Keeping koi fish can provide you with a purpose and have pets that can live for many years. Koi fish is also one of the most beautiful and sought-after pet fish globally. Be that as it may, there are many things to consider when deciding on making a koi pond, including the cost of the pond itself. So, is a koi pond worth it?
Koi ponds can be considered worth it when weighing the pros and cons against each other. The pros of having a koi pond include adding value to your property and adding to the lifespan of your fish. The cons of a koi pond include the cost of maintenance and fish food for the koi.
When determining whether a koi pond is worth it for you personally, there are certain aspects you will need to consider, such as the positive and negative factors of keeping these beautiful fish as pets. It is crucial to research this subject to avoid wasting money or raising unhappy fish.
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What Are The Benefits Of Having A Koi Pond?
There are many benefits to maintaining and owning a koi pond. The benefits come in two main categories, benefits to the owner and the fish. Splitting up the benefits is the easiest way to have an in-depth look and make these aspects easier to weigh up when making decisions.
Benefits To The Owner:
There are quite a few benefits to keeping koi fish and having a koi pond. The benefits to the koi pond owner include stress reduction and a positive effect on health and possibly adding value and ambiance to your property.
One of the most significant benefits of having a koi pond, especially part of a water feature in your garden, is the benefit of better health. Some people say that keeping a koi pond can help reduce stress and keep you active and driven. Both admiring and working on a koi pond can be fulfilling in their ways and help you stay driven and reduce stress levels.
Another benefit to consider is the added value to your property. Since koi ponds are sought-after and can cost you quite a bit of money to make and maintain, they can help you easily sell your property for a better price to the right people. Though the addition of a koi pond or water feature might not be appealing to all people, some would even pay more.
Along with the benefits mentioned above of having a koi pond, the owner can also draw benefits simply from the aesthetic appeal. If you build a koi pond with a good-looking water feature like a waterfall or fountain, you can also reap the rewards of aesthetic appeal. Aesthetic appeal can be used to fuel conversation or just improve your quality of life and happiness.
Benefits To The Koi
Naturally, the koi you keep will also benefit from having a koi pond. Some of these benefits can improve the fish’s quality of life and help you keep your koi happy as well as healthy.
One of the most significant and pressing reasons you should keep your koi in a pond instead of a tank is to allow your koi area to grow and swim. If you care for your koi, you will always want them to be the happiest and healthiest fish, and the best way to do that is to allow them space to swim and grow to full size.
Keeping your koi fish in tanks can limit the size of your fish and give them less space to swim around, inhibiting their freedom. Koi that are kept in tanks are also more prone to an early death.
Another reason to keep your koi in a pond rather than a tank is to allow them to have companions and extend their life expectancy. Allowing your koi to live in a group rather than alone will considerably make them happier and extend their lives. Koi are found naturally in groups, and experts believe that living in groups allows them to grow as old as sixty.
There is also another benefit to having a koi pond, though it might not appeal to all owners. The space provided in a pond allows your koi fish to breed when the conditions are optimal. As stated, this might not be appealing to all. However, this benefit to your fish could also benefit your pocket if you want to sell some of your younger koi fish.
How Much Does A Koi Pond Cost?
Though there are plenty of benefits to having a koi pond for both the koi and the owner, there are costs involved in the building and maintaining a koi pond. The amount of money you are willing to spend on your koi pond can drastically influence whether a koi pond is worth it or not.
Building The Pond
When building a koi pond, you will have to invest both time and money into it. Ensuring your koi pond is of high quality is essential in limiting required maintenance in the future.
Depending on the area of your pond and the materials used in the construction, the price can vary significantly. You should expect to pay anywhere between $3,500 to $5,000 for a koi pond with a size of about four by 6 feet. For a larger pond, you can expect to pay anywhere between $35,000 and $50,000 for a pond sized about 26 by 26 feet.
The bigger your koi pond, the more money it will cost to build. That said, you can, of course, create your own pond to cut down on construction costs, but you must use high-quality materials to ensure your fish are safe and minimum maintenance is required.
Buying A Filter And Adding Koi
To ensure your koi are happy and healthy, you will have to use a filter for your pond to keep the water clean and ideal for your fish. If you are buying a filter for your pond, you should probably buy a system that includes both a pump and a filter.
