Introducing New Koi To Your Pond

There’s nothing quite as exciting as getting a new koi. While it is always tempting to quickly introduce your new addition to your pond, it’s vital that you follow the appropriate quarantine procedures to help make the transition as smooth as possible for your new koi and your existing pond population.

Setting Up Your Quarantine Tank

Before bringing your new koi home, you’ll need to set up a quarantine tank. Quarantining gives your koi a chance to adapt to its new environment and allows its immune system to recover from the stress of transportation. Plus, quarantine gives you a chance to monitor your koi for any signs of illness.

For your quarantine setup, you’ll need:

1. A 100-500 gallon tank
2. Net cover for the tank
3. A small pump and filter
4. Salt
5. Pond thermometer
6. Water test kit

Good water quality is essential to creating a stress-free environment for your new koi, so you need to make sure your quarantine tank has great circulation and an established biological filter. It takes about a month for a biological filter to begin working effectively, so the sooner you can set up your quarantine tank, the better.

Acclimating Your Koi

1. Float the oxygenated bag with your koi on the surface water of your quarantine tank for 20-30 minutes. If the bag will be in direct sunlight, cover it with a damp towel.
2. Net the koi out of the bag and release into the quarantine tank. Avoid getting any water from the bag into the tank, as this can throw off the water chemistry.
3. Cover tank with net immediately. Koi can be jumpy when they’re stressed, and the net will ensure that your fish stays safely in the tank.

Quarantining Your Koi

It’s vital to quarantine new additions for a minimum of 14 days to keep your new koi and your existing pond population healthy. Note that it’s normal for koi to appear a bit inactive the first few days of quarantine as they get acclimated to the new environment.

Quarantine Protocol

• Closely monitor your new koi daily for any signs of illness or disease. If any issues arise, treat accordingly.
• Add 1-2 koi from your pond to the quarantine tank to help your new koi adjust to the natural flora and fauna of your pond. These canary koi can also help you detect any health issues.
• If your quarantine tank does not have a filtration system, perform partial water changes every 2-3 days.
• Feed your koi a small amount of high-quality, easily digestible food daily beginning on day 3 of quarantine.
• Check water parameters and temperature daily. Add salt as necessary to maintain 0.3% salinity.
• Keep the tank covered with net at all times.

If there have been no signs of disease or illness, your new koi can be added to your pond at the end of the quarantine period.

Introducing Koi To Your Pond

To move your koi from the quarantine tank to your pond:

1. Net your koi and put it in a polyethylene fish bag with water from the quarantine tank.
2. Float the bag on the surface of the pond for 20+ minutes to acclimate temperature.
3. After 20 minutes, release koi into the pond.