Japanese Koi Fish

Water is a very remarkable substance. The extraordinary properties of water have a direct bearing and influence on the daily existence of our fish. A fish's body is composed of more or less 80% of water. So it is easy to envisage fish as a volume of water separated from another volume of water (the pond) by a thin membrane (the skin of the fish). The most insignificant changes in the pond environment will therefore have a direct and almost instantaneous influence on the life of our fish.

Each and every one of these Influencing Factors - let's call them IFs - is dynamic. This is very important to remember when dealing with pond situations and perceived Koi problems. Sometimes we create problems which are not really there. During the course of a 24 hour day each IF has a natural dynamic change. These dynamic variations can be recorded and a daily pulse or oscillation can be observe. As the seasons change so do some of the parameters - the most obvious is temperature. A pond or water system has a natural bio-rhythm of life which fish have adapted to over many millions of years.

At any point in time, during the day or year, a measurement of one or the other IF will be different when compared to another measurement taken at a different time of the day or year. These fluctuations or dynamics should never be viewed in isolation. A single reading on a test kit will present a distorted view of what is actually going on in your pond. You may be panicking for nothing.