Caring For Your Koi Fish! ~ Table of Contents Caring For Your Koi Fish! ~ Table of Contents... 1 About This Ebook... 2 About Koi Fish... 3 TYPES OF KOI FISH... 4 What Should I Feed My Koi Fish?... 5 About The Pond Water... 10 BEFORE YOU ADD THE KOI FISH... 14 WHEN YOU PLANT THE POND PLANTS... 15 Types of Pond Plants... 16 Common Diseases And Treatments... 18 DIAGNOSING YOUR SICK KOI FISH... 21 Is It Male Or Female?... 22 PREDATORS AND YOUR KOI FISH... 23 SURVIVING THE WINTER... 24 SPAWNING/BREEDING YOUR KOI FISH... 25 Koi Fish Value And Competitions... 27 FINAL WORD... 28 1
About This Ebook About This Ebook ~ Terms of Use This electronic book is copyrighted, 2006. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the copyright holder. You must not distribute any part of this ebook in any way at all. Disclaimer The advice contained in this material might not be suitable for everyone. The author obtained the information from sources believed to be reliable and from her own personal experience, but she neither implies nor intends any guarantee of accuracy. The author/publisher disclaims any liability, loss, or risk taken by individuals who directly or indirectly act on the information contained herein. All readers must accept full responsibility for their use of this material. Thank you. 2
About Koi Fish Koi Fish are great pets. That might sound a bit odd, but they are more than just visually fascinating and interesting. They can be tamed to let you hand feed them and stroke them. They are very friendly fish and have a gentle disposition. They are quite docile. The Koi comes from Japan. They were first bred in the 17th Century. Wild carp are the ancestors of the Koi and are found in lakes and streams worldwide. Ornamental Koi are domesticated Carp that have been bred for their colors and patterns. They are fresh water, bottom dwelling fish. They are classified as Cyprindoa, a closely related family that includes goldfish and minnows. Their scientific name is Cyprinus Carpio. The most well known Ciprinids are the goldfish, (Carassius Auratus). The Koi can grow up to 3 feet in length and weigh up to 25 lbs. They live a long time, and some have been reported to live over 40 years. However, it seems the average lifespan is 25-35 years. Koi fish are bred for the best characteristics from proven bloodlines. The price of Koi can vary depending on area of origin, size, variety etc. The shape and color of any individual fish can vary a lot as it grows to be a mature fish. The care and diet it receives can make a huge difference. The Koi is sensitive to chemicals in its food and the color of the Koi will change depending on the chemicals present. Breeders are experts at changing the color of the Koi through their diet. You don't have to be an expert to keep your Koi fish however. 3
Its natural habitat is in a pond, but some people keep their Koi in glass tanks, especially if they can't afford to have a pond, or don't have enough room for a backyard pond. The Koi do much better if the population is kept small and they are not confined to small spaces. TYPES OF KOI FISH 4
What Should I Feed My Koi Fish? It is fine to feed the Koi commercially available Koi food. These have been tested and made suitable for the Koi fish and made with the right amount of proportions of nourishment for the Koi. The Koi will eat a variety of other foods/snacks as well. It's fun to give them the treats, especially since you will want to encourage them to eat from your hand. To encourage them to eat from your hand, start off feeding them as normal, but keep your hand as close as they will allow while feeding, about a foot from the water to start with. Each day, move your hand a little closer as you feed them. Then after a while try having your hand in the water near the food. Once the fish get used to this, you can then put the food in your hand and into the water, slowly releasing the food. Soon the Koi will eat the food released from your hand and finally will be tame enough to feed directly from your hand. If you want your Koi to become red or pink in color, you can feed them food containing carotene. If you want your Koi to maintain a multi-colored body you can use an algae called spirulina. This brings out the red patches of your Koi, but will not affect its other colorations. Some color enhancer ingredients to look out for are: Spirulina, Bio-Red, BetaCarotene, Canthaxanthin, Marigold petals, Xanthins, Shrimp Oil, Synthetic and Non-Synthetic Carotenoids, and the word Color Enhancers etc., on the label. Spirulina only really 5
