It’s October kids, and we are quickly approaching Halloween 🎃 What a perfect time to discuss the scariest of all fish – The Ghost Koi!
The Ghost koi has gained some popularity in the last few years, but many “Koi people” still do not recognize them as a true koi! – they are refereed to as Ghost carp instead.
The “Ghost Koi” is a product of breeding a mirror carp with a metallic Ogon Koi. For this reason many Koi purists don’t consider them a true “Koi”…
They are a very hardy fish and much less susceptible to diseases than most. They also grow extremely fast! Both of these traits make them a great first Koi!
Ghost Koi don’t have a lot of markings like other Koi so their beauty comes from their shining metallic scales! Their colors can vary from dark to cream to silver and even golden. The head is generally creamy and the body colors will widely vary, depending greatly on the parents color.
I guess what I’m saying is, even though they have a scary name, & the fact that it is almost Halloween – Don’t be wary of the Ghost Koi! They are really pretty cool
It’s October kids, and we are quickly approaching Halloween 🎃 What a perfect time to discuss the scariest of all fish – The Ghost Koi!
The Ghost koi has gained some popularity in the last few years, but many “Koi people” still do not recognize them as a true koi! – they are refereed to as a Ghost carp instead.
The “Ghost Koi” is a product of breeding a mirror carp with a metallic Ogon Koi. For this reason many Koi purists don’t consider them a true “Koi”…
They are a very hardy fish and much less susceptible to diseases than most. They also grow extremely fast! Both of these traits make them a great first Koi!
Ghost Koi don’t have a lot of markings like other Koi so their beauty comes from their shining metallic scales! Their colors can vary from dark to cream to silver and even golden. The head is generally creamy and the body colors will widely vary, depending greatly on the parents color.
I guess what I’m saying is, even though they have a scary name, & the fact that it is almost Halloween – Don’t be wary of the Ghost Koi! They are really pretty cool 😎
We are in the middle of yet another week in our journey towards Spring, and the return to feeding & enjoying our Koi!
Its been COLD this week too… Cold & Wet! I am so ready for a warm up 🌞Here’s a few pics from around the place that I hope will warm your hearts a bit 😊 They do mine!
Question – Do you get “Seasonal Koi Seperation Anxiety”? I do… All Winter without feeding my babies is a test! I still get out to my pond daily mind you! But, no hand feeding, no aquatic plants, no turtles 🐢… It gets… Tough!
Dreams of Late Winter/Early Spring keep me going… That’s when everything starts happening again. The plants are emerging, the water is warming & the Koi’s metabolism is waking up! Early season feeding starts Soon! In the mean time, a little hard work and cleaning are in order to prepare for the coming season! Will you be ready?
This is a true statement!😊 I love my Koi & I’m counting the days till it’s feeding time again!
Christmas has come & gone and now we are about to put a bow on 2018… I’ve had a LOT of fun blogging about Koi this year! Wednesday’s have been all about Koi, and I plan to continue to raise Koi, sell Koi & to keep blogging about Koi in 2019! 😊 I Love ❤️Koi!
Some of my Koi swimming around my Wanvisa Waterlily display at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN
Spring follows Winter and before we know it, the water will warm and our Koi will be active & eating again. I for one am ready! Thank y’all for reading my little blog and for all your comments & feedback this year!
Here’s a little video of my Koi eating at night – I’m ready for Spring already 😊
It’s Wednesday, aka “Hump Day” and as usual the subject is Koi 😊 We were discussing erroneous information & myths about Koi keeping that are out there, so I thought why not make a blog post about it… Here’s a quick “Top 5”…
#1 – You Can’t Be A Koi Keeper & A Water Gardener.
Not true! You can raise healthy koi In your beautiful water garden! The koi can grow up to be just as beautiful and healthy as they are in traditional koi ponds. Proper design is key! You will LOVE how they compliment each other 😊 I have installed Hundreds of beautiful Water Gardens with healthy happy Koi.
Koi and Water Gardens go together like peas and carrots 😊 | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee
#2 – Predators Will Eat All Your Fish.
