Are koi nocturnal?

I ask because well, long story short- I put my pond in late in the season (beg. of sept) and got a few small koi and goldfish to start with and because it was so late, I never made friends with them (they were barely eating at that point). I never ever saw them during the day. They thoroughly hid themselves under my filter and in folds of the liner. I have very secretly staked them out for hours, and saw them dart out for food only a couple times when it was warmer. ;)

But every night, even now when the water temps are in the low 40's, high 30's, when I go out at night with a flashlight, I see the koi and goldfish out roaming about through the lily pots and rocks. Never ever have I seen them do this during the day since I got them (even though I know they should). Eh? I'm very interested. Susanne

I've a little Koi pond here as well. And I don't believe they're nocturnal. Their metabolism slows down, and hypernate under cold temp. to conserve engery. They merely hide themselves from open area away from pradators birds and such, I do believe. Some of us put down structures for them to "hide" in during the winter months when aquatic plants and bog plants are pulled off the pond's margin. We need to stop feeding them too when the water is too cold.

Yea I know they go dormant and hide...but why do I only see them out at night? There are plenty of places for them to hide, which they do during the day, but they are out and about at night without fail. Is it because they don't know they're out in the open because of the dark?

Good question. I trained mine to come out at feeding time. They usually responded to noises and come out to feed. But I've no answer for your question. Hope others will chime in?

Hi - mine are also very shy, and I learned to coax them out through feeding. Same time, same place every day, and eventually they will scurry up for you. Also, when they are stressed, they will go back in hiding for a time. I just moved about 10 to a smaller pond, and I haven't seen them for about two weeks. Won't even come out for food yet. I'd just say to be patient. I'm in 5a too, so they are slowing down considerably right now. Here's a pic before I moved some of them in late September. - Dax

Dax080; great pic. of your koi!

Koi and most other fish are big night feeders.

The Koi are big bottom feeders too. When they get less spooked and you tame them, they calmly feed just as much during the day. The trick is to get them used to your voice and movements around and in the Pond. I sing to them,as well as talk to them. I call them by name. There is almost always one fish who is the leader of the pack and the other fish will feel safe and relaxed if the leader is. I regularly walk in and around the plants in the pond and the Fish follow me and eat the food I kick up. I lined my pond with newspapers,three inches thick and it turns to clay under the liner. It seals any pin hole leaks in the liners, but best of all,it breeds worms. They crawl up under the liner,over the edge, and right into the mouths of some mighty happy fish:)The fish nibble on my toes and as they get used to me being there,will happily swim in and around my legs and let me pet them as they swim through my fingers.

I have two lawn chairs that I cut the front legs off and fit them to the upper level so I can sit almost completely in the pond and let the fish play with my feet and hands if I want to really enjoy my R&R time. If you are patient and calm anyone can do this.The best rule is no sudden movements,calmness is the way to win the heart and mind of a fish.Fish in a pond are just like having a pet cat or dog. They will learn how to eat from your hand. You can feed them canned or cooked veggies,they eat cooked meat and it's fun to try different people food as long as you stick to veggies and meats. Never try bread or starches cause they swell up when ingested and are full of preservatives which can make a fish mighty uncomfortable. Fish go in and out of dormancy all through cold weather months and will come up to the surface to let you know they would like some veggie based food. Many a January, I walk on the frozen surface of the pond and the fish will follow my feet,swimming lazily along under the ice.

There is such wonder and calmness from a pond. I sit often and just let it renew my spirit. The Pond makes me strong and I can face anything Life has in store for me.

Posyblossom;
When the surface froze solid, doesn't that impede oxygination for the fish? It rarely gets that extended cold here where we're. Occassional thin ice will form but quickly evaporated with air-temp. We're told to put moving objects like a floating ball or two on the water surface to break the ice crystal formation to help oxygenate the pond. I'm just currious to learn more.

Yes, In Pa.the ice will get to about 3" thick. But if I let water freeze as ice sculptor on the water fall, it leaves space between the ice and water level. This allows oxygen in and gasses out.Then when it warms up again,even if it is still January, I turn the pump back on as long as it doesn't freeze anymore water out of the pond. Sometimes I get the hose back out and add more water to the pond if the gap is big enough. It's the gap between the water and ice that makes it work. I found it out by accident. I watch the fish closely to make certain they are behaving normally and I have an air stone ready to add oxygen just in case they look stressed. You have to put the airstone in before winter just in case the fish look stressed. Now,after about five years of doing this, I know it works and I have not lost a fish yet.

Do tell about "airstones" usage in our ponds during the winter months. Thank you, for sharing.

Here we put up netting to keep the fallen leaves as our temp. is cooling down. :-) On the pond margin, you'll find two frogs. Can you tell which one is a real frog?

HAHA! I see that sweet, little real Bullfrog. He is a cutie and so is the fake one.

