Caring for Jasper, Our Eight-Year-Old Koi in the Garden Pond

Jasper is eight now, which makes him the old man of our little pond. I bought him as a tiny orange-and-white koi from a shop in Chatuchak, and he has grown into a proud, slow-moving fish who ignores everyone except at feeding time. Older koi need a different kind of care. His appetite is not what it was, so I now feed smaller portions of wheat germ pellets in the cooler hours of the morning. The water temperature matters more than I expected. During the hot season in Bangkok I run a small pump, add shade cloth over half the pond, and test the water every Saturday. Honestly, the hardest part is watching him slow down. He still comes to the surface when I walk into the garden, and that small moment makes the weekend worth it. My Thai neighbour says koi can live twenty years or more with good care, so I am hoping for many more years with him. If you have a senior koi, check the water quality first and keep the feeding light. The rest usually follows.