The last comment on here is from a long time ago, but I just discovered you. I ran a pet store for a few years. I did pond and aquarium maintenance for years. I still give advice and help when needed...... Most of the humans I dealt with always wanted to know if their fish was male of female for one reason..... They weren't the pond or aquarium specialist breeders.... They weren't interested in what kind of Koi or goldfish, just colour..... But the always wanted to know the sex so they could name it. Most of the fish people I dealt with didn't just keep fish. They kept pets that became family. They named those family members.
Great video series. I enjoyed learning the differences between male and female, but I'm curious about the expected lifespan of koi fish. Thanks, and keep up the great videos.
I am a novice. I have only one butterfly koi right now and he/she is still quite small, about 5-6 inches. My reason for wanting to know the sex is so that later on when I have more then one I can prevent unwanted spawning and over crowding of my pond.
I want to be able to tell if my Koi are males or females because I started my pond last fall with 4, 2 to 3 year olds. I now have about 50 babies. not exaggerating. I've had conversations with them about safe sex and overpopulation and they had MORE babies. It's like talking to teenagers! lol
Great video. I've lost a number of lovely females due to ovarian tumours and egg impaction over the years...they don't spawn in my main pond, the water is deep and slow to change temperature, they breed regularly at my older, not so tech pond, fewer female problems there.
Just watched this, i got a koi from a pet store and will put him in a pond later. I was told he resembles a male more so when i talk about him i refer to him as he. He's only 3 inches big and yeah it's important to know the sex because of naming and what pronouns to refer to him as. Like having a cat lol i can't wait until he's bigger so someone can finally for sure determine it.
Shannon Todd Shannon you'll have to give the koi a unisex name and you'll be okay. You can always give the koi a nickname that suits the sex of the fish later on in life. Life is Short, Enjoy Koi.
Great topic but I am more confuse by now, watching you two, who are pro in this and as you said Shawn is an expert at it said to have only 53% in getting right. For us novice, it better not to put our nose in it an let nature do the work. Hope to see more interesting topic. Thanks ThePondDigger
I watched the 3 videos you had about identifying male and female Koi. It actually left me with more questions than answers. I would say I 'm a novice/intermediate Koi enthusiast. I have a degree in science (human; RN) so I understand biology. My reason for wanting to know the sex is based on behavior. I own 6 quality large Koi (given to me by an aging man that could no longer care for them). I have no idea of their DNA base, because of that. I can tell that at least 4 are very valuable. Is it possible to get a more definitive answer as to which is female and which is male? I will be adding more Koi to my pond, and possibly rehoming a few unsociable Koi. I want the sex/genus that is more docile and friendly. It seems like females fit that criteria, or I may be wrong it may be more specific to the genus. I enjoy interaction with the fish, and I don't want Koi that are predetermined to be unsociable with people. Can you help me with this issue? I would attach a picture, but I don't think you can do so in the comment section. Thank you, have a nice day.
+lee lou I would suggest you give Shawn a call at Mystic Koi and have a fun conversation with him. He's a great guy and would love to talk to you about your questions. Google Mystic Koi, give them a call, ask for shawn and tell him you watched our video! Stay tuned as we have more in the pipeline.
In my case. I would like to know how to tell them apart bc I want to control or prepare for eggs. The pond has max point where it can sustain the fish. If it goes over, fish start to die.
Hi. Something you didn't mention - perhaps you can clarify if it is relevant. I have a coldwater tank (100 gal) stocked mainly with bog standard goldfish but when the fish matured I found out I had about 70% males. This was a disaster because the males would single out a female and chase her around the tank until she died of exhaustion. In the end I gave all my males away to an aquarium supplier. I now just have 3 remaining, much happier, goldfish females along with 6 x 4" Koi that I am growing up until I rehouse them in a garden pond in the spring. So my question is, do male Koi behave in a similar manner to goldfish in regard to their mating habits and am I therefore likely to experience similar behaviour if I end up having a male-heavy ratio?
Yes male koi can be relentless while breeding. If you are male heavy the females can become exhausted. This is my biggest concern for keeping koi and goldfish in the same pond. Large male koi courting the smaller female goldies is a rough time. Sounds to me like you are more than just a pond owner. You are falling into the HOBBIEST label. Before you know it you'll have a couple holding tanks for separating females and raising fry. Life is Short, Enjoy Koi...........
Thanks for getting back to me...not everyone takes the time or trouble! I'm new to your channel so haven't seen all of your videos yet but if you haven't done so already, a small video on male koi/goldfish agression might help other viewers? I mainly keep and breed African Cichlids but I've always had a soft spot for Koi and a garden without a pond isn't really a garden is it!? By the way, you didn't have to call me a Hobbit...my feet aren't that hairy! :-)
Tien Le In your ornamental pond you do not need to worry about that. Some koi keepers only want males because their color finishes earlier and in turn look more complete sooner and they don't get as big. Others only want females because the get BIG and they enjoy the color development on these massive girls. Most koi hobbiests don't really care the gender and just pick the koi they love the most. Good Question.
