Koi Spawning

[Mike C]

My Koi appear to be spawning. I've never noticed this behavior before
as they were probably too young. I found clear small balls floating on
the top of the pond in clumps. I removed them the second time I saw
them to a separate container (the first time I left them and they
appeared to be eaten). Are these fertilized eggs, or did I remove them
to soon? How do you know the difference between fertilized and
non-fertilized eggs?

[Mike C]

Silly me. I think what I scooped up was actually Koi semen. 30
minutes after I put it in the container, it was dissolved. It looked
like foam when I first scooped i tup.

[RichToyBox]

Koi eggs are generally not found floating out in the pond. The female is
pushed against the side of the pond, plant pots, plants, rocks, or whatever
is handy to help her expel the eggs. The eggs, at least once fertilized,
which is being done by the male during expulsion, are very sticky and will
be stuck to the plants, rocks, liner, pots or whatever. They are generally
a light amber color and cover everything. If the number of fish spawning is
fairly high, there will be a coating of milt on the surface of the water
that will be kind of whitish, and may be foamy. With high levels, it will
have a very definite aroma, the smell of sex. If the fish have been
spawning, there are very high levels of protein in the eggs and milt, and
this will lead to very high ammonia levels, so be sure to check for ammonia
and treat with amquel or similar. The ammonia will be taken care of by the
filter bacteria within a few days, but nitrites will shoot up, and it may
take weeks for them to come back down.
--
RichToyBox
http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html

"Mike C" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> My Koi appear to be spawning. I've never noticed this behavior before
> as they were probably too young. I found clear small balls floating on
> the top of the pond in clumps. I removed them the second time I saw
> them to a separate container (the first time I left them and they
> appeared to be eaten). Are these fertilized eggs, or did I remove them
> to soon? How do you know the difference between fertilized and
> non-fertilized eggs?
>

[Derek Broughton]

Mike C wrote:

> Silly me. I think what I scooped up was actually Koi semen. 30
> minutes after I put it in the container, it was dissolved. It looked
> like foam when I first scooped i tup.

Exactly right! Spawning is one of the primary causes of foam in a garden
pond. It _is_ a good idea to scoop out the foam.
--
derek

[Reel McKoi]

"Derek Broughton" > wrote in message
...
> Mike C wrote:
>
> > Silly me. I think what I scooped up was actually Koi semen. 30
> > minutes after I put it in the container, it was dissolved. It looked
> > like foam when I first scooped i tup.
>
> Exactly right! Spawning is one of the primary causes of foam in a garden
> pond. It _is_ a good idea to scoop out the foam.
> --
> derek
=========================
Because my ponds are netted that would be a real pain in the keester. It
disappears in 24 hours on it's own. The first time they spawned several
years ago I checked for an ammonia spike - there was none.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Derek Broughton]

Reel McKoi wrote:

>
> "Derek Broughton" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Mike C wrote:
>>
>> > Silly me. I think what I scooped up was actually Koi semen. 30
>> > minutes after I put it in the container, it was dissolved. It looked
>> > like foam when I first scooped i tup.
>>
>> Exactly right! Spawning is one of the primary causes of foam in a garden
>> pond. It _is_ a good idea to scoop out the foam.

> Because my ponds are netted that would be a real pain in the keester. It
> disappears in 24 hours on it's own. The first time they spawned several
> years ago I checked for an ammonia spike - there was none.

It's not a hard rule - and the bigger your pond the less likely it is to
cause trouble. If ammonia never appeared, it's not a problem at all. But
foam of any kind indicates a high organic load in the pond, and scooping it
as it develops is the simplest form of control. If it was a real problem,
then you'd want to consider a protein skimmer - which wouldn't be a problem
with a netted pond.
--
derek

[Mike C]

If I find the eggs, is it wise too remove them? My pond is fairly
small and I would imagine they would probably all be eaten otherwise.

