Having pets can increase your quality of life, it can make your home look and feel better, and it will definitely bring a lot of joy. If you want to have pets, but if you don’t want to keep something that will notice your daily absence when you are at work, then you should definitely think about getting fish.
Koi fish are becoming more and more popular by the day, and they are one of the most beautiful types of fish and they are pretty easy to keep. If you are considering this, then we will help you learn if koi fish are good for indoor or outdoor ponds and what you need to do to ensure their safety, happiness, and health.
Consider the space
The first thing that you need to think about when you are deciding if you want to build an indoor unit or an outside one is how much space you have for either of those. As you probably already know, koi like their space, and if you put too many of them in a smaller space, they are either going to start getting diseases, they will start losing their colors, or they will become aggressive and start attacking each other.
Since these fish can grow pretty large, you need to give them enough room to swim freely, so you need to see if you have room to build an inside pond and if it is going to be deep enough. In both cases, you need to be smart on how you are going to decorate it, and as you will see further in this article, how much natural light your pets will get.
Make sure they are protected
When you learn more about the koi, you will see that their main trait are the beautiful, mesmerizing colors that make them attractive for humans, as well as predators. There are a lot of animals that would love to feast on your pets, and you have to do everything you can to protect them.
If there are a lot of birds or raccoons in your area, it is better to consider building an indoor pond, so that your fish are going to be protected at all times. On the same note, if you don’t have the option to build an indoor unit, then you need to create a space where your koi can easily hide from predators.
The way that this s done is by creating a deep enough unit and creating small cavities where your fish will be able to stay protected from anyone that is going to try and harm them. In both cases, you have to be extremely careful, and even if you opt for an indoor unit, that does not mean that your pets are going to be safe at all times, especially if you have felines that freely roam around.
Koi fish is ultimately good for both indoor and outside units, as long as they have the needed conditions to develop freely, swim without any major limitations, and as long as they are protected from natural predators. Think about your capabilities, the space that you have, as well as the things that could harm them, and know that you have to educate yourself and talk to a professional about what needs to be done to give them the best for their needs.
Give them access to both natural light and shade
The number of hours that your fish get natural sunlight is going to play a crucial role in your decision, and you need to be extremely careful about this. This type of fish needs to be exposed to natural sunlight so they can thrive, stay healthy and grow as big as they are supposed to be. They need to be in the sun for a few hours per day, and on the same note, they also should not be exposed to too much light.
The temperature of the water should be around 65 degrees Fahrenheit or about 18 degrees Celsius for your koi to stay healthy, and this can be regulated by trees in the summer months, along with enough water that will not get overheated too quickly.
Note that you should consider placing water lilies or other vegetation that will help them go in the shade when they have had enough sunlight, and still let part of the pond be in the sun at all times. If you are building an indoor unit, consider this and know that if the pond is constantly in the shade, it is going to affect your fish. If you build it under a sky window, you should invest in good vegetation and places where your fish can hide from the sun. Once again, insulation is a must so that the water does not get overheated, or it does not get too cold in the winter months.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a lot of factors that are going to play a huge role in this decision. The location of the pond is not as important as the other things, so you first and foremost need to consider your space. You need to give your fish enough room to grow, and you need to let them freely move around without the space feeling too crowded.
You also need to plan things depending on the temperatures in your location, so if you are located somewhere where the winters get too harsh, and if there is no way for you to insulate the pond and protect your fish, then it is better to move them to an indoor location. On the same note, if you choose to keep them inside, you should plan on how much sunlight they are going to get and you should never put them inside the house if there is no natural light coming for at least a few hours per day.
Overall, these fish are great for both indoor and outdoor ponds, but you need to be smart about their living conditions. Protect them from the sun, the cold, as well as predators that could easily harm them. Provide the needed conditions and if you have any questions or concerns, you can always collaborate with a professional that will guide you on how to avoid the most common mistakes when it comes to koi.