Is this Koi ok?

[Kaili Carlton]

We have a fairly new pond, and we have seven Koi between 6-10 inches that are happy and healthy, but we got this one as a gift, and I can’t help but think it looks sickly? It’s absolutely tiny, 3 to 4 inches long, and the coloring just seems weird to me. Has anyone seen one like this? It’s translucent white with an orange tint.

 

[Lisak1]

Welcome! Looks like a beautiful butterfly koi to me! The color will change as he/she matures.

Tell us more about your pond - how big? What kind of filtration? Pictures would be great - we love pictures!

 

[Kaili Carlton]

Thank you!! Phew! We are newbies so that’s a relief! Attached are pictures of the pond- we’ve been cleaning it by hand, but know that probably won’t be feasible as the fish get bigger and produce more waste. So far chasing string algae has been our biggest challenge LOL It’s 2500 gallons and has tons of caves and caverns for the fishies to hide in (which is why they aren’t in my pictures!)

 

[Lisak1]

Holy cow! It's BEAUTIFUL!

So you have plans for filtration? String algae is every new pond owners friend - it's there to let you know that you have excess nutrients in your pond AND to help get rid of them so your fish won't be adversely affected. Get more plants growing in your pond and make sure you aren't overfeeding your fish and the algae will take care of itself.

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome. Fish looks OK, maybe just a little on the thin side! Love your pond! What kind of filtration do you have? I wouldn’t recommend adding any more fish, though. Are you going to quarantine the new fish for a few weeks?

 

[Kaili Carlton]

Will do! We just added the three water lilies and the water hyasenth in the last month for this reason. Good to know it’s a sign of a healthy ecosystem. Our water quality tests really well out of the gate except for phosphates being a little off- hence the new plants. It should be super well oxygenated with the waterfall. Learning as we go! Great to find this forum for advice and info!

 

[Kaili Carlton]

We are hand cleaning for now while we research option for filtration. It’s stayed quite clean! The little one is already in the pond- (put in by my stepdaughter as a Father’s Day surprise for my husband ) he’s about half the size of the other fish, but seems to be getting on nicely- doesn’t surface much and eating mostly algae from what we can see. Our other ones did that for the first month or so as well, so that wasn’t a huge shock. Now they eat pellets like fiends! I think this guy might be a little small for the pellets, so I throw some flake in every once in awhile just in case.

 

[Kaili Carlton]

These are the other guys

 

[Kaili Carlton]

Hello and welcome. Fish looks OK, maybe just a little on the thin side! Love your pond! What kind of filtration do you have? I wouldn’t recommend adding any more fish, though. Are you going to quarantine the new fish for a few weeks?

And nope! No more fish- this little white fella was an unexpected addition

 

[Lisak1]

That little white fella is going to be a spectacular fish I have a feeling! If I could add one more koi (not gonna do it. not gonna do it. NOT GONNA DO IT!) it would be a white butterfly.

 

[Kaili Carlton]

Oh good! He’s a little homely right now to be honest- lol. We call him Powder

 

[Lisak1]

We call him Powder

haha! John Travolta approves!

He's just a little skinny - feed him up real good and he will be a handsome fella!

 

[Jhn]

Welcome, very nice looking pond and stream! Blends very well into the landscape.

 

[Kaili Carlton]

Welcome, very nice looking pond and stream! Blends very well into the landscape.

Thank you!

 

[RobAmy]

Nice looking pond and stream