The cost of a filter system for your pond can vary greatly depending on the size of your pond, the size of the pump, and the quality of the product you buy. You could pay between $75 to $400 for a filter and pump system that will keep your fish happy.
Once you have your pump and filter sorted, you will naturally be looking to fill your pond with koi. Being a desirable pet, koi fish can vary in cost depending on the type of koi, the koi’s size, and the colors or quality. You should be ready to pay between $10 and $25 per koi on average.
Maintenance Cost Of A Koi Pond
If you are looking to hire a company to maintain and clean your koi pond, the prices can vary greatly. It is essential to remember that the size of your pond will likely affect the maintenance price, and the amount of work needed may also influence the price. You can pay up to $150 per month for basic maintenance or cleaning.
Price Of Koi Food Per Month
The quantity of food you need for your koi and the cost of koi food will depend on the amount of koi you need to feed. The best way to budget koi food is to calculate the food price per month.
To feed your koi fish, you can pay anywhere between $10 and $390 per month, depending on how much they eat and how many you have. For good quality koi food, you should expect that price.
Other Costs To Consider
There might also be other costs that you will have to consider depending on where you are staying. One of the things that might cost you some extra and may vary depending on your area is a permit to keep koi. The price for a license can also differ for how many fish you have.
Another cost to consider is the price of filling your pond with water. Though the cost of water per gallon is relatively low, filling up a big pond could still cost you a couple of dollars, as the average price of water in the US is around $1,50 per 1000 gallons. Filling your pond will probably not cost you too much if you have a small garden koi pond.
An extra cost that can come with a koi pond is the cost of water plants. Having plants in your koi pond is a necessity, but this is especially true if you live in an area with fish-eating predators. Koi tend to hide under floating plants for protection from predators, and if you are looking to keep your koi safe, this is an extra cost that you should always keep in mind.
How Big Should A Koi Pond Be?
Since the size of your koi pond will determine much of the price for building and maintaining it, knowing how big it should be is something to keep in mind when discussing whether it is worth it or not. The size of pond you need in relation to how many fish you can have might also influence your decision, especially if you only have a limited amount of space to build.
There are some general tips and rules for keeping koi that would prove helpful in determining the size of your koi pond. Some of these rules include the rule that you need at least 10 gallons of water per inch of fish in the water. This tip is just a basic guideline and is more useful when you have small koi.
It is said that the minimum area you will need to have for a proper koi pond is at least six by 8 feet and has a minimum depth of three feet. This area, when dug out, should be enough space to hold around 1000 gallons of water.
If you are looking for a small koi pond with around five medium-sized koi, the space mentioned above should be enough. However, extending this area with at least half of its size is recommended if you want to keep big koi. The amount of space needed allows the koi to grow, stay healthy, and allow your koi enough room to swim freely.
Other Things To Consider
When you decide to buy koi for your pond, the seller and the fish themselves are the most important things to look at. You do not want to add contaminated koi to your other koi, nor do you want to buy koi that will die soon.
Koi fish, like other animals, can become infected or diseased, and it is essential to know this and keep an eye on your koi to make sure they are healthy. Before purchasing koi, it is best to make sure that you are buying from a reputable source, and it is also recommended that you look at the koi to see if they are active and their colors are bright.
You should also consider the possible cost of treating sick or infected koi if you want to make a koi pond. It is good to ask experts in your area about different diseases found in koi and possible treatments and their cost.
Some infections in koi may be easy to treat, such as Ich which is caused by a parasite. Ich requires the koi to be isolated and increase the water’s salt levels. Other infections might be harder to treat or may take longer, and some illnesses even need your koi to get injections to treat them.
Along with knowing and planning for possible infections or diseases, you must also prepare for the possibility of losing koi in your pond. If you cannot provide a suitable habitat or in the case of certain sicknesses, your koi might die and have to be replaced.
Conclusion
When looking at all the aspects mentioned above, it should be easy enough to see whether a koi pond is worth it or not. Some people claim that the added happiness and lower stress levels are worth the effort and money spent on the koi. For others, the price tag to make a proper koi pond is too much. Either way, whether a koi pond is worth it or not is up to you.
