Well i learned something today, really shows how much effort is put towards selectively breeding koi.
Koi in a tank
- Thread starter Loulou
- Start date
A MFKer's idea of normal differ's greatly from that of the average fishkeeper.mshill90;4227670; said:
And also, I like the look of koi in tanks better than in ponds (I prefer to watch fish from the side rather than the top reguardless of their patterning).
Mshill makes some decent points and I see his view but I would prefer one in a large tank myself than in a pond of equal size, but it is easier and cheaper to get a large pond to where the koi can flourish. The debate should also lie in the point of how large of a tank would koi be alright in, theres a mall down the road from me thats a 1200 gallon tank (all glass) that has effectively housed koi ever since I can remember (8yrs or so)
VERY NEW! I have 2 Butterfly Koi refereed to in the store as small. the body is maybe 3" each. I have a 29 gal tank and they have been doing well with bi weekly water changes. the numbers on the test kits say all is good. I truly understand the need for a pond. But can not afford one. My 2 Koi are darting around eating well and seem to be very happy. I have plans on setting up a nice 40 gal long tank to put them in to so I can see more racing.
Other than being on top of cleaning and caring what is the actuall growth rate of Koi. like year 1 - 1" year 2 - 4"??? any knowlege on that information to share please.
Something I am interested in is how do you tell the sexes apart. When I get a big pond I want to have the answers.
Thanks you
Mike
PS I also like the side view and watching them doing the swimming then. Don't really get the top down viewing.
First reply be kind
Other than being on top of cleaning and caring what is the actuall growth rate of Koi. like year 1 - 1" year 2 - 4"??? any knowlege on that information to share please.
Something I am interested in is how do you tell the sexes apart. When I get a big pond I want to have the answers.
Thanks you
Mike
PS I also like the side view and watching them doing the swimming then. Don't really get the top down viewing.
First reply be kind
LoganBlade;4228740; said:VERY NEW! I have 2 Butterfly Koi refereed to in the store as small. the body is maybe 3" each. I have a 29 gal tank and they have been doing well with bi weekly water changes. the numbers on the test kits say all is good. I truly understand the need for a pond. But can not afford one. My 2 Koi are darting around eating well and seem to be very happy. I have plans on setting up a nice 40 gal long tank to put them in to so I can see more racing.
Other than being on top of cleaning and caring what is the actuall growth rate of Koi. like year 1 - 1" year 2 - 4"??? any knowlege on that information to share please.
Something I am interested in is how do you tell the sexes apart. When I get a big pond I want to have the answers.
Thanks you
Mike
PS I also like the side view and watching them doing the swimming then. Don't really get the top down viewing.
First reply be kind
Koi don't really have an average yearly growth. It's normal for them to be about 4" at around 4 months old, but after that, it's really up to the fish. I have an 8 month old fish, and she is at 18" and has already spawned.
As far as sexing... for standard fin, Females have more rounded transparent fins, while males are more pointed, and generally have color in them. The males also have a long cylindrical body, while female majority of the time have a belly on them.
For Butterfly koi, sexing them is strictly based on venting.
Also, larger mouths means larger growth potential.
koi make brilliant tank mates for asian aros! lol not too many tho, one or two nice ones, big tanks and koi is definitely a good look, lights and viability of tanks really enhances the look of a koi too...