[George]

"Derek Broughton" > wrote in message
...
> Reel McKoi wrote:
>
>>
>> "Derek Broughton" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Mike C wrote:
>>>
>>> > Silly me. I think what I scooped up was actually Koi semen. 30
>>> > minutes after I put it in the container, it was dissolved. It looked
>>> > like foam when I first scooped i tup.
>>>
>>> Exactly right! Spawning is one of the primary causes of foam in a garden
>>> pond. It _is_ a good idea to scoop out the foam.
>
>> Because my ponds are netted that would be a real pain in the keester. It
>> disappears in 24 hours on it's own. The first time they spawned several
>> years ago I checked for an ammonia spike - there was none.
>
> It's not a hard rule - and the bigger your pond the less likely it is to
> cause trouble. If ammonia never appeared, it's not a problem at all. But
> foam of any kind indicates a high organic load in the pond, and scooping it
> as it develops is the simplest form of control. If it was a real problem,
> then you'd want to consider a protein skimmer - which wouldn't be a problem
> with a netted pond.
> --
> derek


Hmmm. I have a reef tank, and everything I've ever read about protein skimmers
(I have two different ones) says that they don't work with fresh water. I
haven't actually attempted to use one this way so I am just going by what I have
read. Something about the surface tension being to low in freshwater. Now, if
the water was really fouled up, it might work for a while.

[Reel McKoi]

"Derek Broughton" > wrote in message
...
> Reel McKoi wrote:
>
> >
> > "Derek Broughton" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >> Mike C wrote:
> >>
> >> > Silly me. I think what I scooped up was actually Koi semen. 30
> >> > minutes after I put it in the container, it was dissolved. It looked
> >> > like foam when I first scooped i tup.
> >>
> >> Exactly right! Spawning is one of the primary causes of foam in a
garden
> >> pond. It _is_ a good idea to scoop out the foam.
>
> > Because my ponds are netted that would be a real pain in the keester.
It
> > disappears in 24 hours on it's own. The first time they spawned several
> > years ago I checked for an ammonia spike - there was none.
>
> It's not a hard rule - and the bigger your pond the less likely it is to
> cause trouble. If ammonia never appeared, it's not a problem at all. But
> foam of any kind indicates a high organic load in the pond, and scooping
it
> as it develops is the simplest form of control. If it was a real problem,
> then you'd want to consider a protein skimmer - which wouldn't be a
problem
> with a netted pond.
> --
> derek
============
I don't think it would be worth the cost considering they only breed a few
times in the spring.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Reel McKoi]

"Mike C" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> If I find the eggs, is it wise too remove them? My pond is fairly
> small and I would imagine they would probably all be eaten otherwise.
=========================================
I removed the eggs this year. They were stuck to several bunches of parrots
feather. Few survive if left with the adult fish.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[George]

"Reel McKoi" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Mike C" > wrote in message
> ups.com...
>> If I find the eggs, is it wise too remove them? My pond is fairly
>> small and I would imagine they would probably all be eaten otherwise.
> =========================================
> I removed the eggs this year. They were stuck to several bunches of parrots
> feather. Few survive if left with the adult fish.
> --
> McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
> ~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

If you remove the eggs, they must be aerated in order for them to have a change
at surviving. You can do this by using an airstone to run of gentle stream of
air bubbles over the eggs. Oh, and keep the temperature steady.

[Reel McKoi]

"George" > wrote in message
news:D7vce.27502$WI3.23874@attbi_s71...
>
> "Reel McKoi" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > "Mike C" > wrote in message
> > ups.com...
> >> If I find the eggs, is it wise too remove them? My pond is fairly
> >> small and I would imagine they would probably all be eaten otherwise.
> > =========================================
> > I removed the eggs this year. They were stuck to several bunches of
parrots
> > feather. Few survive if left with the adult fish.
> > --
> > McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
> > ~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>
>
> If you remove the eggs, they must be aerated in order for them to have a
change
> at surviving.

## I did not aerate them. I dropped the parrots feather in 3 barrels and
one 150 gallon kiddy pool. They hatched in less than a week.

You can do this by using an airstone to run of gentle stream of
> air bubbles over the eggs. Oh, and keep the temperature steady.

## You can't do that outside in large tubs or pools (zone 6).
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[George]

"Reel McKoi" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Mike C" > wrote in message
> ups.com...
>> If I find the eggs, is it wise too remove them? My pond is fairly
>> small and I would imagine they would probably all be eaten otherwise.
> =========================================
> I removed the eggs this year. They were stuck to several bunches of parrots
> feather. Few survive if left with the adult fish.
> --
> McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
> ~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

Here is a good article on spawning koi:

http://www.akca.org/library/spawn2.htm

[Derek Broughton]

George wrote:

> "Derek Broughton" > wrote in message
> ...
>
> Hmmm. I have a reef tank, and everything I've ever read about protein
> skimmers
> (I have two different ones) says that they don't work with fresh water. I
> haven't actually attempted to use one this way so I am just going by what
> I have
> read. Something about the surface tension being to low in freshwater.
> Now, if the water was really fouled up, it might work for a while.

