biggest koi
- Thread starter Don4921
- Start date
DeLgAdO said:
thats it i thoght it would take longer
DeLgAdO said:
Oh really?
tell me, where did you come up with this?
PeacockBass said:
Damnit peacock, you HAD to make me go read to get it right
The feeding pattern, and thus the growth rate, of koi depends on many factors, such as water temperature, water quality, stocking density and genetic background Koi feed most actively at temperatures in excess of 15c(59F), thus sexually immature fish can grow rapidly during the summer months when the temperature is warmer. Once koi are mature, their growth rate slows considerably; in sexually mature fish, most of the food eaten is utilized in producing eggs or sperm in preparation for breeding. However, unlike many other vertebrates, fish continue to grow throughout their lives and it is easy for pampered koi to reproduce and continue to grow because of their artificially high feeding rates. The cycle of rapid growth in summer and retarded growth in winter produces rings on the fish's scales (much like the growth rings of a tree) and a koi's age can be determined by counting these rings. Some koi-keepers, however, who heat their pools in the winter, continue to feed their koi throughout the year. If a koi has continued to feed during winter its rings will not be clearly defined and it will therefore be difficult to age.
Water quality affects the rate of growth because koi lose their appetites and may even stop eating if their environment is poor. Poor water quality can also affect the fish's metabolism, thus hindering digestion of food.
The stocking density of the pond can also have marked effects on koi growth rate. In a lightly stocked pond, koi will become sexually mature while still of a relatively small size (25-3Ocm/10-l2in) and once mature, growth is retarded. Although koi in a densely stocked pond will mature at a much larger size (50-60cm/20-24in), competition for food will slow the growth rate, food will be more scarce and the 'battle' for it can stress some koi. You will have to decide on optimum stocking levels for your own koi pond bearing this in mind. In fact, these considerations are really most important for koi farmers.
The genetic background, too, influences the size to which koi will grow; as the children of tall parents tend to be tall, and short parents produce small children, so the same is true of koi. This is obviously a simplified view of gene action, however, because of the significant role the environment plays in influencing size.
I've had my koi for about 3 years now and they are all between the 24-30" mark. The females are distinctively larger than the males.
At what age do they breed? I was under the impression that they start breeding between 2-4 years of age.
I have kept silver aro's, arapaima, peacock bass, stingray's, oscar's and koi all together in my 2600g pond during the summer. They all got along fine
At what age do they breed? I was under the impression that they start breeding between 2-4 years of age.
I have kept silver aro's, arapaima, peacock bass, stingray's, oscar's and koi all together in my 2600g pond during the summer. They all got along fine