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FAQs on Koi Livestock Stocking, Selection

Related Articles: Koi Selection Acclimation, Koi Varieties, Goldfish, Goldfish Varieties, Dojo/Weatherfish Use In Ponds, Turtles and Other Pond Animals, Pond Snails 1, Pond Snails 2, Plants: Landscape Plants, Water lilies, Plant Care, Koi/Pond Fish DiseasePond MaintenanceExample Ponds/Water Features

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A dark (brown or all black) Koi (nagoi), considered good luck

Aquatic Gardens

Ponds, Streams, Waterfalls & Fountains:
Volume 1. Design & Construction
Volume 2. Maintenance, Stocking, Examples

V. 1 Print and eBook on Amazon
V. 2 Print and eBook on Amazon
 

by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Koi with black spots on eye      5/30/16
Greetings Bob,
I noticed some of my koi fingers have black speckling on sclera portion of eye. Most fish look affected but show no signs of distress (flashing or similar behavior) or deaths. This line of koi does develop a fair amount of black pigments on skin. Hoping this isn't a fluke or similar parasite.
<I don't think so. Have seen this sort of marking on tategoi... speculative, smaller fish... and chatted w/ koi breeders in Japan and the US in places re... they and I don't know what the black specks are... Sometimes they "resolve" on their own; and other cases are persistent. As you state, the spots don't appear to mal-affect the Koi>
The tanks are well established tanks connected to aquaponic grow beds, nitrates rarely creep over 10ppm and NO-2 and NO-3 are zero. We are on a "hard" water supply. I do have access to a microscope... Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
<I'd keep these specimens if they're otherwise attractive (physically proportional, well-colored....). Bob Fenner>

How to Judge Koi Fish      6/21/15
Hello there,
<Em>
Just wanted to start off by commending you on all of the great work on http://www.wetwebmedia.com
We've created a website, http://nextdaykoi.com , that we think could offer your audience an additional resource for information about Koi.
<Ahh!>
It offers broad range of high-quality, live koi and goldfish for sale and is full of useful, well-researched tips and articles—like this one about judging standards for koi: < https://nextdaykoi.com/koi-fish-facts/judging-koi-fish/  >
With all of our great resources and products available to complement yours, we thought that by sharing our site with your audience (or by adding it to the resources/links section of your website, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pondsubwebindex/pdfshbreefaqs.htm ). you can boost your site's already robust content.
Let us know if we can help you!
Warm Regards,.
Emily
<Will add on the morrow. Thank you for your efforts. Bob Fenner>

Adding 10" Koi to pond with smaller fish       9/14/14
Hi,
<Adele>
I've searched your very useful site, but can't find an answer specific enough. We recently built a pond in the garden approx 5ft x 7ft x 3ft
deep.
<Ahh; a good depth>
We have put in 13 small fish, 2 Koi (4") 1 Shubunkin, 4 Orfe, 2 Grass Carp,
<Will get much larger>
2 Comments (all around 3") and 2 goldfish (2"). A friend is doing away with a pond she has inherited with her new house. She wants to rehome the Koi carp. The original owner says there are more, but she has only seen one surface. She says it's about 10". Would it be safe to put it and poss. more of a similar size in the pond with my fish?
<Should be fine... all the fish/species you have currently are minnow family (Cyprinidae) members... have no "teeth" on their jaws for
fish-eating modes... Not given to eating other fishes>
I have read they eat fish small enough to fit in their mouths, but not sure how small this is.
Thank you for your help
Adele
<Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>
Re: re: Adding 10" Koi to pond with smaller fish     9/15/14

Thanks for replying so quickly. You have put my mind at rest. Brilliant service!. Adele
<Ah; welcome. BobF>

18th Singapore Koi Show 2014    4/26/14
Bob
This year's Grand Champion
<A beautiful female taisho sanke. B>
Re
gds
Perry

18th Singapore Koi Show 2014    4/26/14
Bob
The Non Gosanke Champion
<Almost like the ever-popular sun-colored variety in the US. B>
Regds
Perry
Grand Champion- Non Gosanke     5/26/12
Bob
Its the same fish that won last year's Non Gosanke Grand Champion Trophy. The owner of the fish Mr. Chang Cheng Ann was kind enough to let me take photos of his prized Koi without the net over the pen. I asked him if he was going to enter next year's show to try for a triple crown. He said he might not want to risk it. The fish might die due to drastic changes in water quality. Right after he finished his sentence, someone was trying frantically to resuscitate his Koi in the next pen
Perry
<Ahh, very nice. B>

