We have a 300 gal koi pond with 4 koi and one large goldfish. DH pointed out that the two that I just thought were gaining size more than the others are doing so because they are pregnant. DH is checking out info on the internet. But, I thought for sure some of you have had similar experiences. And, would have suggestions on what we need to do. We'd love to have some babies from these first generation koi. Anybody out there have recomendations?
Thank you ...... Kokopelli doing a happy dance!
My koi are pregnant! Questions.
Koko, koi don't normally start to breed until they are about three years old if what I've been reading is correct. I have some that are going on three that have not yet spawned as far as I can tell but time will tell. Goldfish on the other hand breed almost immediately.
The two that are getting bigger, could just be growing faster. I have read that some koi can grow up to two feet i one year. I imagine breeing has to do a lot with that and even the food that they are fed. Females are tend to be round around the middle and the males are more stream lined. I have a small female who always looks pregnant to me, I think she's just a chub.
When they do spawn most of the eggs get eaten right away. Whatever babies that do get hatched can get eaten as well, if they don't have places to hide. So a lot of times whats left is just a few babies. If they are there, you will see them eventually.
Is your pond 300 gallons or 3000? Koi need a lot of room and if it's 300 gal, I forsee a much bigger pond for you in the very near future :)!
My koi and I are ready for a much bigger pond soon. The koi are close to 4years old. The Gold fish is about 8, I think.
DH found some info on breeding material, just add more oxy grasses. Also, DH, is suggesting doing artificial insemination! (He's a vet by the way, although his fish experience is limited to doing a necropsy on one of our koi. We use to have 5.) He read that the breeding routine can be pretty rough on the females.
We'll see what happens. I'll take pics of the koi. Pond is fairly clear right now. (I finally decided to climb in and muck it out. What a fun job. Is the muck good for the compost pile?
Oh and anybody ever fed their koi grubs. You heard me right. G R U B S ! Some of you have heard of my grub problem in new beds I've been planting. I've started tossing them into the pond, and the fish are bullet like is snapping them up! Bye bye grubs! :)
I would think the pond muck would be great in the compost heap. Lots of organic matter in there!
Here are my fish at feeding time tonight. The orange and white on the left is one we think is pregnant. The next picture is a better picture of the darker one we think is pregnant.
This is the darker one.
You could save your babies by putting them in a seperate tubs with some filtration and airation. Keep an eye out. pull the mommas out. Leave the fry's in the tub.
Thanks Leon.
I think that's what we'll do
Koko-You'll probably notice a lose of color in the female koi's thats normal. When the eggs hatch, The fry's won't swim, they will sucction themselves to the side of the tub for about 2-3 days and then they'll go to the top for their first gulp of air then you'll see them swimming. Its odd that your koi have spawn late in season. Please post pic when babies get here. I'm so excited for you! Good Luck!
My koi spawned in sort of nests they hollowed out in pots of water fern (Marsileae) that I had submerged so the soil surface was about 6 to 8 inches under the water. The eggs adhere to the stems of the marsilea, and aren't so likely to be eaten. The eggs will adhere to roots of water hyacinth too, as the male sort of knocks them out of her. They will eat all the roots off the water hyacinth if you put it in the pond too soon. I've heard that branches of conifers can be put into the pond for the eggs to stick to, then you move them to a hatching pond but I never tried that as there were many water plants for the fry to hide in. The fry come out at noon so unless you look then you won't see them until they get about 1/2 inch long.
At my pond at the house we just moved from, my koi and goldfish had babies well before 3 years. I had been reading about Koi yesterday and I was told that if you took a string mop head and placed it in the water, the mama would lay the eggs there and they would be safer. I would clean it real good first with tap water.
Thanks, Traci S
I'm trying to find out everything about ponds and Koi's as I plan on starting digging in the near future. Stephanie at Waterpondfarms in SC(by the way, a DG member) told me to go to Amazon.com and buy the used books on koi (everything about them) and a book by Helen Nash called" The Complete Book on Water Ponds" but I would have to check if that's the right name. Any way they are very reasonable.I think the postage is more than the books. Stephanie and her sister Caroline are very helpful in every thing you would like to know about ponds. They also sell plants for ponds and you can't find better prices. Some are islands and beautiful. When she finishes her co-op on Sunshine Nursery she is going to give me advise on how to do it.
I put the adult breeders in a seperate grassy shallow pond -after they finish spawning I remove the adults right away back to the pond they come from--the young will be much more safe by them selves--
I missed the recent replys. Sorry to say they must never have been pregnant. Wishful thinking I guess.