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A good rule of thumb is to change 5% to 15% of your koi pon’s water every week. Partial water changes help keep your koi healthy, and replacing small amounts at a time prevents causing stress for the fish.

While they’re popular and have a lot of pros, the cons of river rocks include the following:

• River rocks don’t break down or provide nutrients to plants. 

• These stones can get hot and scorch nearby plants. 

• River stones may heat the surrounding soil to inhospitable temperatures. 

• Rocks can block rainwater from seeping into the ground if installations are too thick or tightly packed.

Most downsides occur when using river rock as mulch in gardens and flower beds. However, you can still incorporate river rocks into your landscape as long as you use them in the correct ways.

When deep cleaning your koi pond, transfer fish to a clean, uncontaminated container at least one foot deep, like a large bucket, tub, or kiddie pond. Fill the container with their existing pond water to avoid shocking them, and place the container in full or partial shade. When it’s time to reintroduce them into the pond, slowly add the new water to the container before adding the fish and container water back into the pond.

Installation costs range from $1,500 to $10,000, depending on pond size, materials, and additional features like waterfalls or fish habitats.