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Ponds & Aquatic Plants

gazillion baby koi

15 years ago

I have a small concrete pond built in the 20's. Four years ago, we had to build a bigger pond with a waterfall because the koi had grown so big. They had babies four years ago this month and they are all huge. Two years ago only two babies were born . The eggs and babies were eaten. We had a huge bout of spawning last week when the water warmed up. We already had a old metal wash tub filled w/ lilies and other pond plants that the koi wrecked. A friend gave me tiny tadpoles which I put in there and I also captured some koi eggs and put in there as well. They are hatching and are so much fun to watch. They are all eyeballs and tail. Now what?? I can have fun w/ them this summer but can't put them in my ponds. Besides they would be dinner for my 7 pound koi..

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Comments (2)

zoenipp
15 years ago
You can put an ad in your local newspaper or Craigslist offering free koi to good homes and you may be able to give them away but you will probably have to raise the new fry until they are large enough to show color, etc. You could also contact local fish retailers to see if they would take them. I think you will be lucky just to find someone to give them to; you might be able to sell some of your nice larger ones. Another option is to find out if you have a local koi/watergarden club and offer them up that way, either for members or for a club cull sale. This is how people get rid of their extra fish in my area.

I recently decided to give away some of my 2nd-year koi that I bought at a club cull sale last year as my current pond is not really optimal for koi-keeping. We plan on expanding with a new, larger and deeper 2nd pond this summer but I will want to invest in some quality koi when it's ready. I met a man who was just establishing his new pond out at the local water plant farm and offered my unwanted fish to him for free. He came over two Saturdays ago and helped my husband and I round them up (not an easy task, even in our 1500 gallon, 21" deep pond. We had to remove all plants and then wade with several nets to catch them!

I know lots of our club members have two ponds and try to keep their large koi separated by sex so that they don't have to deal with the mess of spawning every year or culling and trying to give away unwanted babies. I am dreading the day when my fish mature enough to start spawning as I don't want to deal with unwanted babies and/or the guilt associated with having to destroy them or give them away to unsuitable homes. These fish become your pets just like a cat, dog, or other creature and you feel very responsible for their well-being. I think it's more humane to add something like Golden Orfe (if your pond is large enough to accommodate them) to the pond to take care of any fry so that you don't have to deal with trying to find homes for excess fish.
mybusyfamily6
15 years ago
we always have people on our local craigslist begging for koi... it's a great way to get rid of things..
www.craigslist.com
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