Bit off topic. I had 9 Koi, 8 were killed off by stupid workmen mishandling them, so I bought another six (smaller than the lone survivor) as company for it. They're doing really well and all got along famously. However, I yesterday introduced 2 much smaller Butterfly Koi, at first they were swimming together (trying to maker friends), but the two smaller Koi are now visibly scared and hiding in a pond plant (fortunately this is a transformed swimming pool so lot's of space). Will they ever be accepted? Am I worrying too much? Poor little things :(
ThePondDigger Thanks for your response. They're finding their fins and venturing out of their hidey hole now. It's just that we had a lone Koi in a large bowl in our last house and feeling sorry for it 's solitary state, added another, which it chased around until it died :( Obviously not enough space, and was concerned these might go the same way. Thanks again.
thank you so much for this info. I just rescued some Koi that were abandon at a house in a fish tank out back...Mad as #%$$ that the guy just left them in a green tank and no air pump. There were like 20 only 10 made it back to my house. But now with bubble rocks they seem fine just need to get a pond instulled and pump. Poor things I feel like God sent them my way. I wanted a pnod anyway. Any tips for me?
Dee's FAB Art Dee to the RESCUE!!! Awesome. Get the koi stabilized in what ever you have kiddie pool, large aquarium, horse through or something and then get going on your plans for the POND!
To me it’s simply unthinkable to have a pet and not knowing what sex they are . I just need to know if I have to say he or she and to name that animals correctly . My black moor when I bought her and was a baby was named Luigi .... but very soon we found out it was a girl ..... so Luigi became Harriet .... well let’s just say she has always been a harried
Well if I could say something from my experiences, females are more wanted generally as they feed at the top nonstop while males eat a bit and then swim to the bottom of the tank then come back up and grab some food and then go back to the bottom. This leads to males receiving less food and feeding is a bit more complex as a floating and sinking pellet is needed to achieve a good balance. Males on the other hand do have their color naturally while females need some help getting their colors to pop. Many already have some females and getting more females is more practical rather than getting more males as we all love to see our fish at the surface like pacman just devouring pellets!
so male only grow to about 22-25 inches? well that explain why my male was beating my female growth until he hit 17-18'' mark, then he slow down to the point that the smaller female reach 22'' in the next year while he only get about 19.5''
What about fancy tails and butterfly tails are they goldfish or are they koi .I have seen people refer to them as koi and others say goldfish .I have several fancy tails and butterfly tails .they did not have those tails when I bought them at a dollar a piece .Women's instinct I named mine the day I got them and I was right .lucky guess LOL
great info will help a lot of people .Why don't you contact tv people there to do shows on fish .Like nat geo wild or animal planet or hgtv or diy network .There are so many people with home ponds that would love to get expert info from you .Home ponders like myself that have koi and goldfish and fancy and butterfly tailed fish and even shubbies.I have learned on the way but did not know koi got that big or how to take care of them properly .I see to many ponders on the sight where I belong the buy expensive koi and then a month later report they have died .Not sure even what I am doing right 10 years later .Grew up with a farm pond with fish and an organic farm when organic was not known .I guess that is why I am a vegetarian .Dad started farm in the late 50's in NJ
The last comment on here is from a long time ago, but I just discovered you. I ran a pet store for a few years. I did pond and aquarium maintenance for years. I still give advice and help when needed...... Most of the humans I dealt with always wanted to know if their fish was male of female for one reason..... They weren't the pond or aquarium specialist breeders.... They weren't interested in what kind of Koi or goldfish, just colour..... But the always wanted to know the sex so they could name it. Most of the fish people I dealt with didn't just keep fish. They kept pets that became family. They named those family members.
Great video series. I enjoyed learning the differences between male and female, but I'm curious about the expected lifespan of koi fish. Thanks, and keep up the great videos.
I am a novice. I have only one butterfly koi right now and he/she is still quite small, about 5-6 inches. My reason for wanting to know the sex is so that later on when I have more then one I can prevent unwanted spawning and over crowding of my pond.
unfortunately sex reassignment for fish is not possible. So your butterfly may grow eggs and spawn.
I want to be able to tell if my Koi are males or females because I started my pond last fall with 4, 2 to 3 year olds. I now have about 50 babies. not exaggerating. I've had conversations with them about safe sex and overpopulation and they had MORE babies. It's like talking to teenagers! lol
BAHAHAHAHAAH!!! Did you play some Marvin Gaye by the pond???
