Can you judge these showas, please?

[Matt24]

Thanks Kevins2ooo. I like male too. I just afraid they damage the females when mating season arrives.
Do you know how to prevent it?

If you like keeping adult males and females together, there is a way to greatly reduce the likelihood of spawning. That is to not give them any good spawning media to lay their eggs on. I don't keep any aquatic plants in my main pond, other than some algae on the sides. I also try not to let many fallen leaves gather up anywhere. In 16+ years I have not had a flock spawn in the main pond (* see note below). That said, it's not a perfect system and things can happen. A tree branch might blow into the pond or a koi net might fall in that they could spawn on or they may just decide to spawn anyway. But in my pond, it has been very rare. And I've never had a female get hurt from it. [Your mileage may vary.]

* Late one night about 12 years ago, we heard the koi splashing outside. I went out and saw a 12" female being chased by a big male. They were just getting started. I checked the sides and verified she had indeed laid just the first few eggs. I figured that soon the other 15 or so adult males would join in and she was at high risk. So the next time they swam by, I dipped her out and let her dump the rest of her eggs in a separate tub overnight. Everybody was fine.

[DeepThought]

I’ve had a 6,000 gallon pond for about a year and a half. It is my first pond. Most of my fish were bought when tossai, so they are mixed, male and female. I just read above that the males can harm the females when they gone into sexual maturity. How much do I have to worry about this?

[Matt24]

I’ve had a 6,000 gallon pond for about a year and a half. It is my first pond. Most of my fish were bought when tossai, so they are mixed, male and female. I just read above that the males can harm the females when they gone into sexual maturity. How much do I have to worry about this?

All your koi being about the same age helps reduce risk, since you won't have big males pushing a small female. I've never lost a female from a spawn in 30 plus years, but I know of some people say they have, and I don't know how common it is. A few of the things that can affect your odds of a female being harmed include ...

• Whether your pond has plants or many fallen leaves or anything else that might serve as spawning media for your koi
• Whether your pond has rocks in it or just around the edges or not at all, or any other hard surface that could increase chances of injury
• The number of males. Where 3 or 4 may not be too bad, a dozen or more can make for a more violent spawn.
• Whether your pond is close enough to where you sleep for the koi to wake you with splashing so you can rescue a female if needed

[BenDalat]

New year, new pics

[BenDalat]