Koi fish have extremely vivid colors, making them highly ornamental. That's why many people like to keep koi in their homes. However, the colors of koi raised by some people aren't very appealing. So, how can we raise koi to make their colors more vibrant?
1. Increase Light Exposure
As ornamental fish, many fish enthusiasts keep koi in places like the living room where the light isn't very strong. If koi don't get exposed to sunlight for a long time, their body colors will fade.
At this point, you need to place the fish tank in a well - lit area for two to three days a week. Each light exposure should last about five hours. It should be noted that the light intensity shouldn't be too strong; diffused light is sufficient.
2. Add Special Feed
The base colors of koi are fixed. To enhance the vividness of their colors, you need to use feed with bright colors. After koi consume such feed, through metabolism, their color saturation can be increased.
Fish keepers can add brightly - colored ingredients to the koi's feed, such as earthworms, bloodworms, carrots, green vegetable leaves, and small shrimps. Feeding once a day is enough.
3. Adjust the pH Value
When the dissolved oxygen content in the water is high, the ammonia concentration will decrease, and the body color of koi will become more concentrated on the body surface. When the dissolved oxygen content decreases, the ammonia level will rise, the pH value will drop, and the red color of koi will fade. Therefore, appropriately adjusting the pH value can enhance the color of koi.
Fish keepers should then adjust the pH value of the water for raising koi. Adjusting it to a range between 7.0 and 7.2 is appropriate.
4. Adjust the Background Color
If you want the enhanced color of koi to stay and not fade, it's best to change the background of the fish tank to a dark color. Koi change their body colors according to the surrounding environment. If the background color is too light, the fish's color will also become lighter. This is its self - protection mechanism.