Home Breeding Koi

<p><span style="font-size: small;">Whilst breeding your own koi may be an exciting prospect and maybe the next step in your hobby, it must be remembered that spawing itself is often a very stressful time for the fish. As with anything there is always the element of risk and with koi breeding it is no different. Large numbers of koi keepers do not wish their koi to breed because of this stress. Usually koi are graceful and tranquil in both their movement and demeanour. It is this that leads so many of us to have a koi pond in our gardens as sitting and watching the fish makes it is a calming place to be.

<p><span style="font-size: small;">Koi are oviparous breeders (producing eggs that hatch outside the body). Once the females have shed the eggs the males will swim over them depositing milt (sperm). The eggs then fall to the bottom and surrounds of the pond and will stick to any object or plant matter that they come into contact with.

Even professional breeders find it challenging to sex small koi. Generally koi that are smaller than 25cm (10") are understood to be sexually immature and that their sexual organs develop after this stage.

<p><span style="font-size: small;">By planning a spawning you can control when your koi mate, and also which of your koi mate, thus beginning to develop your own strain. If at all possible divide your pond into sections by means of floating net cages. If this is not possible you will have to use a separate breeding tank. Before introducing the broodstock prior to spawning males and females should be kept separately. Temporary net cages can be made from something as basic as fine net curtain fabric draped and tied over a rectangular frame.

<p><span style="font-size: small;">After you have placed the broodstock in the tank and give them a while to settle. If they are ready to mate the males will soon begin to chase the female and will begin nudging and bumping her sides and rear to stimulator her into shedding her eggs. This activity is known as the 'spawning dance'. The actual process of spawning can be quite a violent spectacle. It usually takes place early in the morning, after a warm night.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">

<p><span style="font-size: small;">Depending on the temperature of the water the eggs will hatch within 4-7 days but not all at the same time. After hatching the fry live off their yolk sac for the first two to three days, after this they will need a constant supply of fry food which is available in either a liquid or powdered form. It is important to feed a high protein food but be careful not to foul the water.