Koi are one of the best known fish in the world. They were bred from carp in Asia, and from those carp, also came golfish, and other species of domestic carp we know today. Thay are not suited to the common aquaium, and best kept in ponds. They are long lived, and very hardy.

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Tank Size~

Do to the large size of the Koi, and the fact that they seem to enjoy the company of other Koi, a pond of 1,000+ gallons is recomended to keep several of these fish. I do, however, feel that if you were to keep 3 or so of them, you could get away with a pond of a few hundred gallons. Koi can grow 2+ feet long, and are not suited for very many commercially sold aquariums. If you were to keep them in an aquarium, it would be either as a temperary home, with lots of water changes and plenty of space and room to turn around, or in a very large, custom made aquarium.


Feeding~

It is recomended to feed your Koi 3-5 times a day. The large amount of food helps them grow faster, thus making them them less suseptable to preditors, and over all more healthy. Koi eat a variety of foods, so for times sake, I will post a link to web site I am getting most of my information from. Remember not over feed your fish, as any uneaten food can cause water conditions to go down hill fast.


Tank Mates~

Well, in this case, pond mates. As always, a good rule to go by, fish will eat it if it fits in their mouths. They dont care what it is (most of the time). So I would say you best bet would be to stick with other Koi and perhaps Commom or Commet Goldfish of simular size.


Decor~

Koi are terrors to plant roots, so if you up to the challange of keeping live plants with them, put large heavy rocks around the base of the plants to keep the Koi from up-rooting them. Othen then that, I wouldnt do much to the pond. Lilly pads are often present in Koi ponds and seem to do well. Get hardy plants and take the proper measures to keep them from getting destroyed.


Other info~

Koi do not eat in the winter. Instead, the hybernate, or as close to hyberante as a fish can. It is very important that you do not feed the fish if they are inactive, as it will only cause poor water conditions. Do not let the pond freeze over. Alot of people will float a basket ball in the pond and punch it out after the pond freezes. The allows the water to stay oxygenated.


http://www.nishikigoi-info.com/koi-care.html

Here is the web site I got most of the info from. There is alot of info on this site, but you will need to do a bit more research to get everything you need to know.