The large and gorgeous koi swimming around the bowl are distracting me. What a lucky man to have such great fish.
+geo371 It is easy to get distracted by the beauty of koi............
Keep up the good work, following and learning more from you each day.
Thank you so very much for taking the time to compliment our team! Life is Short, Enjoy Koi!
Great video. I've lost a number of lovely females due to ovarian tumours and egg impaction over the years...they don't spawn in my main pond, the water is deep and slow to change temperature, they breed regularly at my older, not so tech pond, fewer female problems there.
wow!. I love fish koi....graveh ka lami tan,awon sa mga carp! ui.
+Reynaldo Camporedondo Thanks for watching!
Wahahahaha di man na makaon😂
Awesome channel & info. Look forward to watching more of your videos, just found your channel by this video tonight. U have a new sub.
3greatgreyhounds3 Welcome to the Channel! Thanks for watching!
that q food you give to have those colors so vivid brother greeting from Venezuela
Offering a wide variety of a good quality koi food is what we recommend for great color!
I mean that you do not give anything to help them with the color of your fish just genetica
Just watched this, i got a koi from a pet store and will put him in a pond later. I was told he resembles a male more so when i talk about him i refer to him as he. He's only 3 inches big and yeah it's important to know the sex because of naming and what pronouns to refer to him as. Like having a cat lol i can't wait until he's bigger so someone can finally for sure determine it.
Shannon Todd Shannon you'll have to give the koi a unisex name and you'll be okay. You can always give the koi a nickname that suits the sex of the fish later on in life. Life is Short, Enjoy Koi.
Great topic but I am more confuse by now, watching you two, who are pro in this and as you said Shawn is an expert at it said to have only 53% in getting right. For us novice, it better not to put our nose in it an let nature do the work.
Hope to see more interesting topic. Thanks ThePondDigger
Very well then........
That Kohaku in that tub was really pretty. Was that a Doitsu?
We were displaying several koi so I'm not sure exactly what koi you were referring to but yes we did display a beautiful doitsu kohaku!
I think those are my favorite. Thanks for the reply
I watched the 3 videos you had about identifying male and female Koi. It actually left me with more questions than answers. I would say I 'm a novice/intermediate Koi enthusiast. I have a degree in science (human; RN) so I understand biology. My reason for wanting to know the sex is based on behavior. I own 6 quality large Koi (given to me by an aging man that could no longer care for them). I have no idea of their DNA base, because of that. I can tell that at least 4 are very valuable. Is it possible to get a more definitive answer as to which is female and which is male? I will be adding more Koi to my pond, and possibly rehoming a few unsociable Koi. I want the sex/genus that is more docile and friendly. It seems like females fit that criteria, or I may be wrong it may be more specific to the genus. I enjoy interaction with the fish, and I don't want Koi that are predetermined to be unsociable with people. Can you help me with this issue? I would attach a picture, but I don't think you can do so in the comment section. Thank you, have a nice day.
+lee lou I would suggest you give Shawn a call at Mystic Koi and have a fun conversation with him. He's a great guy and would love to talk to you about your questions. Google Mystic Koi, give them a call, ask for shawn and tell him you watched our video!
Stay tuned as we have more in the pipeline.
ThePondDigger thank you for responding...I enjoyed watching you two. I could tell you both were my type of people ;).
nice information sir
i am also fish breeding and raising
i received nice information from your video
In my case. I would like to know how to tell them apart bc I want to control or prepare for eggs. The pond has max point where it can sustain the fish. If it goes over, fish start to die.
Hi. Something you didn't mention - perhaps you can clarify if it is relevant. I have a coldwater tank (100 gal) stocked mainly with bog standard goldfish but when the fish matured I found out I had about 70% males. This was a disaster because the males would single out a female and chase her around the tank until she died of exhaustion. In the end I gave all my males away to an aquarium supplier. I now just have 3 remaining, much happier, goldfish females along with 6 x 4" Koi that I am growing up until I rehouse them in a garden pond in the spring. So my question is, do male Koi behave in a similar manner to goldfish in regard to their mating habits and am I therefore likely to experience similar behaviour if I end up having a male-heavy ratio?
Yes male koi can be relentless while breeding. If you are male heavy the females can become exhausted. This is my biggest concern for keeping koi and goldfish in the same pond. Large male koi courting the smaller female goldies is a rough time. Sounds to me like you are more than just a pond owner. You are falling into the HOBBIEST label. Before you know it you'll have a couple holding tanks for separating females and raising fry. Life is Short, Enjoy Koi...........
