well iv'e been wondering over the past few weeks weather i have all male koi or all female or mixed. So i was wondering if there is a way if i catch them if i can tell the gender....
~marino~:lol:
~marino~:lol:
how 2 tell the sex
- Thread starter pondbuilder13
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whether lol not weather haha......haha
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you really don't want to chase that spectre, not because its a problem but rather because it can be really hard. i was at a koi farm this year talking to a really experienced farmer with a national reputation, and when i asked him about the sex of the seven tosai showas (9 to 10 inches in total length) he was presenting, he said its really hard to do. he felt the pectorals to check for bumps which signify a male, but he really didnt try. the anal pore is not developed enough to tell on fish this size. i guess you find out later during spawning when you can see which fish chase which fish. of course females are larger as adults so that can be an indicator as they grow out.
ok haha well im no expert lol so i can ask my pond guy about it when i bring my fish in for their check up this comming spring....
It is very difficult to tell when they are young. The body shape in the spring usually helps a lot. The females will get bigger through the belly as the eggs develop. Sometimes I have had very young female Koi at 6-7 develop eggs. Without the length they get very fat. I have always found that on the adults that if the gill plate is rough, like beard stubble, then it is a male.
Of course when spawning happens it is easy to tell. The males will be rooting the females around pushing the eggs out. It's always fun to make notes, mental or otherwise, on what sex you think the Koi are when they are young and then see what they truly are in the spring or during spawning. I have many mis-named Koi in my pond. LOL
Of course when spawning happens it is easy to tell. The males will be rooting the females around pushing the eggs out. It's always fun to make notes, mental or otherwise, on what sex you think the Koi are when they are young and then see what they truly are in the spring or during spawning. I have many mis-named Koi in my pond. LOL
FredrikAnderson
Koi Herder
Ya I have one that my daughter named princess as it got older it displayed all the behavior traits that I read in some artical for a male so we decided to rename it emperior and give the name princess to a new koi we just got. Well low and behold the koi's body now looks to be looking like female. We are now in a holding pattern till next spring when I think it will be finally determined it is a female and the name will be turned to emperiss (not even sure I spelled that right but not going to worry about it till we have to change the name because who knows we may not have to)