Koi fish have a cheerful and carefree nature, which sets them apart from other fish species. They are known for their peaceful and social nature, making them great pets.
It's important for us to ensure our pets are happy, including our fish.
Here are some behaviors that can indicate whether your fish are content & healthy.
Fish in good health will come to the surface of the pond more often in search of food
They are curious, watchful, they will contort their bodies to see around them
Frequent use of the pectoral fins, probing the surface of the water.
Hungry all the time.
They are content to glide around the pond.
Foraging in the ponds plant life and along the bottom
They stay together as a group and dont isolate themselves
On the other hand they will also display certain behaviors if they are sick or unhappy.
Subdued or motionless in the water
lying on the bottom of the pond on its side
fins held tight to the body, stiff and rigidity swimming
Isolating from the group, keeping away from the other fish in the pond
flashing, swimming into rocks objects in the pond or the sides to scratch
Coming to the surface to breath,mouths out of the water panicked thrashing
Your koi are eating slowly or showing no interest in food at all especially in the warmer months of the year.
So how do you fix the problem if you see any of these behaviors.
Resting on the bottom upright is common in high water temperatures combined with high nitrates and low oxygen levels. Test your water and do a water change.
However if they are on their side something is really wrong look at your water quality first if its good your koi could have a parasite infestation thats gone unnoticed .
When a koi swims in jerky movements with fins tight to their sides they could in the throes of a bacterial infection, again bad water quality.
Mouths out of the water trying to breath low oxygen levels in your water or burning of the gills yes again water quality ammonia will burn the gills, high water temps will lower your oxygen levels as well as a low pH will govern how much oxygen the koi can get out of the water. Oxygen in any pond is at its lowest in the morning.
You can avoid these problems if you test your water regularly.
Feed a floating pellet to bring your fish to the surface to check them out and high quality foods such as hikari saki balance with probiotics its a next level koi food for gut health in your koi and well being, I feed a hatchery full of koi and goldfish this food daily and i have seen the results.
Will larger koi eat small koi fish?
If it fits in the mouth it may end up in the mouth. Those that already have larger koi fish in their pond would know exactly what koi are like when they are feeding especially in the warmer months of the year. Its a free for all frenzy. With every koi trying to fill their belly before the food disappears.
Generally smaller koi stay well clear of the bigger fish, but if they happen to be in the mix at feeding time they may get eaten. Fry will defiantly get eaten by bigger koi from birth to 5cm they can become part of the food chain. Any fish beyond 5cm are unlikely to end up as food.
A good idea is to feed your bigger koi fish the bigger floating pellet and at the same time throw in some small floating food at other end of the pond for the little fish.
Why are my koi chasing other koi?
Many books and websites touch on this topic; the sole reason I'm writing a blog about koi breeding habits is to share it with our audience.
A client of mine claimed we sold her a murdering koi fish. Because she lacked knowledge of koi breeding behaviors, she felt helpless in the process.
The koi is only following his natural instincts when he pursues a female, and he means no harm. Male fish will begin to chase females if the water temperature, season, and environmental circumstances in the pond are favorable for reproduction. This is done so that the male can fertilize the eggs the female is carrying. The most fundamental drive necessary for the survival of all organisms.
There is no malice intended, but females may be injured or wear out in the pursuit.
As the lone female in the pond, she may experience extreme anxiety due to the constant stress of being chased. She might not be eating because she's stressed out and afraid of the male, or because she's hiding from him.
If you keep an eye on your koi and notice this happening, you may wish to remove the female from the pond. If you don't have access to a second pond, you can give her a break by enclosing her in a space where the males aren't allowed to enter.
You can use shade cloth, or netting, to create a barrier in the pond that allows the water to flow through but keeps the male fish away from any female that looks stressed. floats can also be utilized on top of the net, and or tent pegs at the sides.
koi fish behave doesn't include fun games of hid and seek. If your pond fish are hiding then something is wrong, usually having to do with predators.
koi fish can eat koi fry During almost 40 years as a koi keeper and breeder, I have bred numerous koi. When a planned spawn happens, the koi are removed from the pond before they eat the eggs.
To what end do koi fish jump?
When you spend as much time with koi fish at a hatchery as we do, you learn interesting things about them, like the fact that some of them enjoy jumping. It is not abnormal for fish to do the occasional leap, therefore if you see only one jumping in your pond, you may have a fish that enjoys doing so.
You may have a parasite problem if your koi are jumping and flashing . The "flashing" behavior of your koi indicates they are attempting to rid themselves of parasites. In order to get rid of these unwanted guests, they will flip over and scratch the bottom or sides of the pond. There are a wide variety of parasites that can infest your koi, some of which are so little they can only be seen with a microscope.
These pests, which include the anchor worm, lice, and gill fluke, will spawn in your koi's scales or gills and then feed on them. As they irritate the fish and can even lead to infection and death, it is imperative that the pond be treated to prevent an infestation.
Koi will leap from the water if they are being chased by a bird or a male looking to mate with a female.Watching your koi fish in their pond will provide some insight.
It's wise to start by checking the water's conditions. Examine your jumping koi for parasites. Apply any anti parasite medication to the fish and the pond to kill any parasites.
Windsor fish hatchery has been selling and breeding fish since 1984. We moved to a rural location in 2016 from Windsor in Sydney. We are now located on a farm and have built a new hatchery. You cant come to the farm to choose your koi, we are not setup for the general public there are to many hazards on a working farm.
We take photos and video's of all our fish and sell them off our website online. The fish are all bred here at the hatchery. No fish ever returns to the hatchery so we dont introduce disease.
The photos of the individual koi fish are taken by us and are the exact fish you will receive when you order. Batch photos are an example of different koi in the batch. You will receive these types of koi fish when you order.
All koi are couriered to your home or business. We have been sending fish around Australia for years and know through experience how to ship koi and condition them for shipping. Your fish will arrive healthy and alive that's our guarantee to you.