Re: pond in Duchess County, NY... koi source    9/9/07 Hi, Bob, thanks for posting my pond issues and for your comments to me. you are a sweetheart. I have written to Diane who must live about ten miles from me and hope to hear from her. <Neat!> as i mentioned, i have purchased Area Inc.'s system, should have it up and running in 10 days, and I will report back. <Appreciate this... as stated, I have used many of their, and other co.s similar products over the years doing lake management... IF your problem's roots are fixable by increasing DO, mixing water... this may make a big improvement. If this issue is a matter of suspended particulates... other means can be applied> if you have never been to kodamakoifarm.com, i can recommend it as a source of divine koi to be purchased at auction online. i visited their "plant" in Hawaii two weeks ago and was impressed by kodama's operation. <Thank you for this. Doomo. I grew up in Japan... and have a great affinity for Nishikigoi...> if you love koi and have an addictive personality :) be careful when you go out to the auction site, i speak from experience. the koi i have received so far were more beautiful and healthier than i had any reason to expect, i purchased these quality koi at excellent prices. if you're skeptical, i sure understand: http://www.kodamakoifarm.com see for yourself! thanks again, bob. i really appreciate your time and expertise. I'll let you know how the aeration system works out. all best wishes, max Paetro <Doh tashi mashiite. Bob Fenner>

Kohaku... judging standards of Nishikigoi  -- 08/02/07 Hi Robert, I have a Japanese Kohaku with great markings, no red on any fins, skin very white, but has no red on head. Is this a bad thing? Thanks. Glenn Lambert <Mmm, well... according to some old/er Japanese judging standards, yes... In some shows, there is a desire (more points) for some red on the head (but not the eyes) but if this fish pleases you... who really cares? <Some further input here: http://www.simikoi.com/article5.html Bob Fenner>

White? Luminescent? Spots on new Comet Goldfish (koi?) -- 06/17/07 Hi! We just had a new 900 gal pond built. Soon after we added 3 25-cent Comets from a local chain pet store and added 3 more about a week later. The water was so cloudy at first (from planting; our dirt has little organic matter but lots of fine silt, which stayed suspended for a few days till we figured it out - a dose of clarifier <Not advised> and it's clear), that we didn't see them very clearly for a few days, and they were hiding in the rock crevices more until we got enough plant cover (yay water hyacinths!) for them. Anyway, we ended up with 5 fish and never did see what happened to the 6th. Our pH is about 7.5, the nitrites, nitrates, and ammonia are low. The fish have all doubled in size in two weeks or so, and one has more than tripled. All are active, eating well, etc. <Ah, good> We just added 2 more. <You really should isolate/quarantine all new incoming livestock for a couple of weeks... you'll soon learn why if not> My son swears that he saw whiskers on them, and they're too small (about an inch) for me to tell if there were small koi accidentally mixed in with the Comets. Anyway, the yellow one looked fine (I know nothing about fish, so this isn't saying much), and had sort of a set of jeweled spots on his head evenly spaced behind the eyes that looked pretty cool. The other one immediately went and hid, but the yellow one immediately joined the group of existing 5 fish and seems to be feeding and swimming actively. Today is one day later, he/she already seems to be getting a little bigger, but the "jeweled" spots seem to be a bit bigger and I'm now thinking they may be white spots, and looking up white spots on goldfish realize they could be tons of things, from growth spots to some nasty parasites. <Yes> He/she does not seem to be itchy or feeling poorly. In fact, it was impossible to get a good still picture, but I'm sending the best I have to ask what you think. I certainly don't want to introduce any disease to the other fish or into the pond. We do have a small aquarium we had for raising tadpoles when my son was young, but I hate to stress the yellow one by catching it and putting it in such a small space if it's not sick at all but has growth spots. So here are the best pictures I could get. Could you tell me what you think? <Oh! Is a little Ohgon, "sun-colored" koi (Nishikigoi), and these spots are "just" coloring... It is a different species, so may take time to never associate with the "lowly" goldfish (Heeee!). Bob Fenner>

