is my fish laying eggs

[percival]

I have 6 koi of between 10 and 14 inches , 2 small koi 2 small goldfish , one of the larger koi is being followed around by the other larger koi and the other koi are gathering in areas at the top of the pond they don't normally frequent , whats going on

 

[JohnHuff]

Ya, it's mating behavior. Mine does exactly the same thing. Though it seems late in the season for you. I thought you might be in Godzone but a search of wirral reveals that it's in NE England, which seems late as it usually happens for me in the Spring. By the way, now you know who's female and who's the males.

The chasing can get exhaustive. I'd thought about separating the sexes but I thought it better to leave Nature alone.

As far as the gathering in one area, I've always thought of them hunting for eggs.

 

[percival]

if things go according to plan how long before I hear the slapping of little fins

 

[Dave 54]

Are you aware that koi will produce a huge amount of ammonia when they spawn so its a good idea to keep a very good eye on everything when it comes to spawning i;e ammonia Nitrite, Nitrate, Ph Kh .
Or you could use a large QT tank for the acctual act as many koi keepers do to try selective breeding.
Another thing I feel I should mention is that for the female koi it can be quite a harmful affair to them so your going to have to keep an eye out for damage on them and treat them accordingly .
You can use mop heads as spawnng matts for them to lay their eggs on or you can buy propper koi ones which we have.
They look like a bit of tinsel on steriods with stickers at each end which you attach to the side of your QT facility....
Best of Luck .............

rgrds

Dave