UK - overstocked pond

[rburr49]

We have had our 250 gallon pond for around six years and now 7 Koi in
it - a number of which were from when we built the pond. The pond is
well-oxygenated and well filtered. However the fish have grown
considerably and we reckon there is 84" of fish now which as we
understand it means we have roughly 4x as much fish as we should have
for the volume of water. They are nonetheless healthy and we're fond of
them but some will have to go. What are our options? We would like the
ones we get rid of to a) go to a good home (natch) and ideally
together. Of course they must be worth a few quid but that is secondary
to us (but we're not daft). We have 3 or 4 16"+ ones we would have to
remove and would keep 3 including one really nice large one.

If we want to sell them, where can we best sell them and is it
practical to send them to someone rather than have them collected? how?

Can we release them into the wild? (There's a nice NT place near us
that has a pond full of carp but we suspect if we asked permission they
would say no).

What other options?

Thanks,
RB

[Reel Mckoi]

"rburr49" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> We have had our 250 gallon pond for around six years and now 7 Koi in
> it - a number of which were from when we built the pond. The pond is
> well-oxygenated and well filtered. However the fish have grown
> considerably and we reckon there is 84" of fish now which as we
> understand it means we have roughly 4x as much fish as we should have
> for the volume of water. They are nonetheless healthy and we're fond of
> them but some will have to go. What are our options? We would like the
> ones we get rid of to a) go to a good home (natch) and ideally
> together. Of course they must be worth a few quid but that is secondary
> to us (but we're not daft). We have 3 or 4 16"+ ones we would have to
> remove and would keep 3 including one really nice large one.
>
> If we want to sell them, where can we best sell them and is it
> practical to send them to someone rather than have them collected? how?
>
> Can we release them into the wild? (There's a nice NT place near us
> that has a pond full of carp but we suspect if we asked permission they
> would say no).
>
> What other options?
========================
I sell most of my extra koi to Aquarium stores that also sell pond supplies.
Surely you have places like that in the UK. You will get roughly 30 to 40%
of their retail value. Chain stores usually have contracts so wont buy them
or even take them for free. You can put up index card ads all over your
district. Here people put these cards on church and store bulletin boards
such as the laundromats and variety stores have. Try a Penny Pincher
newspaper. A local koi or pond club may be able to help. Or better yet get
out that shovel and dig yourself a nice big pond. ;-)
--
McKoi.... frugal ponding since 1995...
My Pond Page http://tinyurl.com/cuq5b
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Gale Pearce]

We have 3 or 4 16"+ ones we would have to
> remove and would keep 3 including one really nice large one.
>
> If we want to sell them, where can we best sell them and is it
> practical to send them to someone rather than have them collected? how?
>
> Can we release them into the wild? (There's a nice NT place near us
> that has a pond full of carp but we suspect if we asked permission they
> would say no).
Most jurisdictions over here in North America have laws against releasing
non- native species of any thing into the wild - it really screws up your
native eco system and plays havoc with the species native to the area - one
example is the enormous giant carp from South Eastern Asia in the southern
US
Euthanasia is probably best if no other "home" can be found for them
Just my 2 cents worth Gale :~)

[DavidM]

rburr49 wrote:
> We have had our 250 gallon pond for around six years and now 7 Koi in
> it - a number of which were from when we built the pond. The pond is
> well-oxygenated and well filtered. However the fish have grown
> considerably and we reckon there is 84" of fish now which as we
> understand it means we have roughly 4x as much fish as we should have
> for the volume of water. They are nonetheless healthy and we're fond of
> them but some will have to go. What are our options? We would like the
> ones we get rid of to a) go to a good home (natch) and ideally
> together. Of course they must be worth a few quid but that is secondary
> to us (but we're not daft). We have 3 or 4 16"+ ones we would have to
> remove and would keep 3 including one really nice large one.