Re: White? Luminescent? Spots on new Comet Goldfish (koi?) -- 6/17/07 Thank you, Bob! And thanks for responding so fast. <Welcome!> So my son's eagle eye did see very tiny "whiskers" (I don't know the right term), <"Barbels"... just in case you're ever on Jeopardy or such> and I just bought a pretty little koi from the Comet tank for 25 cents! And the koi's first instinct was to go hang out with the Comets and is following along with them much of the time. So much for high-class snobbery! I've read lots about koi and goldfish being fine together, especially when, like mine, the koi is the smaller one introduced later rather than bigger and the first in. Yes, I read about quarantining, but I figured since they all came from the same tank at the same store within a couple of weeks of each other (and no new fish in the tank at the store), I'd be OK. <Mmm, careful here> I'll take it much more seriously now that I have an established group of fish. <Ah, good> BTW you might notice in the very large Comet in the pictures. He/she started out silver with a little brown on top and now he's all brown (with maybe a hint of orange) <Yes, I saw this> except for his underbelly, and we call him Stealth because he's so hard to see against the brown rocks and in the hyacinth roots. The other fish we introduced with the koi was an almost totally silver Comet. I saw him last night (essentially a day later) and he's gone an even darker brown, again with a light underbelly -- an almost immediate camouflage adjustment! Even though I know goldfish change color through their lives, I suspect that these two may always be our "stealth" fish. Thanks for your quick help! <And you for sharing. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Koi importation restrictions   9/2/06 Bob, Have you heard about this yet? People, This just in from the USDA -APHIS WEBSITE. <Mmm, just rumors of this pending... Thank you for sending this along. Bob Fenner> USDA TO PLACE IMPORT RESTRICTIONS ON LIVE FISH, FERTILIZED EGGS AND GAMETES SUSCEPTIBLE TO SPRING VIREMIA OF CARP WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2006--The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to establish regulations restricting the importation of live fish, fertilized eggs and gametes of fish from certain species that are susceptible to spring Viremia of carp (SVC). The following species are considered susceptible to SVC: common carp (including koi), grass carp, silver carp, bighead carp, Crucian carp, goldfish, tench and sheatfish. SVC is an extremely contagious viral disease of carp. Outbreaks of SVC confirmed in the United States in 2002 and 2004, and since eradicated, have been linked to unregulated importation of SVC-infected fish. This action is necessary to prevent further introductions of the virus into the United States. This action is scheduled for publication in the Aug. 30 Federal Register and becomes effective Sept. 29. Consideration will be given to comments received on or before Oct. 30. Send an original and three copies of postal mail or commercial delivery comments to Docket No. APHIS 2006-0107, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. If you wish to submit a comment using the Internet, go to the Federal eRulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov and, in the 'Search Regulations and Federal Actions' box, select 'Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service' from the agency drop-down menu; then click on 'Submit.' In the Docket ID column, select APHIS-2006-0107 to submit or view public comments and to view supporting and related materials available electronically. Mitch Gibbs

Friendliest koi What is considered the friendliest variety of koi? I bought a brown koi that led my other koi to become hand-fed.  Is one variety of koi thought of as being more easily trainable than other varieties or are all varieties of koi generally quite trainable? Thank you for your help. <All koi/Nishikigoi are the same species (Cyprinus carpio), but the solid metallic varieties (Hikarimuji) often called "Ohgons" or Ogon (mainly all gold or silver, but sometimes all red or orangish) are definitely the most outgoing, seem to imprint on humans more strongly. Though not that popular in Japan, many folks have at least one of this variety in their ponds in the west. Bob Fenner>