Again, Proper Design is key! Raccoons generally won’t swim. That’s not to say they never swim, or couldn’t stand on the side of your pond and take a paw swipe or two at your fish… Fortunately, most fish will swim to a deeper, more protected part of the pond when a predator is threatening them. The one predator with legitimate credentials is the blue heron. Plenty of lily pads give them some protection and will work to minimize attracting a heron in the first place. Other protection measures include a motion activated water sprayer called a “Scarecrow” or even better a “Koi-cave” structure that can be built in during the pond’s construction. IF you already have a pond, they can be added with minimum remodeling during a clean out service.
A Blue Heron is a major Predator of our Koi and pond fish! BUT, we can stop them from harming our ‘finned friends’! Tools like a “Scarecrow”, or a fish cave really help! In the Fall a leaf net helps with more than 1 task 😊
#3 – Your Pond Must Be (3) Three Feet Deep to Keep Koi.
There are literally tens of thousands of two-foot deep ponds all around this country, full of happy and healthy koi. The water in a two-foot deep pond will generally only freeze eight inches down in the coldest of climates, because of the insulating qualities of the earth that surrounds the pond – Here in West Tennessee usually not at all. Another Plus – a properly designed 2’ deep pond is easy to get in and out of 😉
#4 – Koi Can’t Be Kept With Plants.
In a naturally balanced ecosystem, koi and plants complement and need one another. In nature, fish feed on plants. As a result, the fish produce waste, which is broken down by aerobic bacteria on the bottom of your pond, which, in turn, is used as fertilizer by the plants to grow and produce more natural fish food. One tip I have learned from experience- start with small Koi, they will grow up with the plants and won’t bother them at all – like in nature.
This is one of my Display Water Gardens at Carters Nursery Pond & Patio – The Aquatic Plants & Koi have been doing great here for almost 30 years!
#5 – If You Forget To Feed Your Koi They Will All Die.
Totally False! In a properly designed & stocked pond, the ecological balance will amaze you! Crystal clear water, thriving aquatic plants & a healthy eco-system are your reward! We all Love to feed our babies, but if you miss a few days they will get busy doing some “pond keeping” of their own! 😊 They will ‘Thrive’, not simply survive! The key is to “Stay in Balance”!
It’s Wednesday, AKA: Hump Day! The day of the week that I like to blog about Koi. I have spent a lot of time lately blogging about Koi colors & markings and different varieties, etc… Today how about some fun facts… –
Some of my Koi. The Big Sanke in the middle of the pack – right below the Koi with the yellow ‘Ki’ head) is named Jaws 🙂 I got him when he was 15 years old. He lived another 15 years in my Pond and died at the age of 30 or so. A Koi breeder told me thats probably a good average age for a domestic Koi in a backyard Water Garden. | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN
10 Cool Koi Facts –
1- Did you know that Koi and Goldfish aren’t the same species? Koi are descendants of common Carp and weren’t selectively bred until the 1800’s.
2- Goldfish were bred for their beauty and were prized by collectors 100’s of years before Koi were developed.
3- Koi were originally used as a food source. They were originally brought to Japan for this sole purpose.
4- Koi get MUCH larger than Goldfish! The largest measured/recorded Koi was 4 feet in length & weighed over 90 pounds! WOW!
WOW! This is a HUGE Koi! Koi can grow up to 48″ in length and weigh over 50+ pounds…
5- Koi can live a LONG time! The oldest recorded Koi was named ‘Hanako’, (pronounced han-nah-koh) which means ‘Flower Maid’ in Japanese. Hanako lived to be 226 years old! WOW!
6- The aquatic plants in your Koi Pond not only look beautiful and provide natural habitat, they help provide much needed SHADE! Koi sunburn badly!
7- Koi LOVE different foods! Try feeding them lettuce, peas, watermelon and oranges!
It’s time to feed the fish 🙂 Try something different. Koi LOVE fresh fruit and veggies too!
8- We love them for their bright,beautiful colors, but, their colors make them a target for predators like Herons and other birds of prey. Install a ‘Fish Cave’ to give them a place to hide from danger.
9- One female Koi can lay as many as 50,000 eggs during a breeding season! Up to 50% can hatch… WOW! That’s a LOT of babies!
10- Koi are intelligent and trainable! You can easily train your koi to eat from your hand and to ring a bell for a treat! Prety Cool!
I LOVE learning more about my finned friends and I hope you do too!
Carter's Water Garden 