I've got a pond in north essex which is understocked, a 15" ghost and
10" Japanese koi. I would be happy to give a good home to one or two
fish, the pond is around 900 gallons and well looked after.
Let me know if you are local.
David

--
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\_/ \_/
DavidM

[Gail Futoran]

"rburr49" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> We have had our 250 gallon pond for around six years and now 7 Koi in
> it - a number of which were from when we built the pond. The pond is
> well-oxygenated and well filtered. However the fish have grown
> considerably and we reckon there is 84" of fish now which as we
> understand it means we have roughly 4x as much fish as we should have
> for the volume of water. They are nonetheless healthy and we're fond of
> them but some will have to go. What are our options? We would like the
> ones we get rid of to a) go to a good home (natch) and ideally
> together. Of course they must be worth a few quid but that is secondary
> to us (but we're not daft). We have 3 or 4 16"+ ones we would have to
> remove and would keep 3 including one really nice large one.
>
> If we want to sell them, where can we best sell them and is it
> practical to send them to someone rather than have them collected? how?
>
> Can we release them into the wild? (There's a nice NT place near us
> that has a pond full of carp but we suspect if we asked permission they
> would say no).
>
> What other options?
>
> Thanks,
> RB

Can you locate a local (or regional) water
gardens/goldfish/koi club? That to me would
be the best way to go. Surely they would
know of people who were looking for
koi to purchase or "rescue".

Even a pet shop that carries goldfish and
koi might know of people who are interested.

I definitely would not release them into the
wild, but check your local laws.

Gail

[~ jan JJsPond.us]

>On 14 Sep 2005 07:07:14 -0700, "rburr49" > wrote:

>We have had our 250 gallon pond for around six years and now 7 Koi in
>it -

How deep is your current pond? The reason I ask is because since your koi
have grown up in this pond, and if it is under 3' deep, they may not be
able to take being in a pond deeper than 3'. This has something to do with
the water pressure, their age and their muscle conditioning.

>Can we release them into the wild? (There's a nice NT place near us
>that has a pond full of carp but we suspect if we asked permission they
>would say no).

What's NT? If a private lake or pond (not the wild), ALWAYS ask.
You could find out that they eat what they catch. Or they poison the
lake/pond periodically because of other people putting in strays without
asking. ~ jan

See my ponds and filter design:
www.jjspond.us

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
To e-mail see website

[Rodney Pont]

On Wed, 14 Sep 2005 12:08:08 -0400, Gale Pearce wrote:

> We have 3 or 4 16"+ ones we would have to
>> remove and would keep 3 including one really nice large one.
>>
>> If we want to sell them, where can we best sell them and is it
>> practical to send them to someone rather than have them collected? how?
>>
>> Can we release them into the wild? (There's a nice NT place near us
>> that has a pond full of carp but we suspect if we asked permission they
>> would say no).
>Most jurisdictions over here in North America have laws against releasing
>non- native species of any thing into the wild - it really screws up your
>native eco system and plays havoc with the species native to the area - one
>example is the enormous giant carp from South Eastern Asia in the southern
>US

It is illegal to release pond fish into the wild in the UK. People have
been doing this and that has caused the government to stop us keeping
fish that can damage the ecosystem. Koi and goldfish tend to be
somewhat visible and are soon preyed upon but there is still the chance
that you could introduce some disease that the native fish population
has no immunity to.

It's always worth asking at the NT (National Trust?) just in case they
are considering ornamental fish but as you say it's unlikely. They may
have somewhere else where a pond was built for ornamental fish though
and in that case they may be grateful for the donation.

--
Regards - Rodney Pont
The from address exists but is mostly dumped,
please send any emails to the address below
e-mail ngpsm4 (at) infohitsystems (dot) ltd (dot) uk

[Koitoy]

My advise is to give them away. This forum has an adoption forum- no
selling allowed. http://www.koi.com.my/

I gave two butterfly Koi away a few years ago. I was able to get pics
of their progress in their new home. It was very nice and I felt good
because I was kept updated and I knew their new owner really cared for
them. That type of feeling was so much better then selling them to a
store, and not knowing what happened to them. Good luck in whatever
you decide.


--
Koitoy