Koi are often called `living jewels'.
 A good description I think.

  Below are some tips and tricks that may save you time, trouble, and maybe a few quid as well.

1.  In a newly set up pond, the ph can often rise to dangerous levels.

A good way to cure this is to place or suspend, a large basket (or net sack) of cockle shells in one
 of your filter chambers.
 This usually reduces the ph to a norm. of  7.2 -- 7.5  within seven to ten days.

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2.  If you have a problem with blanketweed in your pond try,

a) Shading the pond from direct sunlight using greenhouse shading,

b) Using an ultra violet clarifier can help reduce the ammount of blanketweed in a pond,

c) The addition of cooking salt (not table salt) at a dosage of 15kg per 5000 gallons of water
 can also stem the growth of blanketweed.
 Only use this method during Autumn/Winter period,
as the salt will help the koi through a long cold winter.

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3. Fish not responding to chemical treatments for flukes, anchor worm, etc?

Try getting some garlic into your koi via garlic butter spread thinly on a couple of slices of bread.
 Most of these nasties can't stand garlic and will not use your fish as their host.

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4. Herons giving you a headache?

Don't put a net over the pond. This makes things worse,
 as the heron will walk over the net which supports it's weight.
 Building a pergola over the pond is better as,

a) It shields the pond from the herons aerial view,

b) Herons like to divebomb their prey, not so easy to do with all that timberwork around your pond.

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   This koi is a shiro utsuri. This being a black koi with a white pattern.