Identify this monster

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
walls;652047; said:
Nice fish!

Now for the bad..........

1. It is a cold water fish and making him adapt to the tropical temps of the tank is "wrong" and will eventually stress him/her out.

2. IMO you took a huge risk putting that fish in with your established fish. Who knows what pathogens you have now introduced into your tank.

3. KOI generally do not thirive in a "tank" environment. I would suggest putting him back in the pond/pool he was in.

Not flaming just voicing my opinion. ;)

all true, however all of the carp family have been known to not just survive, but thrive in water parameters well outside their "normal"
 
just make sure that your heater doesn't break or that the temps in your area don't get above 82. at 82, they start getting lethargic, and around 84, they start dying.
 
Koi can take hot and cold water. When the water is warm, up the food intake and let them grow. Keep the water at around 78-82 and hyper feed. The fish should get to about 18 inches in 3 years at normal seasonal cycles and daily feeding, then hit a growth spurt for the next 2 years. If you want big koi fast then bring them in every winter and feed them to bulk them up, otherwise they hybernate and don't eat or move for a couple months. I got some of my moms to 28 inches and about 18 lbs in the same amount of time by never letting them hybernate. We would bring them in for the first couple years. Her oldest koi is 15 years old, has been blind since birth, is about 32 inches and weighs about 21 lbs at the end of summer.

All of my koi are fry from my moms koi. I don't do the winter feeding thing anymore. Too much $$ in food to feed a bunch of 10 lbs fish.
 
Koi thrive better in cold"er" waters. Meaning 60 degrees to about 75-80ish. They however should not stay in tropical temps all the time. Many of your forget that a fish tank heater is on all the time, so the water temp never fluctuates. With a pond, the water changes temp because of where the sun is at different times of the day.

Koi are POND fish, no matter what the size. They should NEVER be in a tank, unless for QT purposes. Not to mention that tropical fish, and koi have different nutritional needs.

This is a very beautiful koi, and you are lucky to have caught it, but you should put it back in your outdoor pool (pond?) and if you can't house it properly, find someone who can. That fish needs atleast 500 gallons.
 
tunerX;1197820; said:
Koi can take hot and cold water. When the water is warm, up the food intake and let them grow. Keep the water at around 78-82 and hyper feed. The fish should get to about 18 inches in 3 years at normal seasonal cycles and daily feeding, then hit a growth spurt for the next 2 years. If you want big koi fast then bring them in every winter and feed them to bulk them up, otherwise they hybernate and don't eat or move for a couple months. I got some of my moms to 28 inches and about 18 lbs in the same amount of time by never letting them hybernate. We would bring them in for the first couple years. Her oldest koi is 15 years old, has been blind since birth, is about 32 inches and weighs about 21 lbs at the end of summer.

All of my koi are fry from my moms koi. I don't do the winter feeding thing anymore. Too much $$ in food to feed a bunch of 10 lbs fish.

Has been blind since birth? Maybe you should start letting them have their normal cycles (hibernation) and your offspring would be a little better.

I don't get why people keep fish if they can't keep them correctly. Let me take your sleep cycle and see how you react... they go through hibernation for a reason.

Just because they are big, doesn't mean that they are healthy!!!! :screwy:
 
Huh???? this thread is three years ago.......
 
MonsterFishKeepers.com