Everything you will read about protein skimmers says they're not nearly as
effective in fresh water. That doesn't mean they don't work. Think about
it. We've all seen foam at the bottom of water falls - often in cleaner
water than we have in our ponds. Steve Meyer, who wrote about pond fish
for years in AFM magazine swears by them for ponds.
--
derek

[George]

"Reel McKoi" > wrote in message
...
>
> "George" > wrote in message
> news:D7vce.27502$WI3.23874@attbi_s71...
>>
>> "Reel McKoi" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> >
>> > "Mike C" > wrote in message
>> > ups.com...
>> >> If I find the eggs, is it wise too remove them? My pond is fairly
>> >> small and I would imagine they would probably all be eaten otherwise.
>> > =========================================
>> > I removed the eggs this year. They were stuck to several bunches of
> parrots
>> > feather. Few survive if left with the adult fish.
>> > --
>> > McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
>> > ~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>
>>
>> If you remove the eggs, they must be aerated in order for them to have a
> change
>> at surviving.
>
> ## I did not aerate them. I dropped the parrots feather in 3 barrels and
> one 150 gallon kiddy pool. They hatched in less than a week.
>
> You can do this by using an airstone to run of gentle stream of
>> air bubbles over the eggs. Oh, and keep the temperature steady.
>
> ## You can't do that outside in large tubs or pools (zone 6).
> --
> McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
> ~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

No, but you can do it indoors, in a small aquarium set up as an incubator.

[Reel McKoi]

"George" > wrote in message
news:C4zce.27852$WI3.12093@attbi_s71...
>
> "Reel McKoi" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > "George" > wrote in message
> > news:D7vce.27502$WI3.23874@attbi_s71...
> >>
> >> "Reel McKoi" > wrote in message
> >> ...
> >> >
> >> > "Mike C" > wrote in message
> >> > ups.com...
> >> >> If I find the eggs, is it wise too remove them? My pond is fairly
> >> >> small and I would imagine they would probably all be eaten
otherwise.
> >> > =========================================
> >> > I removed the eggs this year. They were stuck to several bunches of
> > parrots
> >> > feather. Few survive if left with the adult fish.
> >> > --
> >> > McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
> >> > ~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>
> >>
> >> If you remove the eggs, they must be aerated in order for them to have
a
> > change
> >> at surviving.
> >
> > ## I did not aerate them. I dropped the parrots feather in 3 barrels
and
> > one 150 gallon kiddy pool. They hatched in less than a week.
> >
> > You can do this by using an airstone to run of gentle stream of
> >> air bubbles over the eggs. Oh, and keep the temperature steady.
> >
> > ## You can't do that outside in large tubs or pools (zone 6).
> > --
> > McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
> > ~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>
>
> No, but you can do it indoors, in a small aquarium set up as an incubator.
=========================
I have hundreds, perhaps a thousand fry. I just bought two more 150 gallon
kiddy pools for behind the house to raise them in. Now I need to get some
more small powerheads to make filters. I never expected this many fry....
They came through this last cold snap just fine.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Koitoy]

Exactly right! Spawning is one of the primary causes of foam in a
garden
pond. It _is_ a good idea to scoop out the foam.
--
derek

Oh thank goodness. I had some white foam in the pond today and I am
like- what is wrong? What did I do? I found my first Koi baby today.
Amongst the >100 black baby comets he stands out. He is only about 3/4
of an inch long. He is white with a big red polka dot on his back. He
must be a Koi right? All my other babies stay black for what seems a
long time. I am tempted to net him to look for tiny barbs. lol I will
resist the urge.


--
Koitoy

[Derek Broughton]

Koitoy wrote:

>
> Exactly right! Spawning is one of the primary causes of foam in a
> garden
> pond. It _is_ a good idea to scoop out the foam.
>
> Oh thank goodness. I had some white foam in the pond today and I am
> like- what is wrong? What did I do? I found my first Koi baby today.
> Amongst the >100 black baby comets he stands out. He is only about 3/4
> of an inch long. He is white with a big red polka dot on his back. He
> must be a Koi right? All my other babies stay black for what seems a
> long time. I am tempted to net him to look for tiny barbs. lol I will
> resist the urge.

I don't think you can be certain he's a koi just because of a spot of color.
Goldfish get their color at widely varying ages. But I don't recall seeing
a "big red polka dot" on a 3/4" comet before.
--
derek