Most species of domestic pet fish aren’t intelligent or complex creatures, by any means.
However, koi fish have been known to display a surprising degree of intellect and emotional complexity. They can form genuine attachments and have a wide range of emotions.
If your koi fish seem to be depressed, or are behaving oddly, there’s probably a valid reason that needs to be addressed.
Making sure that your pond and koi fish are properly taken care of is crucial for your pets’ happiness.
Koi Are More Intelligent than You Think
Koi fish can even get bored, or lonely. That is why expert koi fish keepers always recommend keeping several koi fish together in a pond, rather than just one.
As you spend time bonding with your pet koi fish, you’ll start to notice that each one has a unique personality, often based on its variant.
For example, some koi variants are easier to train than others.
Some are known to take care of others in their pond, making sure to feed others before they feed themselves.
You might not think the emotional development of pet fish matters, but it does.
Build a relationship with your koi such that your constant, timely, and predictable interactions earn their trust. They become open and responsive as they feel secure and get to know you better.
Koi Fish Are Happier in Groups
Pay attention to each koi’s behavior. Look at the differences in how they express themselves.
You’ll notice that each one reacts a little differently to being approached, being fed, or to noises.
It’s equally important to understand how your fish interact with each other. You might think that if you only get one koi fish, you’ll be able to spend more time and energy taking care of it, and give it more attention.
However, expert koi fish keepers still recommend keeping several koi fish, rather than just one.
Even if you are taking good care of your single koi fish, it’ll never get the chance to display the naturalistic behaviors you’ll see from koi fish cohabiting in a pond together.
Koi Fish Can Even Get Lonely in Groups
Compared to other fish, koi enjoy human interaction, and may even actively seek it out.
They are curious creatures by nature, and it’s important to foster that curiosity. Even in groups, your koi fish can still get bored if you don’t provide them with enough stimuli.
Did you know your koi fish can learn tricks? It may sound hard to believe, but it’s true.
How To Train Your Koi Fish
There are several tasks and tricks you can train your koi fish to perform if you’re willing to invest the time and effort it will take to foster their innate intelligence.
Not only will teaching your koi fish these tricks allow you to bond with them, but it’ll also give them the stimulus needed to not get bored.
Let’s look at a few tricks you can start teaching your koi today.
Approaching You
When training koi, it’s important to establish a sense of routine. As creatures of habit, koi fish derive a sense of comfort from a routine.
Start feeding them every day from the same position of their pond, at the same time every day.
Doing so will help your koi fish to learn when it is time to be fed.
As you repeat this same routine every day, they will eventually learn to swim up to you of their own volition, every time you approach their pond.
Eating Out of Your Hand
After you’ve established a feeding routine with your koi, the next step is to train them to eat the food right out of the palm of your hand.
Start by putting small amounts of food into your palm and bringing it close to the water.
Patience is key here; you want to keep your hand perfectly still while waiting for your koi fish to approach you.
Be careful not to make any sudden movements, to not agitate them.
As previously mentioned, certain variants of koi are more likely to eat out of your hand than others.
However, as your koi see the others eating out of your hand, the rest will eventually follow suit as well.
Jumping Out of The Water
One of the most exciting tricks you can teach your koi fish is to jump out of the water to accept food from you.
Once your koi fish have learned to eat food out of the palm of your hand, you can gradually begin bringing your hand back, away from the water.
This will encourage them to come forward to take food from you.
If you’re patient enough and train them properly, your koi fish will eventually learn to jump up out of the water to take food from your hand.
Koi fish look graceful and spectacular as they leap out of the water. Not to mention, this also provides them with mental stimulation and physical exercise.
Keep in mind though, teaching your koi fish such tricks is best left to more experienced koi fish keepers.
After they’ve learned to jump out of the water, your koi fish may continue to do so even when you’re not around.
If they accidentally land out of the water, they may struggle to get back into their pond and die.
If your koi are doing this, you may want to consider installing a barrier around the edge of your koi’s pond.
How To Keep Your Koi Fish Happy
To keep your koi fish happy, you have to provide them with superior filtration systems that keep the water clear and oxygenated.
Healthy water is important for the growth and overall well-being of your koi fish.
Although koi fish are social beings, their main desires are to live in clear water and eat healthy food.
Providing your koi fish with a clean environment won’t just keep them from getting bored, it will also ensure that they live longer, healthier lives.
Your koi pond should have enough features for your koi fish to interact with. It’s not enough to simply provide them with a large body of water.
You must also ensure that they have plants, fountains, waterfalls, bubbles, and other such features with which to entertain themselves.
How To Understand the Behavior of Your Koi Fish
To understand how your koi fish are feeling, you need to pay close attention to their behavior.
However, you also need to have a keen understanding of what it is you’re looking for in the first place.
Here are a few key behaviors you should learn to look for in your koi fish.
Fear
Do you have a koi that was once sociable and friendly, but has recently become nervous and skittish?
Something may have frightened your koi. When you aren’t looking, predators such as birds or cats may be harassing your fish.
You should consider installing a camera near your koi pond, so you can observe what’s happening around your fish, even when you aren’t around.
Even if such predators don’t physically harm your fish, you should still prevent such instances, for the sake of their emotional well-being.
Depression
Contrary to what many people may think, koi fish can even get depressed.
If one of your koi fish is swimming slowly, or acting lethargic, this may be a sign that they are depressed.
In this case, your koi fish may need a change of environment; one with more sunlight and cleaner water.
When placed in an environment in which they can thrive, koi fish tend to be happy and energetic creatures.
Stress
Several factors can lead your koi to become stressed, from water levels being either too high or too low, to chemical imbalances in your koi’s ecosystem.
Telltale signs of stress amongst your koi include a loss of appetite, staying at the bottom of their pond, or damaged scales.
It’s important to regularly correct water levels, and keep the chemical balance of your fish’s pond at optimal levels.
Also read: How to Tell if Your Aquarium Fish Are Stressed?
Sickness
There are several sicknesses your koi fish can suffer from, and some are even contagious.
If one guy is acting sluggish or seems to be swimming in an uncoordinated manner, you should immediately isolate them from the rest of the fish.
If you can’t diagnose them yourself, take your koi to a vet to get them the treatment they need.
Lack of Oxygen
Your pond needs to be properly oxygenated so your koi fish can breathe properly.
If you notice your koi fish gasping for air, or jumping out of the water more often, this could be a sign that your koi aren’t getting enough oxygen.
You should take the necessary measures to correct this as soon as possible.
Also read: Do Koi Fish Need Air Pump?
Now That You Know
Now that you know so much more about how to keep your koi healthy and happy, what do you think?
Will you use the advice given here? As always, it’s important to keep yourself well-educated, so you can provide your koi the life they deserve.
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