Your Koi fish pond and Summer Maintenance
iconicon Summer is a time of increased activity for your Koi fish, and summer maintenance for your pond becomes increasingly important as water temperatures begin to rise.  Water levels need to be checked and maintained, algae needs to be removed, and water quality needs to be checked on a regular basis.  Maintaining your summer pond may seem like a real chore, but you will be rewarded with a clean and healthy environment!   Your Koi fish should be fed high-protein foods.  You can give them chopped worms and daphnia (water fleas). 

As the summer progresses and your Koi pond's temperature begins to increase, it is a good idea to run your pumps continuously.  During this time algae blooms will be flourishing and multiplying so your summer maintenance chores will require that you inspect and clean your iconicon pumps at least weekly or as often as necessary.  Oxygen levels begin to drop as the water temperature increases, especially at night or during a thunderstorm.  With Koi, it is especially helpful to invest in a kit that tests for dissolved oxygen.  If you see blackened water, observe a foul smell, or see your Koi fish gasping at the water's surface, these are all signs of a low oxygen level.  You can test for dissolved oxygen using the tester shown at right.  Before I purchased an aerator for my Koi pond, I used a garden hose with a spray for emergency aeration.

As part of your summer maintenance, when the the weather becomes hotter, water additions will need to periodically be made, especially during mid and late summer as evaporation occurs.   If you want to maintain the water level in your pond,  you will need to add water every iconicon day or two.  Remember, it is best to add a little bit of water each day, rather than all at once.   You can use this automatic pond-fil float which automatically fills your pond to its proper level with purified water.  Otherwise,  if you are using tap water, it will need to be dechlorinated.  If you want to go to the trouble of collecting rain water, you can use that to top off your Koi pond.   Just make sure to check the PH level because rain water can be highly acidic.
Each day during the summer spend a few minutes snipping off faded blossoms and keeping your plants such as water lilies and lotus trimmed.  Maintenance chores such as these can be relaxing and will give you some additional tranquil moments to enjoy your Koi fish pond.  While you are performing your summer maintenance duties, you may notice insects on your plants, but avoid the use of insecticides in or near your  pond.  You can hand pick the larger ones from your plants.  Smaller insects like aphids can be sprayed with a garden hose or periodically wiped off with a damp cloth.

Also with summer heat comes a greater incidence of diseases with your Koi.  Maintaining a disease free environment is crucial to the health of your Koi fish.  Since disease can be caused by parasites, fungi, or bacteria and chances for these to attack your Koi will increase with poor summer water maintenance habits.  Be sure to check your Koi on a regular basis for any signs of illness during summer months.   Move any diseased Koi fish immediately to an aquarium and them treat them appropriately with the proper fish medicine.  I will go into different types of disease and what to look for in your Koi in another section.   I have a calendar checklist that I use to perform the necessary maintenance tasks for my Koi pond over the summer,  including looking at my Koi for disease.  You can try this if you think it might be helpful in keeping your Koi fish healthy.