Japan I am (looking for Nishikigoi, self understanding) Hello, I am an exchange student from Los Angeles in the study of Landscape Architecture. I am currently at the Kyushu Institute of Design in Fukuoka. <I have visited there> I am very interested in seeing koi farms and shows. Can you make some recommendations for me as how I can see the real Koi. <Definitely... I would contact (or have Japanese speakers help) the ZNA (Zen Nippon Airankai, Japanese Koi Association...) in Japan re their show schedule, and for sure travel to Chiba, Niigata to see some farms, visit with breeders, attend auctions... while you're in Japan> I will be here for 10 more months. It is quite expensive for me to go to far from Kyushu to see koi. <Taksan okani... much money, for sure, Honto des> So I was hoping to see some near Kyushu?  <Yes, there are breeders, shows on the southernmost of the country's principal islands> I can make one special trip next year if you could recommend the best show to got to? Thank you for your time. <Again, do have your friends contact the ZNA, look through their directories, make introductions for and travel with you. Bob Fenner> Matt-Dell

RE: Employment opportunity for an experienced koi breeder Thanks Bob, I do appreciate any help you can offer. Norman <You're welcome... do have many industry contacts, an old but large experience in the field overall... And perhaps very importantly... have "seen" the future (after writing that "ponds are going to be big in the U.S." for eighteen years in the trade press...) and there will definitely be a market for good quality koi. The water quality (I know the temperature will be fine, but the hardness, pH...) you have will hopefully retain/enhance Hi and Sumi markings? You will hopefully avoid the pyxocephalic (square head) problems of so-many domestic breeders... Have you been to visit places in the industry in Japan? Much to discuss. Bob Fenner>
RE: Employment opportunity for an experienced koi breeder
Bob, I have been to Japan and to the U.K, and also some farms here in the U.S.  <Ah, excellent> If you can refer someone, I will pay a referral fee if we hire the individual. <Appreciate the offer. Will look about. Will only refer people I know to be proficient, honest, truly desirous of doing the job. Bob Fenner> Thanks
Employment opportunity for an experienced koi breeder (posted 9/19/01)
Bob, I am seeking an experienced koi breeder/Manager for a Koi Farm located in Jamaica, WI. Please respond if you're interested or if you may be able to recommend someone or avenues for advertisements. <Thank you for your offer. Am too busy to take on "a real job" unfortunately. But will post your request/offer of work on our site (WetWebMedia), circulate it around, and gladly help you (gratis) distantly with input, content if I may be of service in your Nishikigoi endeavors. Bob Fenner> Thanks Norman Thompson

(Koi) Restocking Question Presently in our pond, I have 9 adults, ranging from 12-16" in length. After last weekend's visit to the Menifee Koi Auction, we are going to make the jump and invest in some quality koi.  <Ah, there comes a time> Of the 9 I have now, I would like to give away 5 of these adults to a local ponder. These can be seen at http://pages.prodigy.net/rwfarris/_uimages/pages.prodigy.net/rwfarris/.wi_ko i.jpg.  <Hmm, "page not found"> They are the top four on the left, not the Platinum Ogon or the Tancho Sanke. There is also a black butterfly female. Do you know anyone who might be interested or recommend a method of finding someone. <Would try the local Koi Club, classified ads if selling> These are breeders and have been spawning for two years now. Rick Farris See our pond at: http://www.koireef.cjb.net <Be chatting my friend. Bob Fenner>
RE: Restocking Question
Oh yes. The Platinum Ogon and the Tancho Sanke are staying, along with two Kohaku. <Ah so deska. Wakarimas. Thank you. Bob Fenner> Rick Farris See our pond at: http://www.koireef.cjb.net

All is well (Got Nishikigoi? Koi) Both the aquarium and pond are doing well, but I wanted to tell you about a new business up in Menifee. The old Sunset Koi is now Koi Auction Online. I had the winning bid last week and went there to pick them up rather than having them delivered. The quality of the koi Naro has is no less than incredible. Should you ever find yourself in the area, I highly recommend a stop by there. <Interesting concept, and great to hear about good quality> They also have a web site, hence their name, at www.koiauction.com. Take a look at the brightness of the colors and the patterns. AWESOME!!! <Will post on new FAQs, move to archives later, place link. Thanks for this, Bob Fenner> Rick Farris See our pond at: http://www.koireef.cjb.net

Aquatic Gardens

Ponds, Streams, Waterfalls & Fountains:
Volume 1. Design & Construction
Volume 2. Maintenance, Stocking, Examples

V. 1 Print and eBook on Amazon
V. 2 Print and eBook on Amazon
 

by Robert (Bob) Fenner
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