The airstone has just small tubing stuck down deep in the pond and anchored with a rock. Mine is for 80 gal. and is a Whisper,just like the kind used in Aquariums. . It's plugged into a ground fault recepticle on the deck and the motor is under the liner by the pond edge so it won't get wet. It's beautiful bubbling in the water and I use it sometimes just for the pleasure the fish get from swimming through the bubbles.

Great picture, Dax!
That makes good sense posy, thank you. Night feeding is probably what was making me think they might be nocturnal. I never fed them, except maybe 2 weeks before they started to go dormant...which means we never got to make friends. So they are probably doing their natural thing, to bottom feed at night, since they have no other trusted source of food. Interesting. I saw them all tonight after two nights of hard freeze...making me feel more comfortable about them out there all winter.

It sounds like you are just about one with your pond. Very cool how you can walk over it in winter and see them follwoing you. Hopefully I'll make some good friends come spring! I agree, I never feel so naturally calm as when I sit by the pond. I used to tend aquariums with my dad when I was younger...I think it brings back some of that for me too.
I use airstones in my inside aquarium and I love to watch the fish swim through it too. So you're saying the whisper plastic box-y motor thing is under the liner and it does fine? Do you leave it there all spring/summer or just when extra oxygen is needed in fall/winter? I had contemplated getting one for outside, but was concerned about how exactly to make it work.

Also, can someone tell me because I'm having a hard time finding info- is it really bad to have an extension cord connecting my pump or heater to my power source? I am using my only outside outlet which is about 20 ft from the pond.

Lily cute pic! It took me a while to find the real one, but I did, I did!
Susanne

Hi Susanne,
The electric connection is safe as long as it is plugged into a ground fault interupter. I leave the air stone out all winter and summer just in case I need it. As long as it does'nt get wet,it works. I have it on a rock,sitting slightly leaning in towards the side of the pond because it vibrates and kept falling off till I tipped it a bit.I have the rubber liner like a hood over it covered with rocks. So far,so good.

I was afraid about the electrical connection too, so I purchased a ground fault extension cord, a bit pricy,($33) besides the ground fault connection on the deck. I cover the extension hook up under the tarp too. I found out that as long as a ground fault is the outlet from the box, a regular extension is safe.

So I looked up what Ground fault interpreter is and how do I know if my plug outside is that? Does that mean it has the 3rd prong hole?
So you have the connection of your pump to the cord hidden underneath the plastic to protect it, is what you're saying?
You are so helpful, thank you!

I had to go ask Hubby how do you tell if it's ground fault. He said just because it is a three prong doesn't make it ground fault. It has a reset button on the outlet itself and it says ground fault Interupt. Some of our outlets on the deck don't have it,but the last outlet just before it comes into the house has a red button in the middle and if something gets wet,it breaks the connection so I don't burn the house down. I have tripped it several times over the years and had to push the button to reset it after it dried. I installed one myself in the kitchen. You can buy them to replace outlets that aren't ground fault. Or, I think an electrician could do it for a small fee or just someone handy.

Yes. I tried just laying it along the side of the pond,but it kept tripping the connection which is what it is supposed to do. Some people wrap the cord connection in duct tape or some kind of moisture proof wrapping but I wasn't feeling safe doing that so under the pond overhang is working just fine.

I've had my koi for a few years. They are a lot bigger now. and they don't care whose around if there is feed there they are like hogs at the slop trough.
They even get up on the little island to get at any that happened to land there.
The very young are excellent at hiding though. They are afraid of getting eaten alive. but get a little size on them, and they feel safe.
I keep a small pump running with the water just rolling the surface. I have had ice form up 3" every where except over the pump. As long as the surface is moving pretty good it won't freeze. Unless maybe it gets down to 50 below. Then I think we would all be in trouble.
posyblossom, is right as long as there is a way for the gasses to escape and oxygen to get in you are fine. Even if you have to go out in the morning to chop a hole in the ice. Just so the gasses and oxygen can transfer. The smaller your pond the more critical it is, as you don't have as much room for sufficient oxygen. The gasses will build up faster too.
A bubblier will do a good job of adding oxygen, but it needs to move the surface water enough so it won't freeze the hole shut that you are trying to keep open.
I don't the floating ball will do any good here as it would require a breeze to keep it moving. I made the mistake of leaving a gazing ball in, the ice crushed it.
This an old pic but you can see they want their share.
Good luck on the pond. Don't feed the koi after the water temp is 50 degrees or below. They will eat but the high protein fish food will only rot in their bellies and they will become ulcerated right out through their sides. Not a pretty sight!

Hi Rand, I enjoyed your post and your pond and fish look like mine. I can certainly tell who has been a Koi keeper for years. Good ponding to you and hope you will post often:))

I tried the floating tennis ball a few years ago, and yep,all it did was freeze solid to the ice. I had to wait for the January thaw to get it out. This past year was a killer for thick ice so I was glad I found a way to get the oxygen and gasses transfer without resorting to a floating heater. It would get pretty pricey to operate one in PA.