works if the fish are exposed to sunlight. Shrimp Oil performs very well as a color enhancer, although is more expensive than some of the other types of color enhancers. Koi enhance their own colors by being exposed to a certain amount of sunlight and by eating certain algae. A certain amount of algae is good for the pond, but the word here is balance. The usual supplementary foods are small prawns and worms. These are good treats to help you train your fish to eat from your hand. Koi will also eat pieces of lettuce and other fruits and vegetables. Try not to overfeed your Koi fish though, because the more it eats, the more it excretes as Koi don't have true stomachs and cannot store fats, and its wastes are mainly ammonia, which pollutes the water. This not healthy for your Koi. You then have to do more water changing than usual. Also, overfeeding will make the Koi sluggish and without exercise it will be more prone to sickness. The Koi should be growing about half an inch per month, and if this is not happening, then you are either under or over feeding, or they are in a space that is too confining. Some fish grow about one inch per month, especially if they have a large home to live in. Fish should be fed no more than three times a day. In cooler water or winter they should be fed only once a day. It is especially important not to feed the Koi if the temperature dips below 50 F. During this time the bio-filter in the pond shuts down making any additional bioload in the pond a hazard to the fish. Also, at that time, the bacteria the Koi use to process their food ceases to work. At this temperature your Koi will go into a kind of hibernation. Their metabolism will drop very low and they won't be able to digest food. You can make them sick by feeding them during this time. When the temperature rises above 50 F in the spring, start feeding again, but sparingly at first. This will ensure less excrement. If they are not coming to you 6
for the food, don't force them to eat. Once the temperature is above 60 F you can feed them as usual, especially with protein foods. Fish that live in warmer water have a higher metabolism. Their metabolism is directly affected by water temperature. Therefore, when they are cold, they have a much slower metabolism. For every ten degrees increase in water temperature the metabolism of a cold blooded fish doubles. Fish will still feel hungry in cold water, but the enzymes needed for Koi to digest their food will be lacking. In very cold water, below 40 degrees, the fish just won't eat. It's therefore wise to make sure if your fish are in cold water that you give them food that is easily digestible and which contain minimal ingredients to stall the gut. Plant proteins like wheat germ have been found to be effective, and also the Cheerios cereal. Fish seem to especially like the Honey Nut Cheerios. This food actually gives them useful energy with minimal nitrogen. If you are feeding in cold water, under 70 degrees but above 64 Farenheit, feed sparingly once per day or every other day. You must keep check on rising ammonia levels in the water for your Koi under these conditions. The fish should be fed for about five minutes per feeding. If they don't come up for feeding they are either too cold or too warm. If the water is between 53 and 64 Farenheit, it is recommended you only feed the Cheerios every other day and resume daily feeding of the Cheerios when the water temperature is consistently above 55 degrees. When you feed your fish more, in the warmer months, please keep check on the oxygen levels in your pond. Warmer water carries less oxygen. 7
Fish do need fiber, protein, and energy, i.e. carbohydrates, which are all part of plant proteins. They also need a certain amount of fats, and a fat content of commercially available food is optimum at 3-9%. The commercially available food usually contains an adequate supply of vitamins for your fish. Koi fish absolutely love Silk Worm Pupae. If you feed your Koi a lot of this, you will need to keep check on the ammonia levels, more so in the colder water. You can also feed your Koi some grapefruit, cut into quarters. They will float. The fish are immediately attracted to them. Be careful the skins don't clog up your pump or skimmer. You should only feed grapefruit once a week to avoid giving them too much vitamin C. They will also eat watermelon, but they don't seem to like this as much as grapefruit. Orange slices are something the fish also love, as much as the grapefruit. They will take the orange slices right from your hand. Romaine lettuce is a favorite with Koi fish too. Just cut it into six inch strips. They do enjoy this type of lettuce more than Iceberg lettuce. Other vegetables are also good for your fish. Duckweed is another favorite of the Koi. They absolutely love it. Goldfish do too. You can even feed your fish chopped up sardines. They are very nutritious for the fish. It is said that grapes and apple seeds are NOT good for your fish due to inducing poor kidney function and they ultimately can perish. When you feed your fish commercial pelleted food, buy two different kinds and mix them together. If one manufacturer has left out an 8