Thanks for getting back to me...not everyone takes the time or trouble! I'm new to your channel so haven't seen all of your videos yet but if you haven't done so already, a small video on male koi/goldfish agression might help other viewers? I mainly keep and breed African Cichlids but I've always had a soft spot for Koi and a garden without a pond isn't really a garden is it!? By the way, you didn't have to call me a Hobbit...my feet aren't that hairy! :-)
Do males fight each other? If yes do they fight over females or would they also fight if it was an all male pond?
I love listenjng to you guys too...how do i buy from mystic???im in vegas, they ship???
Do we need to care about male to famale ratio in a Koi pond?
Tien Le In your ornamental pond you do not need to worry about that. Some koi keepers only want males because their color finishes earlier and in turn look more complete sooner and they don't get as big. Others only want females because the get BIG and they enjoy the color development on these massive girls. Most koi hobbiests don't really care the gender and just pick the koi they love the most. Good Question.
how old were these koi
il take some picks or make a video
shannon chance Do both!
Bit off topic. I had 9 Koi, 8 were killed off by stupid workmen mishandling them, so I bought another six (smaller than the lone survivor) as company for it. They're doing really well and all got along famously. However, I yesterday introduced 2 much smaller Butterfly Koi, at first they were swimming together (trying to maker friends), but the two smaller Koi are now visibly scared and hiding in a pond plant (fortunately this is a transformed swimming pool so lot's of space). Will they ever be accepted? Am I worrying too much? Poor little things :(
+tamsinthai Koi are gregarious so no need to worry. They will come around.
ThePondDigger Thanks for your response. They're finding their fins and venturing out of their hidey hole now. It's just that we had a lone Koi in a large bowl in our last house and feeling sorry for it 's solitary state, added another, which it chased around until it died :( Obviously not enough space, and was concerned these might go the same way. Thanks again.
thank you so much for this info. I just rescued some Koi that were abandon at a house in a fish tank out back...Mad as #%$$ that the guy just left them in a green tank and no air pump. There were like 20 only 10 made it back to my house. But now with bubble rocks they seem fine just need to get a pond instulled and pump. Poor things I feel like God sent them my way. I wanted a pnod anyway. Any tips for me?
Dee's FAB Art Dee to the RESCUE!!! Awesome. Get the koi stabilized in what ever you have kiddie pool, large aquarium, horse through or something and then get going on your plans for the POND!
To me it’s simply unthinkable to have a pet and not knowing what sex they are . I just need to know if I have to say he or she and to name that animals correctly . My black moor when I bought her and was a baby was named Luigi .... but very soon we found out it was a girl ..... so Luigi became Harriet .... well let’s just say she has always been a harried
hay i have a koi pond and dont know what kind of koi i have can you help me
shannon chance I can try.....
bro any one tell the food give to this fish
+Abi Ragh GOod topic. Thanks for the suggestion.
thanks
Well if I could say something from my experiences, females are more wanted generally as they feed at the top nonstop while males eat a bit and then swim to the bottom of the tank then come back up and grab some food and then go back to the bottom. This leads to males receiving less food and feeding is a bit more complex as a floating and sinking pellet is needed to achieve a good balance. Males on the other hand do have their color naturally while females need some help getting their colors to pop. Many already have some females and getting more females is more practical rather than getting more males as we all love to see our fish at the surface like pacman just devouring pellets!
I have a goldfish
Just don't wanna walk up and 2000fry
me either
i buy koi bekoz i want to breed them ,at what age does they spawn????
Usually Males spawn at age 2 and females age 3
Why cant we just have one vedeo about this?
so male only grow to about 22-25 inches? well that explain why my male was beating my female growth until he hit 17-18'' mark, then he slow down to the point that the smaller female reach 22'' in the next year while he only get about 19.5''
HungQDang Its fun to apply the info on your own pond! Thanks for the feedback!
Looks delicious
what if it is white
What about fancy tails and butterfly tails are they goldfish or are they koi .I have seen people refer to them as koi and others say goldfish .I have several fancy tails and butterfly tails .they did not have those tails when I bought them at a dollar a piece .Women's instinct I named mine the day I got them and I was right .lucky guess LOL
sissy murphy We will cover butterfly koi in the future.
great info will help a lot of people .Why don't you contact tv people there to do shows on fish .Like nat geo wild or animal planet or hgtv or diy network .There are so many people with home ponds that would love to get expert info from you .Home ponders like myself that have koi and goldfish and fancy and butterfly tailed fish and even shubbies.I have learned on the way but did not know koi got that big or how to take care of them properly .I see to many ponders on the sight where I belong the buy expensive koi and then a month later report they have died .Not sure even what I am doing right 10 years later .Grew up with a farm pond with fish and an organic farm when organic was not known .I guess that is why I am a vegetarian .Dad started farm in the late 50's in NJ
More people need asking female are cause female will growth more bigger than male..