Can Koi Swim upstream like spawning Salmon?

[Peterpuck]

I have just had my third incident where I found one of my small koi swimming upstream from my main pond to the small collecting basin that is under my waterfall. The collecting basin is elevated about 15 inches from the main pond and is connected via an 8 foot long winding stream that is only 1/2 inch deep at some points. Access to the stream from the main pond also requires that the fish jumps 3-5 inches out of the water in order to clear the drop at the embankment (depending on the pond water level).
The first occurrence was about a month ago when I mistakenly thought the fish was hiding in my shop vacuum hose and came out when I went to suck the muck out of my waterfall basin. I put the fish back into the main pond and it is doing just fine.
The second occurrence happened three weeks ago when I spotted a different koi swimming upstream in the middle of the stream. As soon as I tried to catch it, it swam all the way up into the basin and hid behind one of the vertical rocks underneath the waterfall. I netted that fish and put it back into the main pond. It survived for about a week and then I found it dead in my pump filter mesh. I know it had not been coming up for koi pellets prior to it's death and I recall seeing it take a large cedar branch into it's mouth which likely was stuck in it's digestive system.
The most recent occurrence was about a week ago when I turned the waterfall pump off to clean out the filters in the waterfall collector. I had removed all of the filters and the top ledgerock and was shocked to see a third koi swimming around in the waterfall basin. At that point there was no water left in the stream so it must have been up there before I turned the pump off. It too, tried to hide behind the vertical rock underneath the waterfall but I netted it and put it back in the main pond. This one and the first one both come for food regularly and appear to be doing fine.We had a ton of rain just prior to this last incident and the pond water level was at it's highest point so I am guessing that there wasn't much of a jump required to get into the stream from the main pond.
All three of the koi are from a springtime purchase so they are only about three inches long. I have several larger koi (12 inches plus) and none of them have shown any tendencies to "go upstream".(and I think it would be difficult given the shallow depth of the stream.)
Has anyone else seen this happen with their koi?

 

[dieselplower]

I dont have a stream like that for my Koi to do so but yes Koi love to swim against current.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Can't speak for koi, but my comets and shubunkins tried swimming upstream when I first added my bog. They never got in it thankfully and haven't tried in months, though they do hang out near the waterfall. The seem to love current in general. They come over by the hose when I'm filling too.

 

[Nepen]

When my pump detached from the hose my fish would gathered where the pump output was and ride the current... I guess they just love the current

My guppies would jumped up the last stone that I have for my waterfall and try to ride up the stream (impossible) even though there's only thin film of water on the rock. I caught some of them doing that already.

I have no koi - goldfish and guppies only.

 

[Tula]

I put a powerful air pump in my pond this summer. At first, the koi were spooked, now they love to swim against it's current.

 

[crsublette]

It's neat watching the fish play in the water currents. I think they rather enjoy it. There are even pond designs, which I forget the name of them, now where heavy water currents are required.

I haven't seen them jump like salmon do while trying to swim upstream, but the koi and typical pond goldfish definitely do seek it out.

 

[tengbells]

Our koi love to hangout under the waterfall, but the drop from that fall to the pond is steeper with a rock overhang so I've never seen them jump there, but they do jump when feeding and spawning. Maybe putting a net in that area would cut down on jumpers!

 

[Peterpuck]

When my pump detached from the hose my fish would gathered where the pump output was and ride the current... I guess they just love the current

My guppies would jumped up the last stone that I have for my waterfall and try to ride up the stream (impossible) even though there's only thin film of water on the rock. I caught some of them doing that already.

I have no koi - goldfish and guppies only.

I used to have about 65 goldfish in the same pond and none of them ever went upstream and there were some pretty athletic jumpers in there!

 

[Peterpuck]

Our koi love to hangout under the waterfall, but the drop from that fall to the pond is steeper with a rock overhang so I've never seen them jump there, but they do jump when feeding and spawning. Maybe putting a net in that area would cut down on jumpers!

Thanks for the suggestion but that would likely entangle the fish and it might be dead before I saw it. I put netting over the main pond every spring to keep the heron out until the plants get big enough to provide some cover. One or two of the fish always manage to get above the netting and I have been lucky enough to get them out before they get sunburned or the heron picks them off. The last koi that I rescued from the netting was so worn out he was sluggish for at least a week and he wouldn't go near the netting for almost a month!

