Posts Tagged Koi

Toxic Plants

versatile plants

We’ve talked about edible pond plants and versatile pond plants that can be used in both the pond and landscape, but did you know that many common garden and water garden plants are toxic?  Some of these commonly used toxic plants can be harmful to our pets as well as to humans. House plants can also be dangerous. Toxic plants that

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Koi Varieties part III

koi pond

Choosing only three Koi varieties for the last in our series on Koi proved to be a bit difficult. After all, there are hundreds to choose from. Here are three classes that include many sub varieties. Koromo Koromo, which means “robed” in Japanese, is a group of fish that originated in the early 1950s from a cross breeding of male

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Koi Varieties part II

Utsuri

In the last blog post we discussed the most popular and readily available “big three” Koi varieties the Kohaku, Sanke and Showa. This time I would like to introduce you to three of my favorite varieties, The Shiro Utsuri, Shusui and Doitsu. Each of these Koi varieties has characteristics that are quite different from each other which make them stand

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The Big Three Koi Varieties

feeding frenzy

There is nothing more peaceful than watching beautiful Koi, the living jewels of the pond, gracefully swimming through the water. It is hard to believe that the Koi of today all started hundreds of years ago in Japan from the common black carp (Cyprinus carpio). Through years of breeding, there are now hundreds of classes, varieties & sub-varieties of Koi.

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Fall / Winter Pond Checklist

leaves on pebbles

Our fall pond checklist includes some helpful tips to get your pond and Koi ready for cooler weather. Switch from a high protein food to a lower protein food & feed less often.  Add additional submerged plants to give the fish a place to graze naturally. Add some cool weather plants to replace the more cold sensitive plants. Keep your

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Goldfish…the other pond fish

goldfish

Most people when considering fish for their pond think of Koi, but the Goldfish, a distant cousin to the Koi, are also popular fish for ponds. Goldfish are a smaller, inexpensive alternative to Koi and are safely kept in a pond with Koi, Orfe and Plecostomus (algae eaters). They are social and enjoy living in groups. Like Koi, Goldfish are

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Garden Like an Egyptian, the History of Water Gardens

koi pond

Most people, when looking for inspiration for their water garden, think of Koi and Japanese Gardens. You may be surprised to find that the Japanese were not the first culture to keep water in their garden. In fact there are many very diverse cultures that influence today’s water gardens. Diving into the history of water gardens, the earliest depiction of

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