Skittish New Fish, Any ideas

[SamMag]

Hey a couple days ago i bought 6 koi from a local pet store. They seem healthey clear eyes, normal coloration, intact fins, no signs of disease, and are accepting food(at least from what I can tell)

However whenever I appraoch the pond the school immediately breaks apart and the fish become extrmemyly skittish darting in every direction and hiding under everything they can. This is why I think they are accepting food for whenever i give it to them and I approach the pond they dont see it, but the next day all traces of food are gone so I asume they eat it.

Is this skittish behavior normal for 6" koi? Also will it stop? As I would like to watch them eat.

Thanks

 

[DrCase]

Give them more time ,to get use to the great outdoors.

 

[koiguy1969]

my fish hate me twice a year, when they go inside in the fall and when they go back outside in the spring. they are skiddish for weeks after.. its probably pretty traumatic, being chased down, netted, put in a little bag of water,transferred to another home but stuck in that little bag,for a 1/2 hour while the water acclimates,then let go in a strange enviroment. like he said... give em time!!!

 

[SamMag]

Allright then I shall give em time. I will report back in a couple weeks or so.

Thanks

 

[DrDave]

Patience and no sudden moves. If nothing else threatens them, like raccons at night or Egrets by day, they will eventually warm up to you.

You can't just walk out once in a while and expect them to welcome you. Sit by the pond and let them see you putting food in the water. They will eventually recognize you as the feeder.

 

[c2c7390]

i heard giving them somewhere to hide makes them feel safe...because they have somewhere to run to...
my koi just started to become skittish right after i treated for ich

 

[SamMag]

So would a water lily provide the neccasary cover?

 

[c2c7390]

any floating plants would...im thinking about giving them a "cave" or "tunnel" to hide in

 

[DrDave]

I have a 55 gallon barrel cut in half with the ends removed for mine. It is under a small bridge. The Koi love it and are constantly cruising in and out of it.

 

[SamMag]

Ok sounds good then thanks.

Ill keep ya posted

 

[MassKoi]

My koi were almost eating out of my hand when they suddenly one day became very skittish. I realized after that, that my pond was being visited by a heron. If it's not a predator problem then throw some food in the pond and take a couple of steps back. Each day stay a little closer to the pond. Eventually they will be sticking their little faces out of the water when they see you.

 

[Ronn9890]

I got the same problem they have a cave and I never see them out of it and yesterday mornng i Found a light knocked over it could have fallen by who knows tomorrow morning I'm going to move some rock and see if I lost any plus I never see them eat and I always see food on top of the water they have been they only 2 days anyone with any thoughts

 

[Julius Leonid Maestral]

Hey a couple days ago i bought 6 koi from a local pet store. They seem healthey clear eyes, normal coloration, intact fins, no signs of disease, and are accepting food(at least from what I can tell)

However whenever I appraoch the pond the school immediately breaks apart and the fish become extrmemyly skittish darting in every direction and hiding under everything they can. This is why I think they are accepting food for whenever i give it to them and I approach the pond they dont see it, but the next day all traces of food are gone so I asume they eat it.

Is this skittish behavior normal for 6" koi? Also will it stop? As I would like to watch them eat.

Thanks

Got the same problem too, but I seem to have it under control. In fact I and several others posted somewhere around here raising queries about a situation which is similar as yours. And I somehow solved it by limiting the frequency of the feeding sessions and no sudden movements. The way I feed them also got a major overhaul. I used to just THROW the feeds and leave them fishes to pick the pellets apart. Now, I stay at the pond, and feed them real slow, dropping the pellets in consumable batches. In my case, I guess overfeeding them was the foremost cause of why they ignore the feeds even during feeding time (a lot of leftovers, but just the same as yours, its gone several hours later. so I assume that they ate it). Presently, they don't do the "feeding frenzy" like those we can see at the internet or at the pet store, but they now come close to take a piece for themselves and that is so OK for me at the moment. better to see them feed than not at all. I cannot consider predators as the cause of the problem as there is not much wild animals around here, so lucky me.