important nutritional ingredient, it may be picked up by the other. It will give your Koi fish a more balanced diet. The best type of food for baby fish is probably blood meal, but you can also use boiled egg pureed in water. There are also commercial "fry foods" available for your babies. TetraMin's Tropical Fish Flake Food will help them grow rapidly and healthy. 9
About The Pond Water Koi should be in ponds with at least 500 gallons of water, and 1000 gallons is even better. The depth of the pond should be at least 3 feet deep for Koi fish to swim, and preferably 6 feet at its deepest point, but this is not absolutely necessary if you aren't able to make it so deep, so long as the pond itself is a minimum of 3 feet deep Never use city water unless it is dechlorinated and the ammonia neutralized. Mature pond water is best. The temperature of the new water also needs to be the same as the water with the new fish. 10 degrees change can kill the fish. Note most water comes out of the ground around 55 degrees, pond water during the summer is 70-85 degrees. They prefer a moderate water hardness, and temperatures from 50 to 70+ degrees Farenheit, and clean, well oxygenated water. Koi can only survive a short amount of time in temperatures that are almost freezing and only a short amount of time in high temperatures. Polluted water does not have enough oxygen for your Koi fish to breathe, and dirty water also supports bacteria and other disease causing organisms. Pond ph is one important factor. A ph reading of 7.0 is considered neutral, with readings higher than 7.0 up to 14 being alkaline, and readings lower than 7.0 acidic. You should test your water using a test kit, which produce accurate readings of ph, hardness and other parameters in a single test strip. The ideal ph for Koi is 7.5, 10
although most Koi will be okay at a stable and consistent level of 6.8 to 8.2. If the pond ph varies more than.5 in a 24 hour period this is called a ph swing, and it's very dangerous to the fish as this can interfere with their basic body functions, and make them prone to stress or disease. The reason for the ph swings is due to the normal C02 exchange cycle of plants between day and night. Usually the ph will rise a little during the day as the plants give off oxygen, then decrease at night when plants produce C02. Acid rain, run off, fish excrement, dead vegetation and limestone can also cause ph swings. Before you try to make adjustments to your ph, test your water hardness and alkalinity. If you just add a ph decreaser it may swing back again in 24 hours. If you have hard water you can use a Pond Acid Buffer which reduces the ph and also removes some of the buffering capacity to reduce the water hardness. If your water is soft and the ph low, a Pond ph Buffer will raise the ph and will add buffers to increase the water hardness, which should stabilize the ph. In medium to soft water, a ph adjusting product will work. ph increaser is recommended if acid rain or run off is the problem, and a ph decreaser lowers ph if limestone rocks are adding minerals to your pond. It is recommended that you change the water during the feeding season at the rate of 10% per week, 20% every 2 weeks, and 30% every three weeks. Lazy Koi keepers may do 40% a month, but it is better to do less more often. Sudden water temperature changes are not good for the fish. If you do use tap water you will need to add a chloramine remover to the pond. Also make sure to clean your filter twice a year, even if the water looks clear. 11
Adding salt to your pond will help control algae, detoxify Nitrites, help your fish control their electrolyte balance, and kill parasites. It also has antiseptic qualities. A pond that has added salt has been known to kill approximately 80% of parasitic infestations common to fresh water fish. It is recommended that you use 1 1/4 ounces of salt per 10 gallons of pond water. The maximum level of salt you can run without damage to the fish is 0.3%. This high salt level is used for treating fish wounds and parasites. To achieve this level you would add 3.8 oz of salt per 10 gallons. This salt level is better suited to fish in a hospital/quarantine tank as it will be too much for the rest of the pond fish. IMPORTANT: Make sure that the type of salt you use is iodine free. Table salt won't work as it contains iodine. You may use pure rock salt, but be sure it does not contain gravel. It is important to predissolve your salt prior to adding it to the pond or tank to avoid salt burns to your fish. Waterfalls add a lot of oxygen to the water, and will add a nice touch to the aesthetics of your pond. Also, if the pond gets a