As a Koi pond owner, your priority should be to keep your pond in good condition. Keep in mind that prevention is always better than cure: so once your pond starts to have some problems, it will really take more money and time on your part to fix these.

Don't overfeed:

Overfeeding can damage your water quality. Your pets would not nearly eat the amount of food that they do in a controlled environment. Feeding them with too much food will promote larger amount of wastes in your pond. You should vacuum the bottom out very well, and ensure that the drainage systems are clear and properly working.

Keeping the water's quality:

Your pond needs filter. There are two kinds of filtration system. The mechanical filtration is the one that relieves the pond of dead algae, wastes and insects (this is important to sustain the size of your pond and the size and number of your pets). The biological filtration is the one that provides the nitrogen cycle, removing dissolved wastes from your pond (without this, ammonia will build up which is very devastating to your fish).

Keep your pond clean so that your fish will live a beautiful and stress-free life. The water in your pond is where they will feed and sleep, that's why it's very important to keep it as clean as possible. The water of your pond should be almost completely clear. There should be no debris, and your fish should appear like they're floating in the air. Also, you should be able to see clearly the bottom of your pond.

Keeping supplies ready:

There are a lot of supplies that you need to properly maintain your pond, and many of these items are very necessary. You should know the function of each item to understand why they're needed. There are also items that you need to have on hand all the time. You should expect emergency situations to happen as your pond is located in the outdoor. We all know that nature itself is at times unpredictable, so don't get caught in a situation where an item is needed and you have no access to get it!

Preventing those common diseases:

If you have a fish that's newly purchased, quarantine them first from your current population. Do this for no less than a timeframe of fifteen days. Knowing that Koi Herpes Virus (KHV) will be activated within temperatures reaching 74 degrees Fahrenheit will let you expose your pet to the right conditions for the disease to reveal itself. Those that live in these conditions for a longer period of time and don't have any of the symptoms will show that they have little chances of contracting the illness.

In quarantining, isolate your fish completely away from the current population that you have. Separate the food, water and tools you use in taking care of your new Koi. Right hand washing procedures should be carefull observed when it comes to in handling both Koi and Koi items used within the same period of time. Quarantining will surely reduce the chances of exposing your fish to different kinds of diseases and viruses.