Koi, sometimes called Japanese carp, are essentially, ornamental fish. Koi have a fairly uniform body shape, but will vary greatly in coloration and pattern. Look for the barbells on the lip. The most common colors found are white, black, red, yellow, blue, and cream.
Successfully raising Koi begins with the eggs. You should make sure your Koi raising pond is equipped with air stones or their equivalent as the eggs need well aerated water to develop.
- During breeding some Koi keepers will use mechanical filters in their ponds, but this is not the best idea since when you are raising Koi they can get sucked into the filter. This can be prevented by placing a fine net around the filter’s water intake.
- Koi eggs will usually hatch in 3 to 7 days depending on the water temperature. If water temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) they will hatch in about 3 to 4 days. You will know when the eggs are close to hatching because they will take on a special, shiny look. Next you will be able to see them wiggling and moving inside the egg, and a few hours later they will make their escape! Now you are ready to begin raising your Koi.
- As soon as the babies have emerged from their eggs they will attach themselves to the sides of the pond. Koi fry are equipped with a sticky pad that makes it possible for them to remain attached this way for 2 to 3 days. Providing plenty of oxygen is as important for raising Koi fry as it is for keeping the eggs healthy. After 2 or 3 days of being attached they will make their way to the surface of the pond to get some air. When this occurs air passes into their swim bladder. Afterwards they will be able to swim happily around the pond!
- Very small Koi can be fed newly hatched brine shrimp. Hardboiled egg is also a good choice in the first few days of raising the babies. If you can’t provide them with this you can use a commercially prepared Koi food. Make sure to use only special Koi food with a high protein content and make sure to grind it into a fine powder before feeding it to them.
- After about 7 days you can start feeding a special food consisting of fine powder pellets. When they reach 1/2 inch they can graduate to small pellets and as they grow you can gradually increase the pellet size until they are consuming the same food as their parents. Feeding is one of the most important components of raising Koi to be happy and healthy.