certain amount of sunlight during the day, this will add some oxygen to the pond. In extremely hot areas, a shade cloth is often used to make sure the pond does not get too much sunshine during the peak hours. It is especially important with baby fish to keep the water at optimum levels as they cannot tolerate ammonia accumulation or Nitrites. So as you feed heavily, water changes and nitrogen reduction in the filter is vital or they will die. WATER CONDITIONERS You will need a chlorine detox and heavy metal remover that is a high quality, multi-purpose water conditioner. Fritz Guard, for example contains Aloe Vera and Vitamin E. It enhances biofiltration by producing a coat over the fish to protect them. This product also 12
aids in the healing of wounds such as scrapings or wounds caused by netting, shipping, or hard water etc. PLANTS If you have healthy pond plants, these will help immensely with your water conditions, preventing algae build up among other things. As mentioned in the Koi Fish Ponds Made Easy ebook, the most important plant you should add is Anacharis. This is an underwater plant that uses up the nutrients that would otherwise feed the algae. 13
BEFORE YOU ADD THE KOI FISH Your pond may need more than a week for the conditions and good bacteria to stabilize once the plants have been added so that the conditions are optimum and ready for your Koi fish. Adding your fish too early will only result in losing them. So you have to be patient. Try not to buy your fish too small to begin with either, as they will hide and you won't get the enjoyment of seeing them swim around your pond. A good starting Koi fish size is 8-10 inches. With minimal fish, lots of plants and optimum filtration you will have a healthy pond and Koi fish that will last many years. Test your new pond at least twice a week to check the ammonia levels. You won't see ammonia in the test kit results for several days, and it may take a couple of weeks before the levels show up on the test kit. If your ammonia levels are not seen after a couple of weeks, you can start adding Koi to the pond. Some people add goldfish first, as they are less expensive and if they don't survive, the financial loss is not so great. After adding the first few fish, wait a month to allow your pond to cycle totally, and continue with regular testing of the water. It's a good idea to write down every reading so you can look back and see the changes. Don't clean your filters during the first break-in weeks as this will kill the good bacteria and will spike a raise in ammonia levels. 14
WHEN YOU PLANT THE POND PLANTS Try to keep the plants out of direct sunlight when you first get them. Also, make sure to add a mixture of clay to the potting soil otherwise the regular popular planting soils will be too light and the soil will float up out of the pots. Since you don't need holes or drainage in the bottom of the pots cover the holes with some burlap, as you will want to keep the soil around the plants quite secure. Get a 5 gallon pot for the lilies if you can as they like a lot of room. These will root in the bottom of your pond and the leaves float to the surface. Before you put the soil in the pots mix the clay and soil mixture together well so it's quite muddy. Put the plants in a shallow area to begin with while they establish and grow. Don't put lilies near the waterfall though as the water will damage the leaves. You will need to add a bit of fertilizer once a month or so, and places like Home Depot sell the fertilizer. For the floating plants, you will need to make a perimeter fence to contain them. This is easily done by using some wooden sticks tied together with fish line. This will keep your floating plants in a nice formed shape and stop them from swimming away. 15
You will also be planting oxygenating plants that will need to be submerged. You can root them and put gravel over the top to keep them in place. You'll need something to keep them submerged like lead weights or other heavy bags. It's up to you how you decide to do this. You can also plant your plants in plastic pots, and then use large rocks to keep them anchored to the pond floor. You can choose to plant your pond plants (except those that are floating varieties) in specially designed aquatic baskets. These usually have a type of aquatic compost that is low in nitrogen, and will allow your plants to stay submerged in the bottom of your pond. Pond plants also work by consuming nitrogen in the water. This naturally occurring chemical can be abundant if your pond has fish in it, and an oversupply of nitrogen can result in an overgrowth of algae. So by planting certain types of pond plants, you will end up with a clearer, healthier pond. Types of Pond Plants There are basically 5 different types of pond plants available to you. You will want to choose plants that are both pleasing to the eye and suitable for your particular pond type. Below you will find a brief description of the different types. CAUTION: Some plants are poisonous to fish, so make sure to research before purchasing! 1. Water lilies - They are a flowering plant, and come in a variety of different colors. These are probably the most common choice for most pond owners. 2. Oxygenators - These plants only live under the water's surface. They can either root in the pond floor or float under the water. 3. Floating plants - These will float on the surface of the water. 16
