Pond Myth # 4

Pond Myth #4: Koi can't be kept in a pond that also contains plants

In a naturally balanced ecosystem pond , koi and aquatic plants complement and need one another. In nature, fish feed on plants. As a result, the fish produce waste which is broken down by aerobic bacteria on the bottom of your pond, which in turn, is used as fertilizer by the plants to grow and produce more natural fish food. It's known as the circle of life, and to imply that koi and plants shouldn't co-exist is to ignore nature.

On the contrary, fish naturally love to eat plants, and most of the time they'll (the fish) survive nicely without you feeding them all due to the plants and algae. On the other hand, you have to have sufficient volume of plants to accommodate the koi too. In the naturally balanced pond, proportionality is always a key ingredient to success.

So contrary to the myth, having rocks and gravel on the bottom of your pond actually allows Mother Nature to clean up after herself, saving you headaches and hours of work cleaning your pond and trying to keep the bottom of the pond muck-free.