goldfish... Pondfish repro.   6/7/10
Hi
<Paris>
I hope you can help me please. I have a large pond, about 1000 litres.
<Mmm, not all that large...>
I have around forty fish,
<?!>
two of which are Koi, one I have had about 5 years and the other I have had about 1 year. My original goldfish I have had around 4/5 years and the rest have bred in the pond over the last couple of years. My current problem is that today one of the goldfish, a pond bred one of approx 3/4 years, has been pursued by about 5 of the fish, including the big Koi and is exhausted and appears to have some damage to its scales.
<"Spring has sprung"... reproductive behavior... the "combatants" need to be separated... likely the pursued (female) placed elsewhere>
I have removed it to a small tank and put some medicine into the water.
It is only a small tank. Am I doing the right thing?
<Mmm, yes>
Do you have any suggestions what to do in this situation?
<Monitor water quality, consider "thinning the herd" here... You have too much fish life (unless all are very small) in this volume. Bob Fenner>
Thank you Maggie

Swimming habits of Koi Blue Hi, I have a 1200 gallon, established Koi pond with 8 Koi and 1 gold fish.  I obtained all of them at the same time about 2 years ago.  All seem very happy but one "Blue".  A few days ago Blue separated itself from the rest.  At times it will gather with them or the others come over to it and hover around him/her.  "Blue" will sit at the bottom of the pond or swim up to the ledge and sit for a while.  On the occasion it swims - it will first swim backwards for about 6 inches then it goes forward.  When it starts swimming forward it swims at a 45 degree angle.  The tail does move as well as all the fins so I don't think there is fin damage.  The only other thing that might be of help is that the front fins below/behind the gills are partially brown, around the area that connects to the body.  Blue does have some brown spots on his head and along his body in a horizontal strip shape.  I have never noticed nor have I ever looked that closely to Blue before. Possible that this just may be his coloring.  Thanks for any help you can offer. Michael Tarvin <Some Koi (all are the same species) do just have a sort of "anti social" behavior repertoire, but this one reads like it is "blind"... Nothing much you can do here in any/all cases, but drop food near its snout, on a regular time basis to assure it is getting fed. Bob Fenner>