4. Marginals - These plants like to be planted in 3-6 inches of water. They tend to be flowering plants and work great on an inner shelf in your pond. 5. Bog plants - These plants are best to plant around the exterior of your pond. All they need is moist soil or mud to thrive. When setting up your pond plants, it is important to remember that they will get larger as time goes on. Your best bet will be to plant only a few plants to begin with, and then add more over time. Certain types of plants, like surface floating varieties can spread very quickly and cause an overgrowth in your pond in just a few short weeks. So allowing your plants time to acclimate themselves is always a good idea. 17
Common Diseases And Treatments Common illnesses in Koi are White spot disease, Dropsy disease, Anchor worms, Fish Lice and Ulcers. You may need a Koi expert or vet to diagnose the illness and prescribe the correct treatment. The most common signs that your fish is sick is lethargy, loss of appetite, rubbing its body against other objects, jumping around, or redness on its body. It's important to treat the fish as soon as possible for the best possible outcome. Usually, Koi disease will fall into two categories parasitic infections or bacterial infections. However, sunburn, dropsy and popeye are also common diseases. White spots on its body and fins usually means they have a type of parasite infection. You will have to treat the whole pond if this is the case. As stated, optimum salt levels will cut down on parasite infections. Your pond plants may perish if the salt levels are too high, so be sure to be careful when adding salt to the pond so you don't kill your plants. DesaFin can be added if the salt content is optimum, but your fish are still suffering from parasites. BACTERIAL INFECTIONS Ulcers, split fins, wounds, etc., are signs of bacterial infections. Melafix is a highly recommended over-the-counter solution for bacterial infections. If you monitor your fish on a regular basis, once 18
or twice a week, you should have enough time to treat any infections before they are life-threatening to your Koi fish. If you think one of your fish has a bacterial infection, it's best to quarantine it in an area big enough for it to swim, such as in a large tub. Make sure you aerate the water with a small air pump and air stone which you can get at your local supply store. It can take up to a month for the fish to be healthy again, but usually 10-14 days is the average time to cure your fish. You can avoid sunburn if you protect your fish from direct sunlight, and also by providing your Koi fish lots of aquatic plants. Rock shelves are a good idea when building your pond as they give your Koi fish a place to hide from predators and protection from direct sunlight. It is very important to isolate a fish that shows signs of sickness before it infects the other fish in your pond. This will save you a lot of money too in the long run. To make an isolation tank, you can buy a 300 gallon stock tank from Rubbermaid. These are available at Tractor supply stores or Farm Feed Stores. Make sure you purchase a filter, and secure it well so that a fish that is thrashing won't disable the filter. Duct tape will work. Since many Koi will be trying to jump out of the quarantine tank you will need to heighten the perimeter. You can do this with cardboard held in place with duct tape around the top edge which will prevent the fish from jumping out of the quarantine tank. Add salt to your quarantine tank, and don't forget to dissolve it first. You can do this by dissolving 3 lbs of water softener salt or rock salt in a bucket with hot water. Once the water has cooled and the salt dissolved, add it to the quarantine tank. It is recommended that you add 1 lb for every 100 gallons. Desafin and Melafix can now be added, according to the manufacturer's directions, and be sure to 19
dechlorinate the water too. You now have a good quarantine tank and have given your Koi a good chance of survival. 20
