Koi Spawning

<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;"> If you are lucky enough to pick the right moment to visit your pond it is an amazing sight. The thrashing of the koi will diturb the quiet of the morning and the water of the breeding tank will become a bubbling mass. The actual mating procedure will last for most of the morning, then suddenly, the noise will stop and the water becomes motionless. When this occurs the parents should be removed from the breeding tank or suspended net. After a quick check over they should be returned to the pond. If left in with the eggs for too long after spawning they will begin to eat their own offspring. The eggs can either be left where they are, which is ideal, or removed carefully to a hatchery tank containing the same water. In either case the eggs should be treated with a very mild solution of malachite green (3 parts per million) for 10-15 minutes in order to prevent fungus (Saprolegnia). Some breeders do not do this as they believe that the eggs may absorb the chemical causing congenital defects to the resultant fry.</span></p>