Are Koi wusses? Pt. II-General Parameters

Koi (Cyprinus carpio) are probably one of the world's most adaptable specie of fish. Originating in the Caspian, Black and Aral Seas where they mostly inhabited the river deltas, such as the Danube, they developed the physiology to thrive in eutrophic (characterized by an abundant accumulation of nutrients that support a dense growth of algae and other organisms, the decay of which depletes the shallow waters of oxygen in summer) waters. These are waters that are heavy in phosphates and nitrates which promote abundant plant growth and which also support a very diverse and complex Food Web. These conditions are, in part,  duplicated in the mud ponds used by Koi breeders.

These conditions, however, are not desirable in a Water Feature that is part of one's personal landscape.The fantastic, and sometimes dazzling, coloration of Koi can only be fully appreciated in waters that are clear. Water clarity, or lack of, does not appear to have any physiological effect on Carp There are, however, other chemical water quality parameters that DO

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Any Pondkeeper knows, or certainly should know, that chemical factors such as pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Dissolved Oxygen along with Alkalinity, Hardness, Phosphate, Salinity and Temperature can affect the health and longevity of every aquatic organism, including fish. But what are the desired quantitative levels of these various factors? Well......It seems that there is a wide range of recommendations as evident in the chart below. This chart shows suggested levels from retailers, breeders, organizations and governmental agencies.

Parameter	Source a	Source B	Source C	Source D	Source E
pH	6.5 – 9.0	7.2 – 7.8	7.5 – 8.5	6.0 – 8.0	7.0 – 8.0
Ammonia	<.1 ppm	N/A	0	0 - .08 mg/l	0 - .01 mg/l unionized
Nitrite	< .2 ppm	0.0-.3 ppm	0 – .4 ppm	0 - .06 mg/l	0 - .01 mg/l
Nitrate	< 50 ppm	< 80 ppm	0 – 200 ppm	N/A	9 – 20 mg/l
Dissolved Oxygen	> 5.0 mg/l	N/A	9 mg/l @ 50F	4 – 10 mg/l	8 – 12 mg/l
Temperature	N/A	N/A	79F – 81F	65F – 75F	65F – 77F
Alkalinity	50 -170 ppm	N/A	120 – 180 ppm	50 – 350 mg/l	100 – 250 mg/l

As can be seen, the range of recommendations is quite varied and large

This chart, at first glance, is confusing. Who's recommendation is correct?

Well, in actuality, as relates to Carp, they all are! This attests to the adaptability of Carp.

In successive posts, we will take a closer look at each of these chemical factors.  Next up: Temperature.

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