DIAGNOSING YOUR SICK KOI FISH To begin with, you have to inspect your Koi fish and ascertain its problems. If you get a wet towel, you can carry your fish to a flat well lit surface to inspect it. If it has open sores see if it looks white around the edges of these sores. If it does, you need to clean this off, as this is pus, signifying a bacterial infection. Gently clean it off with gauze pads, and apply a triple antibiotic petroleum jelly ointment. Then place the Koi in the quarantine tank. He will likely still try to jump out, mainly through fear. That's why you have to find a way to heighten the rim of the tank. You will have to continuously treat the pus and take care of your Koi for him to heal. Make sure to take a look at your other fish, in case they have already become infected. Early treatment is key. You must check the tank twice a day, making sure there are no ammonia levels. If you find yellow on your test strips, it's essential to change 25% of the water as soon as possible. After a week to ten days, if your fish is doing well and has improved you can add him back to the pond. If the fish is still sick, you must contact your vet for further advice and treatment. He may prescribe injections for your fish. If you keep your pond water at the right levels, you will greatly reduce the heartache and headache of treating sick fish. However, inevitably this does happen despite all your efforts. Just try your best to care for your fish and learn all you can about the fish and their pond environment. 21
Is It Male Or Female? If you gently turn the fish over and press its belly towards the vent and a white milky substance appears, it's a male, and if none is present, it is a female. The head and body on a male will be slimmer, whereas the female is more broad and fuller bodied. Sometimes the female will have a whiter head than a male. Male Koi have very small granular roughness on the leading edge of the pectoral fins and females do not have this roughness. It will look and feel like grains of salt on the leading boney ray of the pec fin. That's the fin right behind the Koi's head. If your Koi are under 10" it is impossible to decide the gender of the fish. They are too young to make a definite determination. After they exceed this length, the testes in males and the ovaries in females start to develop. The females are easier to determine as their bellies are usually more plump, whereas the males are more slim. 22
PREDATORS AND YOUR KOI FISH Yes, this lovely Blue Heron is just one of the predators that would love to eat your fish! In fact it's one of the biggest predators of your fish. Among others are raccoons, cats, birds, and other creatures looking for a good meal! That's why it's a good idea to build a shelf deep in your pond so your Koi can hide away from predators and keep plenty of plants for them to hide under. We mentioned in "Koi Fish Ponds Made Easy", some other options for protecting your Koi fish, such as a scarecrow activated sprinkler, a plastic blue heron, which makes the other herons think they arrived too late for food, an alligator decoy, or netting. You will have to decide based on your location and potential predators the best means that you can secure to protect your fish. Keeping the pond away from overhanging trees is essential, since many of the predators will patiently sit in the trees waiting for your fish. 23
SURVIVING THE WINTER If you've got a pond that is 3 feet deep, you can still keep your Koi outside in the pond. Make sure there is a hole for an air/gas exchange. As we talked about in the "Koi Fish Ponds Made Easy" ebook, you will need a heater if you live in harsh winter climates. The plants need extra care in the winter too. Lilies go dormant once the temperatures drop, so you will need to prune back the dead brown leaves during the winter months. If you plant tropical water lilies, they won't go dormant straight away and will survive several freezes. Some people put their lilies in a greenhouse during the winter to keep them for the following spring. They are usually kept in a big tub similar to the quarantine tank available at your Feed Store or Tractor Supply Company. If you feel the need, you can add a filter and keep your Koi this way too, so long as the ammonia levels are safe. If the Koi are large, it is recommended that you let them hibernate in the pond vs. transplanting them to an indoor/greenhouse tank. 24
