I am new to the hobby and would like to get some help on pointing me in the right direction of some reputable koi Breeders in Southern California that deal with higher quality Japanese koi. Thanks for any help guys!
I am new to the hobby and would like to get some help on pointing me in the right direction of some reputable koi Breeders in Southern California that deal with higher quality Japanese koi. Thanks for any help guys!
I don't know of any "breeders" other than Barsow Koi Farm in California. There are several "dealers" in the SoCal area. Personally, I would start with Andrew's Koi International.
Mike
check out our website at: http://www.pond-life.net
"Our goal is to assist with emergency and Koi health issues, as well as educate on best practices. Please help us gain a clear picture by giving the original poster time to answer our questions before offering opinions and suggested treatments."
Great, so these guys are reputable and sell koi that are checked for Koi herpes and some of the other bad virus out there? I am asking because I want to make sure that I am going to responsible sellers. Thanks guys.
And always quarantine any fish that you buy, no matter where they come from.
Zone 7 A/B
Keep your words sweet. You never know when you may have to eat them.
Richard
If you buy koi only from one reputable dealer, then why quarantine?
All jokes aside, Quarantine is the safest way to go.
I know a lot of owners here in California who QT with proper setup. But I'm sure the "average" garden pond owner in SoCal or any other state doesn't QT. People who own what most on this site would refer to as "high end" koi are not the average keeper. The differentiator in who does or doesn't is most likely the cost of the koi rather than the region the live in.
I think this is very much the case. When the cost of a major loss due to the exposure to KHV is more than the you could afford to replace, then it is time to make sure that proper quarantine is a part of your hobby. When we started there was nothing done to the fish before introducing them to the pond, then as things got more expensive, the salt dip was a good method of removing parasites, but then along came KHV, and it could not be treated, so quarantine was a must.
Zone 7 A/B
Keep your words sweet. You never know when you may have to eat them.
Richard
Wow, lots of great advice and many thanks to all.