Koi at Petsmart?

[fishin4cars]

Jason, You could keep on in there for at least one maybe two years, in fact if your planning on having a bigger pond or have a place to rehome them you could get away with a couple. I've actually kept 6 in a 350 gallon pond to get them big enough to add to the rest of the herd. So yes it can be done. The thing is, you really better think it through. You will have to rehome or get a bigger pond. That's a fact, and I tell you, once you raise one and get attached to it, it's not easy to let go of your first or biggest ones. Ask anyone that has them!
As for price, LOL I've bought from one range to the other, Got a really nice 14" Chagoi butterfly a few years ago for $10, Had a baby in the pond so basically it was free, These two gals set me back the most I have ever paid for two fish. Just the shipping and customs charges along with gas to go pick them up at the airport cost me over $150. That doesn't include the cost of the fish. I've always wanted a "True Japanese Koi" The small one 7" is from the well known breeder Omosako, The larger one 11.5" is from Matsunosuke. I got the opportunity to pick them out online while they were still in Japan. Quite an experience adventure and one I WON'T be doing again any time soon. But now the goal is to try and grow one of these into a 30" plus koi and pray it has the quality to someday show. Like I said, be careful, the addiction can get overwhelming!

 

[Dave 54]

Its very touching that many get their koi from Petsmart , sadly here in the UK I wouldnt touch any of their koi because they have such a bad record .
They even ended up as a ducumentary when a former employee whistle blew on their bad practices , they employed a truely bad work force one womam even killed a rabbit for a laugh .
So sad in reality ...

rgrds

Dave

 

[JohnHuff]

I've bought koi from the LFS. I've also bought koi, Shubunkins and feeder fish from Petco and Petsmart. All except the feeder fish (which my kids wanted) have had or are having long and happy lives. For some reason, my big box store koi are growing very slowly, they've only gone from 2.5 inches to 3.5 inches in 2 years. I got them for their colors and they really are lovely.

 

[dieselplower]

You think $20 is expensive for a 6" koi? I just picked up a beautiful silver butterfly, body length about 2", for $45. I thought it was a bargain!
John

One of the things I have noticed about fish keepers is that many of them have no concept of length and most also include the tail. I plow snow in the winter and my customers also have no concept of what 2" is.

 

[Jason]

$45 for a Koi, No way, unless it was a true Japanese breed or something lol. How is a Goldfish the same size as a koi make less of a mess than a Koi since they are both Carp? Do they Eat more?

 

[D&RW]

i have 3 new little koi from petsmart. had a sale of sorts on and i got them for 11 dollars! regular price was 5.95 apiece. size was about 3 in. quarantined them for 5 weeks and into the pond they went. i also have another koi we bought 3-4 years ago from petsmart that is now our largest. probably 24 inches. grew really fast. so no problem with their fish if you quarantine, but you do have to understand what they have are the culls from other selections. you can read up some on how imported koi are sorted. not always of course, but often the first sort is to eliminate those who are obviously not special. they go to pet stores.

as for pond size and fish numbers, i am researching the same topic for a friend who has a 1000 gallon pond with 6 koi and 8 goldfish. when i saw her pond i sort of quietly freaked because to my mind and reading thats WAY too many fish. but she checks the water frequently and apparently has enough biofilter to handle the waste. so i guess while it may affect how big they get, it doesn't seem to be trashing the water quality like i thought it would. i have read many different opinions about how much fish size for a given volume, but the most conservative i've seen is 500 gallons per koi and 250 per goldfish. i have a 4500 gallon pond with 10 koi (3 are babies right now) and 8 goldfish. definitely not getting anymore fish, but i think we're ok. check the water frequently, do the filter backflushes etc and no problems except green water which can be an indicator of too much fish load or too much feeding. i think i need a bigger UV.

 

[fishin4cars]

$45 for a Koi, No way, unless it was a true Japanese breed or something lol. How is a Goldfish the same size as a koi make less of a mess than a Koi since they are both Carp? Do they Eat more?

