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  • Results 1 to 7 of 7

    Thread: sizing question

    1. #1
      Melinda1102 is offline Supporting Member
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      sizing question

      I had a random spawn late in the year and pulled out one floating plant to see if the eggs hatched and to watch development. Thought it would be fun and a good learning experience. Well the babies are only 2 inches long and not really sure what to do with them this winter. They are in my goldfish pond which I am seeing a big temperature change through out the day. My idea was maybe they would be big enough to put in with the koi. I put in 2 as an experiment and they became food. At what size will it become safe for them not to just be snacks for the bigger guys? And my bigger guys the largest is only 17 inches.
      Learn by experience.................Preferably other peoples

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    2. #2
      Orlando is offline Senior Member
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      I have put .75" in with some of my adults to see what would happen and to my surprise they all made it, I think you need to feed your koi more. Having said that if you've been backing down on food due to water temperatures that's probably why they became snacks I recommend you get a small vat if possible and place it somewhere in the garage or where it wouldn't be in the way during the winter and later in the spring introduce them to the pond.

    3. #3
      montwila's Avatar
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      Koi are generally not cannibalistic.

      Not knowing your pond. Is there a place they could be hiding such as inside a plants vegetation or under a rock? If they are starving then maybe a 2" koi is the same as a dragonfly larvae to a 17" fish as Orlando suggests.

      If your goldfish pond has temperature swings and the koi pond does not. Then sequester the babies in a place the older/larger koi cannot get to in your koi pond. I often use floating cages when adding fingerlings to my lower pond. It keeps them up where I can see them and away from the larger fish. They get first chance at their food and the bigger fish do not bother them. Likewise they stay out of the way of the bigger fish's mouths. As Rich or Graham would say: Anything that goes in a koi's mouth is food until proven otherwise.
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    4. #4
      Melinda1102 is offline Supporting Member
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      To reply to both yeah I have back down on food recently and switched to a food they don't seem to like near as much as their normal. And nothing in my pond (aka) (half sunk in the ground intex pool) to hide under or around its bare only thing in it is a pipe with a strainer on it that I put a net over to avoid anything being sucked into it including small babies. This was the babies home with the gold fish. But got their pond moved so they went to it and moved the koi in. I am in the process of moving all the fish ponds they were too small for koi really so moved them and installing a new pond for koi only. May try the floating nets again I have them for my plants anyways before I gave up on plants.
      Learn by experience.................Preferably other peoples

    5. #5
      Keith N is offline Senior Member
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      Where do you get these floating cages? Or do you make it?


      Quote Originally Posted by montwila View Post
      Koi are generally not cannibalistic.

      Not knowing your pond. Is there a place they could be hiding such as inside a plants vegetation or under a rock? If they are starving then maybe a 2" koi is the same as a dragonfly larvae to a 17" fish as Orlando suggests.

      If your goldfish pond has temperature swings and the koi pond does not. Then sequester the babies in a place the older/larger koi cannot get to in your koi pond. I often use floating cages when adding fingerlings to my lower pond. It keeps them up where I can see them and away from the larger fish. They get first chance at their food and the bigger fish do not bother them. Likewise they stay out of the way of the bigger fish's mouths. As Rich or Graham would say: Anything that goes in a koi's mouth is food until proven otherwise.

    6. #6
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      Quote Originally Posted by Keith N View Post
      Where do you get these floating cages? Or do you make it?
      I was going to ask him the same thing. I need to build one with maybe a 300 micron mesh material so if my koi spawn, the newly hatched fry will be safe inside

    7. #7
      icu2's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by Nguyen365 View Post
      I was going to ask him the same thing. I need to build one with maybe a 300 micron mesh material so if my koi spawn, the newly hatched fry will be safe inside
      https://www.koiphen.com/forums/showt...70#post2471470

      Lots of info in that whole thread too...
      --Steve



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