What You Need To Know About Koi Ownership

Keeping koi fish is definitely not a hobby that can be had cheaply. Koi fish themselves are expensive, especially rare breeds or, needless to say, prize winning fish from breeding competitions. But not only are the fish themselves expensive, the cost of keeping them is also high. There is a lot more to koi ownership than just feeding the fish! Read on for more information about Koi ownership and what are the various factors that cause it to be so expensive.

A Long Term Commitment

Making the decision to keep koi should not come lightly. That is because koi fish can live for 30 years and more. Hence, you have to make this decision with the knowledge that you would be able to financially support taking care of your koi for a majority of your life, or pass it on to your family members later on. Having koi fish is like having a pet, but due to their lifespan being two to three times as long as that of cats or dogs, be prepared to commit to your koi for a long time. Hence, if you are unsure that you would be staying in one place for so many years, you are not a landowner, or you are unable to commit the time, it would be advisable to think twice about keeping koi.

Expensive Homes

Koi are sometimes dubbed as “living jewels”, as they are extremely beautiful to the eye, and precious in value as well. But with high value comes high costs. Koi have complex needs, and you must be prepared to meet their needs before you can say you want to keep your own koi. The most expensive thing they need upfront is: space. A koi pond cannot be tiny; it would have to be at least 4,000 litres in volume, around 1 gallon of water. This means your pond would be around 7.5 metres long by 4 metres wide. Imagine where that would have to be built on your land. Hiring a contractor to create a pond of this size is also not cheap, and can set you back more than $20,000 just for the pond itself with fibreglass walls, heaters, and filters installed. You may choose to have an unheated pond as well but the costs would still be high regardless.

High Maintenance Pets

Koi fish actually need to be fed often and regularly, often with supplements to ensure their coloring and maintain their health. Their water needs to be in pristine condition, which requires automatic filtration and aeration systems. There are also supplements to be added to the water to counter bacteria or diseases. Not to mention your water bills and electricity bills will rise to maintain your pond and its filters. Furthermore, when you are away or go on vacation, you need someone to feed and take care of your koi in your absence. If you are unable to find a solution for that, it may not be possible to take trips away from home, or to handle emergencies that may arise that take you away from home for a full day or more