spawning madness

[pondlover]

My husband saw one of our Koi jump above water level tonight. Does that mean they are spawning? They all seem to follow one another. This spawning thing is totally new to me and I have no clue what I should look for.I think they would have hiding places because most of my water lilies have come to the water surface.

 

[CountryEscape]

My Shamu koi (he/she is my largest koi, bought last year at about 8", now 12" or more) jumped out of the water last weekend while I was out there working. He splashed so loud I looked in time to see the water splash. And, then right after that, he did it again, that's how I know it was him/her! Jumped straight up and out of the water, clear to it's tail! I laughed and him and asked him if he was in training for Sea World. Now I'm wondering if spawning was going on here, too. However, my water temp at that time was only about 50-55 degrees. I guess someone (maybe Larkin or KoiGuy) said that 55 to 65 degrees was ideal temp for spawning, to have the fry grow with fewer defects. Guess they will spawn when the mood presents itself though.

 

[fishin4cars]

actually spawning temps for most is in the high 70's to lower 80's. Most koi usually spawn in late may to mid july. that's not a given just when the majority do spawn. When waters warm goldfish and koi will both do mock spawns. these aren't full blown spawns but smaller releases. You would be surprised how many times this may take place in a singe season. I think Koiguy had like fiive seperate spawning last year in his pond. What was a key factor in my spawn this year is removing all thye fish and the waiting to see if any had spawned. this is the sixth time I have had this happen. remove all the adults after they were active and simply waiting four to five days and see if any fry appeared. I never saw eggs, but I did see fry and today it looks like a pertty large swarm right now. Problem is they are so tiny and they are in the pond that is being torn down. i've decided to leave the pond up and run a couple of airstones in it for now and wee if i can get some to grow large enough to catch and move to a 55 gallon tank that i have already set up. I just moved my goldies outside and the tank only has a couple of whiptail cats. i hope to try and raise a few nut i wasn't ready at all for this and I don't expect to raise many, but I would like a few for sure.

 

[fishin4cars]

BTW, jumping is not associated with spawning. chasing and rubbing and digging in the plants are. after a rain, during changes in barometric pressure, increased or decline in oxygen levels, and parasites are things more associated with jumping. Mine are jumping some as well in the new pond, a lot more than they did in the old pond for sure. It's not uncommon for them to jump once in a while, but if your koi are jumping a lot also be aware that it could be a sign something isn't right. be observant and watch the fish closely just in case something is wrong.

 

[JenH]

My koi jumped a few times shortly after I added them to the pond, but I haven't seen them do it since. One of my shubunkins likes to do little jumps every once in a while, but she really only gets her head above water before going back down.

 

[fishin4cars]

That's normal and typical reactions for most cases.

 

[koiguy1969]

63* is minimum temp for a good count of viable koi eggs...65* - 68* is optimal temp range for koi spawns.but 75* isnt uncommon. the warmer the water the faster they develope...this can lead to physical anomolies and makes them more prone to defect. jumping is fairly common any time you introduce them to new water.its the change in water chemistry. ...it can even induce spawning.

 

[DrCase]

I got a good crop of fry this year,from my main ponds. I have them in a small Lotus pond i put in this year
The new Female showa that i did want to have a controlled spawn with released her eggs
before i was ready to put the male in with her
She used the strong flow of water to get her going ,before i new what was happening
IL try next year

 

[JenH]

Did you only have koi in that pond, or goldfish too? How can you tell when you have fry from a cross breed?

 

[CountryEscape]

I think if they cross breed, Jen, you won't know until the fry are large enough to tell. And, then not sure I would be able to tell very soon after that. I wondered about all my babies from last year, but so far none have barbels, and all are colored like my goldies. However, I do have an orange and white koi that is about 10" long, and it was one of my 3 larger koi I got last year. In fact, Jen, you are in Indiana, I should have told you about a guy near Indianapolis that just had a koi sale! Maybe that is where you got your fish? PM me ... I got all 7 of my koi last year, 4 that were only 3-4" and 3 that were 7-8" for a total of $44, so did very well! I'm only slightly unhappy that 2 of the smaller ones lost their red coloring. Never did get it back in the winter or yet this spring. The others are still vibrant, exactly as they were when I bought them.
I'd never seen Shamu jump out of the water like that, so will pay attention if he does any more acrobatic leaps in the future! It sure was cute to see it happen, though.

 

[JenH]

I didn't get my fish in Indy, but for that price I would have made the 2 hour drive! The 3 I bought were a total of $45 +tax, 3-4" size, and believe it or not the cheapest I could find locally. Nothing even came up on craigslist for my area!! Yes please send me the information for him, next time I decide to get some I will go there!

 

[koiguy1969]

WOW... i'd bet theres atleast 20 koi 4 sale postings on craigslist here..

 

[DrCase]

I had a few gold fish with my koi years ago
I got rid of the gold fish so i would know for sure my fry would be Koi

 

[RSFish1]

Hi,
It's "That guy near Indy"! :razz: LOL
Glad to hear the koi are doing well. We sold out of another 75 or so this weekend. We might have another sale again in late June or July. Some of the babies this year were 14" at just over 9 months old.
I am trying to guess how early the spawn will be this year to control who the parents are. I have a nice Shusui butterfly and a beni kikokuryu butterfly I want to breed along with a Shiro Utsuri butterfly. The spawning tank is setup and ready to go. But the water temps are still a little chilly here. So I am still guessing mid-May before we hit spawn time.

I wanted to attach a link to an interesting page I once read about koi/goldfish hybrids. It has many links to further articles and information. http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?188053-Koi-Goldfish-Hybrids

 

[j.w]

That's a beautiful fish and guess it will stay black like that and wonder how big he will get?