$45 for a decent quality Koi is not really that much. If your thinking that's hidh then all the more reason you may want reconsider. Seiously and I say this with many years of experience behind me. $45-$100 for a 3-5" koi is like spending $5 on a goldfish. I started with cheap koi, and as you grow in the hobby you will see why some are cheap, and some are not. getting a TRUE japanese koi, Seriously, starting price could easily hit $500 for a small 3-6" fish of decent quality. Want to get something you MIGHT be able to show, well those will hit you for $1000-$1500 plus. But is that expensive? OH NO, that's just icing on the cake. To seriously keep koi like this and raise them to be even closely competitive serious water quality, High quality food, and LOTS of swimming room are required. Just the filtration and pond could set you back another $15,000-$30,000. get a scope, all the first aid medication, nets, and other needed equip. to house and move them and treat tem if needed. be prepared to chaulk out another $1000-$2500. as you can see, That little $5 koi can grow and grow and grow. Not just in size, but in some significant costs as well.
As for the waste, here is the best way i can put this, although not 100% fully accurate. Lets say you have a 3" goldfish, and a 3" koi. They eat and produce waste. ok, that's basic, but the goldfish is only going to max out at around 10-12" The Koi, it will max out around 24"-36"+ depending on genetics, type, food, water quality, etc. So a year later your goldfish that started off 3" is now 5" where your koi that was 3" would now be about 10-15" See where this is going? year two, the 3" goldfish is 7" and weighs 1/2# the koi, it's now in the 15-24" range and weighs between 2-5# so in two years the two fish that started out the same size now are 10 times diefferent in body weight and waste difference.
I'm not trying to discourage you from keeping Koi, just trying to make you realize and understand what is in store in the future. I'm not selling you the fish or equipment so it's not like I'm trying to amke a sale. Does one have to go through these extremeties to keep koi, By no means, many koi keepers keep koi and a budget more fit for them. But it's commitment that you shouldn't jump in unless your really preared for what is in store for you. You have a nice pond, your able to maintain it on your budget levell at this point in time. Now is the time to decide how far you want to take this and run with it.
One last note, I started keeping fish when I was about 7 years old, I'm close to 50 now. Been keeping Koi for close to 20 years. IMO, they are one of the most challenging yet rewarding fish I have kept to date. If i hadn't gotten into keeping koi I probably could have another house paid for and a new Vette in the carport. But That's the trade off I decided on personally. I would rather a nice koi pond than a Nice hot rod sitting in the garage.

 

[Jason]

$45 for a decent quality Koi is not really that much. If your thinking that's hidh then all the more reason you may want reconsider. Seiously and I say this with many years of experience behind me. $45-$100 for a 3-5" koi is like spending $5 on a goldfish. I started with cheap koi, and as you grow in the hobby you will see why some are cheap, and some are not. getting a TRUE japanese koi, Seriously, starting price could easily hit $500 for a small 3-6" fish of decent quality. Want to get something you MIGHT be able to show, well those will hit you for $1000-$1500 plus. But is that expensive? OH NO, that's just icing on the cake. To seriously keep koi like this and raise them to be even closely competitive serious water quality, High quality food, and LOTS of swimming room are required. Just the filtration and pond could set you back another $15,000-$30,000. get a scope, all the first aid medication, nets, and other needed equip. to house and move them and treat tem if needed. be prepared to chaulk out another $1000-$2500. as you can see, That little $5 koi can grow and grow and grow. Not just in size, but in some significant costs as well.
As for the waste, here is the best way i can put this, although not 100% fully accurate. Lets say you have a 3" goldfish, and a 3" koi. They eat and produce waste. ok, that's basic, but the goldfish is only going to max out at around 10-12" The Koi, it will max out around 24"-36"+ depending on genetics, type, food, water quality, etc. So a year later your goldfish that started off 3" is now 5" where your koi that was 3" would now be about 10-15" See where this is going? year two, the 3" goldfish is 7" and weighs 1/2# the koi, it's now in the 15-24" range and weighs between 2-5# so in two years the two fish that started out the same size now are 10 times diefferent in body weight and waste difference.
I'm not trying to discourage you from keeping Koi, just trying to make you realize and understand what is in store in the future. I'm not selling you the fish or equipment so it's not like I'm trying to amke a sale. Does one have to go through these extremeties to keep koi, By no means, many koi keepers keep koi and a budget more fit for them. But it's commitment that you shouldn't jump in unless your really preared for what is in store for you. You have a nice pond, your able to maintain it on your budget levell at this point in time. Now is the time to decide how far you want to take this and run with it.
One last note, I started keeping fish when I was about 7 years old, I'm close to 50 now. Been keeping Koi for close to 20 years. IMO, they are one of the most challenging yet rewarding fish I have kept to date. If i hadn't gotten into keeping koi I probably could have another house paid for and a new Vette in the carport. But That's the trade off I decided on personally. I would rather a nice koi pond than a Nice hot rod sitting in the garage.

