Koi

[Bill Jobe]

Are there any koi keepers here?

[Jim Becker]

We chose not to do Koi because the pond would have needed to be another foot or a foot and a half deeper to successfully over-winter them. Our fish are comets and shabunkin, both of which are considered "goldfish" and very hearty. They reproduce and interbreed and every couple of years, we add a few "Fresh" ones from Agway for genetic diversity. They have been going for nearly two decades now. Our pond limits them to about 9-10" in growth. We did have one Koi in there that was a 'rescue' last fall, but he/she didn't last the winter, sadly.

[Lee Schierer]

A few years ago some people we knew put in a Koi pond in there back yard. They got it all set up and put in a dozen fish. A week later they noticed that there were only 9 fish. Two days later there were only 7. They never saw anything bothering the fish. Finally after they were down to 4 or 5 fish, they borrowed a game camera. what they discovered was a Great Blue Heron would arrive about dawn each day and it would catch a fish or two and leave. The had t put chicken wire over the water to stop the heron.

[Bill Jobe]

Yep. I've known a lot of koi keepers look out the window only to see a heron fly away with their favorite one.
Many times I'd look out at night and see raccoons reaching over the edge trying to grab a fish, but I never lost one that way.
Some of the very finest koi in Japan can go for a million dollars or more. I would not be able to go to sleep at night with koi that fine.

[Jim Becker]

We used to use a net over the pond to deal with the "local blue heron", but last year I switched to a grid of monofilament over our small pond to deal with that. Multiple times we encountered the bird either in the act or thinking about it. The heron hasn't had a snack from our pond now for years because of the covering. He/she isn't starving, however...the local stream provides plenty of food. :) I much prefer the monofilament because it's "invisible" from a day to day basis. I used some short piece of rebar painted black and spaced around the pond to provide about a 2' x 2' grid pattern. This obviously would be impractical for a large pond, but for the small ~ 10'x8' one we have off the patio, it works just fine.

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[Bill Jobe]

Yep, that's a great idea, Jim.
I know of several ponders who use monofilament and say it works great.
They don't see it and one attempt to scarf up a fish only to find themselves tangled up in line usually keeps them away.
We have lots of eagles where we live and I've seen them appear to be eyeballing my koi, and a hawk used to sit in a big oak tree near my pond, but the only fish I ever lost was due to my inexperience dealing with health issues.
I have a theory as to why a koi will behave as though it has gill flukes and such that cause them to spit their food out, but I never could convince anyone else.
Koi have 2 molars that they use to crush food against a bony area in the throat. These teeth fall out and are replaced many times over their lifetime and I think when they spit food and the owner nets and scrapes the fish to view a sample under a microscope and finds nothing (as I once did), that fish either has a loose tooth or a missing tooth that is causing pain. Just my opinion, but none of the experts I knew back then agreed.

[Michael Weber]

I never understood the fascination with keeping fish until I saw some expensive Koi upclose while on vacation in the PNW. then I understood.

[Ken Combs]

BIL had the missing fish syndrome also. When he saw the culprit in action, he drained the pond.

Snakes!

He and wife hate those things, so the attractant had to go!

[Bill Jobe]

BIL had the missing fish syndrome also. When he saw the culprit in action, he drained the pond.

Snakes!

He and wife hate those things, so the attractant had to go!

That would do it for me, as well.
I know of a couple of koi keepers who had their koi stolen, as in, taken by thieves who were aware of the value of their fish.

[Bill McNiel]

Only in the Islands.

[Tom M King]

We have an over population of Ospreys, so no Koi in these parts whether anyone wants any, or not.