White Koi and Koi Pond Algae By Max Lara Platinum Quality Author

A koi is a carp that is being bred because of its color. The whole breeding craze started in Japan during the 1800's. Back then only two colors were bred. A century later, more colors became available and continue to increase up to the present day. Koi eventually won the title for being the most beautiful fish in the world. The colors are red, white, black, yellow, blue, gray, and green. But the most famous of them is the white.

Growing kois is an expensive affair. The pond alone has to be wide and deep enough to cater to a certain number of koi population. Other requirements include location, security, and devices that regulate the environment of the pond to ensure the kois grow in the best way possible. Kois grow up to 3 ft so for serious growers, they need a serious pond to grow them in. A fish tank will not suffice unless it is big enough for the koi to swim and grow in. Even though kois don't school much, it's the size of each one that has to be taken into consideration. Necessary consideration with the location must be taken to avoid Koi Pond Algae from growing as well.

The white koi is known for its visibility in murky waters. It's body is attractive due to the trait of being quite reflective. Kois under this category are the: sanke, kohaku, beko, and ogon. The only kois considered to be true white kois are probably the sanke and the kohaku because of having colored markings against the white background. But the bekko and ogon are not totally white making them similar to other breeds.

As for kohakus, 50 to 70 percent of their bodies are covered in red markings while the sanke is covered in black and red markings against a white background. There is a set of standards that koi enthusiasts follow in order to determine the kind of koi and these are the criteria.

The markings have to be of a particular color. In the case of a kohaku, red. The sanke has to be red and black.

Again in case of a kohaku, its body has to have markings and these markings must cover at least half to 70% of its body. The rest should be pure white.
The colors must follow a symmetrical pattern. When being observed, the colors on one side should reflect at the opposite side.

The color should be as deep as possible. A light color hue means the fish has a defect.
Color edges have to be clear especially on edges where the colors meet with the white background.
Since it's a fish, it should be covered in scales.

A koi that does not meet these standards for a white koi is disqualified. They are considered defective and not pure in breed. Only a few breeders know this fact and this had resulted to the breeding of unqualified white kois. Since kois are popular, these fishes are expensive but they make excellent pets to decorate the yard. These also make as excellent food source as well as income source for fish farmers.

Want to discover more about koi pond algae? Go here to download your FREE course that reveals how you can take care of your koi fish at www.kiofish.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Max_Lara

Koi Pond Construction - Upgrade To Concrete or Fiberglass By Marshall Crum Platinum Quality Author

A recent comment on my website asked my opinion on making a liner koi pond a more permanent structure. That question started me thinking about the different materials and techniques available to upgrade a pond. I have a pond with about five years on the liner and it is a good possibility that it may have to be replaced eventually. That leads to a decision about what to replace it with. There are basically three choices in an upgrade. Replace the vinyl liner, or replace it with concrete or fiberglass.

Putting in another vinyl liner is by far the cheapest and the fastest. The downside is that the liner will not be permanent. Concrete or fiberglass is by far a more permanent solution but this type of upgrade is more suited to the DIY enthusiast.

Having worked in the construction industry for many years, I have had an opportunity to observe construction with the two most popular materials, concrete and fiberglass. There are advantages to both and some disadvantages as well.

Before you start an upgrade that significantly changes the construction of your pool, it might be a good idea to check with your local zoning board to get the current requirements for installing a pool. Hopefully, your in-ground pool was installed with all the required permits in place, but rules have a way of changing.

The cost of the upgrade is an important consideration. People who want to upgrade a liner pool need to decide how much money they want to spend on the project. It's important to take some time to think through this project, since upgrading to concrete or fiberglass will be a permanent change and not easily undone.

Making a realistic budget will help determine the type of materials to be used in the construction of the pool upgrade. If you are changing the liner material, you will have the opportunity to make changes in the pool size, shape and design extras. After doing all the preparation you can to upgrade your pond, do not forget the final rule of thumb. Any project you start will take more time and money than you thought. Plan on it and you might avoid sticker shock.

Concrete can come as a dry mix called gunite, or pre-mixed (sometimes called shotcrete). The terms Gunite and Shotcrete are sometimes used interchangeably but there is a significant technical difference between the two. Gunite is a dry-mix process while shotcrete refers to the wet-mix process that most people are familiar with.

Both types of concrete can be sprayed on to make a seamless finish. The big difference between the two is that the gunite mixture has water added to it at the construction site by the nozzle operator while it is being sprayed while premixed concrete has the water added at the plant before it is delivered to the pool site.

Several considerations about concrete could be called disadvantages:

1. The concrete has to be sprayed in thickness of six to eight inches over steel rebar to get the structural strength needed for the pool. This increases the total cost and time to construct the pool and you might end up with a pool that is smaller than you start with.

2. Concrete is subject to cracking while it is curing. The only way around this is to keep the surface wet while it is curing. This puts an extra step in the process.

3. It is more difficult to make a non-porous surface that algae and other materials will not cling to. The surface may have to be polished or troweled until it is smooth to apply a finish coat of plaster.

Fiberglass is a plastic resin sprayed with what is called a chopper gun that also applies small fiberglass strands to add structural strength to the liner. The fiberglass surface is non-porous and a gel coat of any color can be applied.

The big advantage that fiberglass that there appears to be less prep work required. Fiberglass can be sprayed on the existing pool wall that is smooth and the cure time is much shorter. The finished liner will be on the order of one to two inches thick.

In my (non-expert) opinion, there is not much difference in the durability of concrete and fiberglass pools. Which one is better and how long either will last depends upon whom you are asking, so the choice comes down to one of price and availability of contractors to do the work. Both concrete and fiberglass require some expertise and experience to get it done right.

NO-ONE should have to go to a lot of trouble alone just to build or upgrade a simple koi pond. There are tons of information available online through forums and commercial websites. Just ask and you will receive, I have learned that anyone with a koi pond or aquarium is more than willing to talk about it.

The hard part of any change to your koi pond is making the decision. Do your research, make your budget and a plan and enjoy your new pond.

The author has spent many hours trying to figure out how to build a koi pond without going broke. After conducting a lot of research and doing a lot of talking at fish shops, I have decided that the only limitations are time and money. Visit my koi fish website where I have put what I have learned out there for other people to learn from and avoid some common mistakes. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marshall_Crum