Koi Care Basics Blog

Secrets To Successfully Raising Koi Fry

Successfully raising Koi fry begins with Koi eggs. You should make sure your fry raising pond is equipped with air stones or their equivalent as Koi eggs need well aerated water to develop.

Koi Fry

During breeding some Koi keepers will use mechanical filters in their ponds, but this is not the best idea since when they can get sucked into the filter. This can be prevented by placing a fine net around the filter’s water intake. Microscopic food particles can become trapped on the foam around the filter. This attracts the Koi fry to the area and they become drawn into the filter.

You can forget using a filter altogether if you are willing to do frequent water changes. You need to replace approximately 20 percent of the water during the water exchange.

Koi eggs will usually hatch in 3 to 7 days depending on the water temperature. If water temperature is around 20 degrees Celcius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) Koi fry 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 the Koi fry wiggling and moving inside the egg, and a few hours later they will make their escape! Now you are ready to begin raising them.

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 the fry as it is for keeping the eggs healthy.

After 2 or 3 days of being attached the Koi fry 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!

At this point you will need to begin feeding them. Very small Koi fry can be fed newly hatched brine shrimp. Hard boiled egg is also a good choice in the first few days of raising Koi fry.

If you can’t provide them with this you can use a commercially prepared Koi fry 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 your Koi fry.

After about 7 days you can start feeding a special Koi fry 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 fry to be happy and healthy.

It is easy to overfeed your Koi fry and cause the water to become polluted. Young fry are very sensitive to ammonia. You must limit your feedings and provide a water change daily. The easiest way is to use water from your adult pond as long as your adult Koi are healthy and the quality of your pond water is good. You need to keep a watchful eye on water quality to prevent fungus.

If you observe these basic precepts you should have no trouble successfully raising Koi fry!

Alan Deacon
KoiCareBasics.com

The Black Koi is really only different from other types of koi due to it’s color. The Kumonryue first made a splash on the scene in the 1980’s. Of the many varieties of Black Koi it is the most popular. The inspiration for their name originated with this particular type of Koi’s resemblance to the dragons in paintings of centuries ago in Japan, in fact the literal translation of “Kumonryue” is “dragon fish”. These Koi, along with the Matsukawabe, can change their color.

In fact, one of the main attractions that Koi hold for pond owners is the great variety of colors that they display. An even greater attraction is the idea of owning a fish that can literally change colors right before one’s eyes as the Black Koi can!

Koi pond owners need to be careful since it is quite easy to fall in love with with the wide variety of colors that the Koi offers. That is why many owners will end up purchasing too many fish, thus overcrowding their ponds and negatively affecting their Koi’s environment and health.

The Japanese have been patient in developing the Koi. Over the years their breeding has produced numerous colors and more pattern combinations than can be mentioned in one short article. Using water temperature and diet they turned the common carp, with only one or two colors, into a glorious and diversly hued creature. It was an almost magical transformation!

Black Koi come in many variations

The first Black Koi species that mutated were called Magoi. They appeared to be black when you stood above them looking down, but they were actually a bronze color. Magoi blood is being sought after for breeding purposes because of the Magoi’s larger size. Breeders are hoping to hasten growth and maximize size of their Koi through these efforts.

Seasonal conditions, diet and water temperature can fluctuate and affect the color of all the Koi species. The Matsukawabake Koi is a Black Koi with white areas on it’s body. This Koi has been known to change back and forth from completely white, to black and back to white depending only on water temperature. This is a thrill to observe as most Koi coloration will only dull or brighten as conditions change.

In Japan “Karasu” means “crow”. The Karasu Koi has a black body and fins and can also have an orange or white belly. It is also one of the most ancient species.

Koi fish are popular in both indoor and outdoor ponds throughout the world. Their life span is generally from 25 to 35 years although some have been recorded to have lived as long as 200 years!

People seek out Koi because of their ease of maintenance, the colors they offer and the relationship that grows over time. The Black Koi is particularly popular primarily because of their ability to change color right in front of your eyes!

To learn more about how to get started with Koi fish visit us at
KoiCareBasics.com

Alan Deacon