitat water with them
-- transporting them into clean, fresh water is harmful to their health, because the
change in what they’re used to can be too drastic and make them sick.

Feeding Your Fish

Be sure to purchase food that’s appropriate for the kind of fish you have, and while
kids and adults alike may want to drop a lot of bread and other food into the pond
to watch the fish eat, discourage excessive feeding like this. Keep your fish on a
healthy diet to improve their lifespan. Discouraging other types of feeding will also
help keep the water cleaner.

Paige One enjoys writing about interior design topics, including outdoor decoration
ideas!

Disclaimer: the above is a featured guest post.


5 comments:

  1. OH gosh, I never thought about cats eating the fish. Yikes!

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  2. Wow, you always have some interesting posts! We have a lot of outdoor space and I think this will be a good project. My husband and I totally want a koi pond.

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  3. You know, we have a stray cat in the neighborhood and it never would have occurred to me that she would eat the fish.

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  4. This would be such a great project! When I was growing up we had a outdoor fish pond. We have 4 very resourceful cats though...could be a problem!

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  5. The outdoor ponds are so nice! I don't think it would be a good idea for our backyard with the critters in the woods though.
    Thanks for the interesting post. :)

    Deborah

    ReplyDelete