 

[Peterpuck]

As of 4 PM today, the last koi became a repeat offender and I found it swimming in the waterfall basin again. After I returned it to the main pond, I noticed that it was very aggressive during feeding and it was climbing up the backs of other koi that were four or five times it's size. What a spunky little fish! Betcha it turns up in the basin again soon. Wish I could catch it making the leap at the stream exit. So far I have only seen one fish swimming in the stream and none making the leap.

 

[Dave 54]

A friend of ours Mike and former koi club membders koi used to regularly swop from the main pond to his connecting goldfish pond but never when he was watching them

Dave

 

[Peterpuck]

As of 4 PM today, the last koi became a repeat offender and I found it swimming in the waterfall basin again. After I returned it to the main pond, I noticed that it was very aggressive during feeding and it was climbing up the backs of other koi that were four or five times it's size. What a spunky little fish! Betcha it turns up in the basin again soon. Wish I could catch it making the leap at the stream exit. So far I have only seen one fish swimming in the stream and none making the leap.

I think my repeat offender must be a "Michigan Koi" because like so many of us Michiganians, he likes to "go up North" !!

 

[jackie happy koi lover]

View attachment 74584 View attachment 74585 View attachment 74586 I have just had my third incident where I found one of my small koi swimming upstream from my main pond to the small collecting basin that is under my waterfall. The collecting basin is elevated about 15 inches from the main pond and is connected via an 8 foot long winding stream that is only 1/2 inch deep at some points. Access to the stream from the main pond also requires that the fish jumps 3-5 inches out of the water in order to clear the drop at the embankment (depending on the pond water level).
The first occurrence was about a month ago when I mistakenly thought the fish was hiding in my shop vacuum hose and came out when I went to suck the muck out of my waterfall basin. I put the fish back into the main pond and it is doing just fine.
The second occurrence happened three weeks ago when I spotted a different koi swimming upstream in the middle of the stream. As soon as I tried to catch it, it swam all the way up into the basin and hid behind one of the vertical rocks underneath the waterfall. I netted that fish and put it back into the main pond. It survived for about a week and then I found it dead in my pump filter mesh. I know it had not been coming up for koi pellets prior to it's death and I recall seeing it take a large cedar branch into it's mouth which likely was stuck in it's digestive system.
The most recent occurrence was about a week ago when I turned the waterfall pump off to clean out the filters in the waterfall collector. I had removed all of the filters and the top ledgerock and was shocked to see a third koi swimming around in the waterfall basin. At that point there was no water left in the stream so it must have been up there before I turned the pump off. It too, tried to hide behind the vertical rock underneath the waterfall but I netted it and put it back in the main pond. This one and the first one both come for food regularly and appear to be doing fine.We had a ton of rain just prior to this last incident and the pond water level was at it's highest point so I am guessing that there wasn't much of a jump required to get into the stream from the main pond.
All three of the koi are from a springtime purchase so they are only about three inches long. I have several larger koi (12 inches plus) and none of them have shown any tendencies to "go upstream".(and I think it would be difficult given the shallow depth of the stream.)
Has anyone else seen this happen with their koi?

I BELIEVE i just had this happen....I too have two ponds separated by what we call the CHANNEL. My LARGE KOI pond is 1 .500gal to 2.000 which drains via a shallow channel down to our SMALL POND 250 gal for smaller fish (GOLDFISH) SARRASSAS and SMALL KOI when we get them. This fella WAS NOT PUT in our LG POND.....BUT APPEARED there this summer from the small pond where he was last summer. ALSO ABOUT 3"-4', JUST COULDNT BELIEVE it...BUT THERE REALLY is no other EXPLAINATION.

 

[Mmathis]

@jackie happy koi lover Hello and welcome!

This is a very old thread and I don’t think the OP has been around for a while.

Why not go over to our “introductions” topic and tell us about yourself and your pond!

 

[GBBUDD]

He'll yeah they can .had one baby jump up a 12 inch and a 16 inch waterfall