Breeding Koi: Controlling The Population
With most domesticated pets, population control is easy in breeding, as it is just simple to remove any possibility of conception until the time has already come to pass for its opportunity. But the Koi's case is quite different. They will always lay and spawn eggs, and others will fertilize them as well.
Now, since methods of contraception is not available for them, you may resolve this by removing those unwanted babies after they've been born. As harsh as it might seem, remember that if you're going to keep all of the babies, it can bring harm to both your pond and the parent fish!
Now, what would make the offsprings harmful? First, it has something to do with the size that they could grow into. They will grow up to 3 feet long, and this doesn't matter of what kind of habitat they're being placed into. Now, an overpopulation will turn a beautiful pond into an overfilled and wasteful ones!
With too many fish living in a smaller pond, the fish themselves will be very uncomfortable with their environment. In setting up your outdoor pond, make sure that you have a filtration system that will be good for a specific number of fish. Adding extra amounts of fish without adding any system to your outdoor pond will really producte harmful gases and chemicals that'll impose danger to them.
How do you get rid of the offsprings? There are several ways in doing this. First is to stop feeding your fish the moment you realize that spawning has already taken place. Never worry about them starving, as it is their nature to focus more on the natural foods that they see if they aren't fed by their owners daily.
Now, this "natural diet" includes their own young. Although they're not cannibals, they eat their young when they are still eggs or if they look like little insects, and they would only stop to eat when the time comes that their young looks like real fish. This is why it is important for you to start this process as soon as you observe that spawning has occurred.
Another way to do this is by giving the unwanted babies away. Check your local pet store and see if they have programs that accept unwanted animals and give them good shelter. Some stores may even pay a certain amount of money for each fish since they will sell them after (but don't count on this).
You can also search for local zoos that have this kind of program. If you do know any local Koi society, you can notify them that you have unwanted Koi babies. You can also find an online message board or group where you can post notifications.
Breeding and keeping your Koi as pets is a fun hobby, but just be sure you take care of them by monitoring their population in your pond regularly.
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