0_O Wow That is CRAZY, I get it though now, I am a Ebay fanatic and my small pond only cost me under $500 with 3 pumps (920gph Pondmaster, 2 Jebao 500gph), 13WUV/Pressure/Mech/Bio Filter, 15'x15' 45mil EPDM, all .75'' tubing, 6 outlet digital Timer and 8 Led lights! Rock and Granite were free and Fountain was in yard when we moved in. I plan on building a 5,000 Gallon pond at our future house for under $1,500 I hope lol. Once you start going over 15x15 the liners start getting expensive, even on ebay, seems like Custom Cut Roof lining companies are the cheaper route?

 

[HTH]

it all really depends on the fish Jason. Really nice fancy goldfish easily go into the 100s and possibly low thousands but most people will never see on in person. They like really nice koi can absorb a lot of your income if you get hooked on them.

 

[Carolyn22]

$45 for a Koi, No way, unless it was a true Japanese breed or something lol. How is a Goldfish the same size as a koi make less of a mess than a Koi since they are both Carp? Do they Eat more?

I have spent more than that, Jason. You can pretty much spend what you want - have you looked at Craig's List? My understanding is that people that have more fry than what they know what to do with, will use CL as a way to advertise their koi fry. You may even find some for free.

 

[capewind]

You can pretty much spend what you want - have you looked at Craig's List? My understanding is that people that have more fry than what they know what to do with, will use CL as a way to advertise their koi fry. You may even find some for free.

Not going to find free Koi in my area. My local craigslist has koi now for $50-250 (an ad at $1500 too but that's a joke) ... I've sold about half my pond spawn koi babies now via craigslist at $30 each, and none of them meet any color criteria. They are simply pond mutts (but happy, healthy, friendly mutts LOL).

 

[Carolyn22]

They are simply pond mutts (but happy, healthy, friendly mutts LOL).

That is the best kind. I decided that I wasn't going to spend a lot of $ on fish any more.

 

[HTH]

Not going to find free Koi in my area. My local craigslist has koi now for $50-250 (an ad at $1500 too but that's a joke) ... I've sold about half my pond spawn koi babies now via craigslist at $30 each, and none of them meet any color criteria. They are simply pond mutts (but happy, healthy, friendly mutts LOL).

An more importantly they have not been stressed and are generally healthy (should still QT).

 

[fishin4cars]

0_O Wow That is CRAZY, I get it though now, I am a Ebay fanatic and my small pond only cost me under $500 with 3 pumps (920gph Pondmaster, 2 Jebao 500gph), 13WUV/Pressure/Mech/Bio Filter, 15'x15' 45mil EPDM, all .75'' tubing, 6 outlet digital Timer and 8 Led lights! Rock and Granite were free and Fountain was in yard when we moved in. I plan on building a 5,000 Gallon pond at our future house for under $1,500 I hope lol. Once you start going over 15x15 the liners start getting expensive, even on ebay, seems like Custom Cut Roof lining companies are the cheaper route?

$500 for a 450 gallon pond is actually really good, just over a $1 a gallon. So at 5,000 gallons, you can figure about $5,000 dollars to get it all done with decent filtration and done where there is some safety thought out for the pond, GFI breakers, and/or electrical plugs, Making sure that a child or animal can't fall in, getting the permits to dig, etc. Filtration to filter 5,000 gallons and pumping 5,000 gallons is going to add up as well. Decorating and additional unforeseen cost will add up. I really don't think $5,000 will cover a 5,000 gallon pond build if done properly. If the right things are used to save money and you really shop it's possible with some DYI filters and careful shopping. But in reality, Landscaping and fish included. That is about the low end ( Maybe a little less) I really think is possible for a Do it your selfer.

 

[ididntdoit99]

Ouch! I guess my pond isn't really a "proper" koi pond, I don't have a bottom drain or permanent plumbing. But I think I spent around $1200 for my pond, liner, pumps,4 foot fence, mulch, plants, rocks, lights and all.