LF: Live Japanese Koi Fish

[mok749]

Hey, my parents just made a pond in the front yard, and want to get some japanese koi to keep in it. Does anyone know where is best to get it, online or in GVA?

[fly]

Not sure how good these guys are in GVA, but they're excellent in GTA:

http://www.bigalscanada.com/fishspecials/fishspecmain.htm

[CSK'sMom]

Are you looking for Japanese koi (read import) or just pond grade koi? Big difference, imports go for hundreds and often thousands ($50k). Pond grade can be bought for as little as $10 at Pet Smart.

How big is the pond? How deep is the pond? Filtration? Koi need large volumes of water to grow properly and remain healthy. A 3 or 4 year old koi should be about 4 feet long. They have been bred strictly for color patterns, not vigor therefore to properly keep koi one needs 1,000 gallons of water for the first koi and 100 gallons for each koi after that. They also need extreme filtration...

[dasaylay]

haha that's so coincidental because my dad's the landlord to big al's kids :-0

and looking at the site theres locations in burnaby and richmond. if I remember correctly richmond should be closer to city of vancouver..but I haven't been there for a few years :cheesygri

[mok86]

wow 4 feet long is a bit big dont u think?

[skev13]

i had one that was 1 foot long, before it died from choking on a little fish. =/

Don't even know why it ate the little one...

[CSK'sMom]

Nope, Koi are members of the carp family. Do a google seach for Japanese harvest pics and you'll see plenty of pics of koi 4 feet long or longer. They do not stay little fish, therefore the need a large water volume.

If the pond in question is anything under 1000 gallons, goldfish, wakin (double tail finned japanese goldfish) or any other "pond fish" other than koi would be more suitable.

[jonkaho]

PetLand
Petcetra

[mok749]

Thanks for the help! And I thought that I wasn't going to get any replies :)

The pond is 3ft deep, 8ft in diameter. It tapers in a bit at the bottom, so I think it's about 3600L or 950L.

So I guess that's not enough for a koi? Can you get dwarf varieties or sth?

[Sih]

Nope, Koi are members of the carp family. Do a google seach for Japanese harvest pics and you'll see plenty of pics of koi 4 feet long or longer. They do not stay little fish, therefore the need a large water volume.

If the pond in question is anything under 1000 gallons, goldfish, wakin (double tail finned japanese goldfish) or any other "pond fish" other than koi would be more suitable.

I'm sorry, but 4 feet is not a common size for Koi. I'm a relative novice on the subject, but with the little research I've done in the last year I know that statement is incorrect. More accurate would be 3-4 feet as a maximum, not common size.

Anyway, OP if you and/or your parents want any pond fish to be healthy (and alive in general) you're definately going to need to do more research than just "where do I get them". If taken care of many of these types of fish can live decades. Quite a few even easily out live humans. If not provided proper environment and care, well... they won't live long at all.

[CSK'sMom]

Sih, it's more common than you think to see koi in the 3-4 foot range. In optimal conditions they should reach that size within about 4-5 years. Take a look around any forum where the koi kichi (Peter Waddington for example)hang out. You'll routinely see pics of 2 year old fish that 2+ feet coming in from Japan during harvest time. If you can your hands on Peter's books, Koi Kichi and Koi 2 Kichi they are well worth the money ($$$) if you are serious about learning. There is a workshop coming up this month in Buffalo where some of the most knowledgable folks in the hobby will be giving seminars, wet labs, etc.

But I will say you are correct, most people do not do their research when it comes to koi. They buy them, throw them in a couple hundred of gallons of water and forget about them. They never take into consideration that these fish grow and have very specific needs that are different than other pond fish. When they die (and they do), they shrug their shoulders and trot of to the pet store or garden center to replace them. >:(

[mok749]

I started looking up koi on the internet more. They are way more difficult to take care of than my parents thought. Can anyone suggest an easier fish? I'm reading up on this stuff, but there is so much information!

[CSK'sMom]

Some of the easy keeping pond fish include goldfish (fantails, comets), wakins, shrubbies, etc... Personally I have goldfish, both fantails and comets. Mine are now going into their 5th summer and were 9+ inches long when measured a couple of months ago during the pond's spring cleanout.