SPAWNING/BREEDING YOUR KOI FISH Once the Koi males get ready for spawning they develop breeding areas on the head and pectoral fins, usually along the bones of the fin rays. They look like raised spots, quite fine in nature, and can easily be mistaken for white Ich disease. They are most obvious on the pectoral fins. The reason for this is the male will nudge the female with his head and fins which will start the spawning process. Koi usually breed during early summer, usually from March- September. If the water is below 67 degrees, this may not happen as easily. Once the water warms however, the Koi will spawn in great numbers. The female Koi will deposit her eggs on the pond walls, and you may see her coming to the edge of the pond to clean the area where she intends to lay the eggs. She will use her mouth to rub the sides of the pond. She will also lay eggs on the plants and the bottom of the pond. A lot of the eggs will not survive and often only a small percentage will go on to develop. Do not start feeding the babies until they are swimming horizontally in the water. They will hatch out and hang on the sides of the pond until they are ready. Air stones are needed to keep the water moving and aerated. If you want to try and ensure more Koi babies, you could place artificial spawning ropes in the pond so the Koi will leave her eggs on these instead of the pond's edge. To make your own spawning ropes you can cut 4-5 foot lengths of 1/2" thick nylon fiber rope and thread each one between the strands of a 4-5 foot rope of the same type. You will want to put the ropes more sunken into the pond and anchor them once you see the spawning season begin. This is signified by the males chasing the females and pushing into her with his mouth, nudging at her sides. 25
Once the spawning has taken place, you'll quite often notice the females will hang their heads down into the water, and the males stop chasing them so much. Unfortunately, the Koi will also eat the eggs, including the young Koi, so you may want to remove the spawning ropes and incubate them. For this you will need an incubator. There are various ways to go about this, but you will need a water container that holds about 100 gallons of water and something that is not made of toxic matter. You will need to make a valve inlet and outlet and screen the area with some very fine mesh. The water will have to be treated to stop the fungus from attacking dead eggs and spreading bacteria to the live ones. If the pond water temperature is over 70 degrees the eggs will hatch quicker. Three to four days is normal if the temperature is between 67 and 70 degrees and a bit longer if lower. You will see the eye in the eggs have a shine to them before hatching begins, and you can also see them wriggle around a bit before hatching takes place. Once they do hatch, they will try and hide wherever they can. They like to bond to the ropes that you have put in the incubator. It is of utmost importance that you have OPTIMUM oxygen levels for these fry to survive now, as they are totally relying on oxygen to fill the capillaries that envelop their yolk sac. They are born with only one fin initially, which will go on to develop and after 2-3 days they will swim to the surface. Shortly after this, they will be developed enough to be fed. 26
Hard boiled egg yolk is recommended for these early days. The Koi don't have taste buds yet and only feed because they see the food. You might have to scatter it all around them for them to find it. Brine shrimp larvae are a good food source and will give them extra nourishment that they need. You have to wait until they are about a week old before you can give them this however. After a couple of weeks you can feed them a mash diet the powdered particles from manufactured food. Make sure you keep all debris out of the incubation area consistently so your fish don't get sick. Be sure to keep adding clean water to remove the nitrates and ammonia. If you want to add tap water, it should be aerated so the chlorine will evaporate before it's added to the incubation tank. Koi Fish Value And Competitions To determine the value of a Koi fish it depends on its size, quality, and popularity of type. A small Koi (five to six inches long) costs about six dollars, but prize-winning Koi have been sold for over a hundred thousand dollars. The average show quality fish is worth two to three hundred dollars. A Koi of good pond quality can be valued at between $20 to $100. The fish are also judged on good shape such as a straight spine, no missing scales, bright pretty patterns and colors, and clear markings. Until a Koi reaches maturity, it is not known whether or not it will be of competition quality. Koi competitions are held in winter, usually after the breeding season. Competition Koi are usually 8 to 10 years old before they can be judged. Koi classifications are determined by size (ranging from 6 to 21 inches) within 16 different categories. Koi competitions are a great place for hobbyists and breeders alike to meet. 27
FINAL WORD I hope you have enjoyed reading this ebook. If you would like to send a testimonial for my web site, or if you need to contact me, please use this address: michele@easy-koi-ponds.com You are welcome to send pictures of your Koi fish/ponds for inclusion. Thank you. 28
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