way to many baby fish

Joined
Jun 24, 2020
Messages
12
Reaction score
5
Location
lower Alabama
Country
United States
We have had this pond for 10 years and never no babies that we had seen. The four big fish have been with us for five years. Our pond is around 1500 gals. and about 4 to 5 weeks ago we now have an extra 30 to 40 fish, thay I would rather not have. I got in the pond and tried catching them, 45 minutes later and only three had been netted. My question is are they going to cause me problems with our big fish, I assume the pond is to small for everyone. I will try and post some pics, had no luck with a video.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7591.JPG
    IMG_7591.JPG
    232.4 KB · Views: 114
  • IMG_8068.jpg
    IMG_8068.jpg
    183.1 KB · Views: 111
  • IMG_8117.jpg
    IMG_8117.jpg
    264.2 KB · Views: 109

mrsclem

mrsclem
Joined
Jul 21, 2008
Messages
5,363
Reaction score
4,816
Location
st. mary's county, md.
Hardiness Zone
7A
Country
United States
Shouldn't cause a problem this year but those babies will grow and fast! If you can drop your water level , it will make it easier to catch them. Save the water you pump out to a kiddie pool or large container.
I use a trap made from pvc and netting to catch mine.
1596371652217.jpeg
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Messages
13,522
Reaction score
10,649
Location
Ct
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
Take a five gallon water jug cut the top off where the top is the same width as the bottles widest point . Turn the top around and shove it into the bottom half drill and zip TY ie them together put a couple rocks in it and some food. Put the trap where you see the babies the most
 

Mmathis

TurtleMommy
Joined
Apr 28, 2011
Messages
13,928
Reaction score
8,103
Location
NW Louisiana -- zone 8b
Hardiness Zone
8b
Country
United States
Hello and welcome!

1500 gallons is small for 4 koi, and if you can’t get a handle on the fry, please be sure to keep a close eye on your water parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, pH, GH, and KH.)! And be sure you have really good filtration.
 
Joined
Jul 12, 2009
Messages
3,990
Reaction score
2,683
Location
Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania
Hardiness Zone
6a
We all have this very same problem. Our fish keep multiplying!
While it is nice to see the new offspring, they grow quick and that may cause a strain on your filtration.
You could always try to find new homes for them once they are big enough to capture.
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Messages
13,522
Reaction score
10,649
Location
Ct
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
I am going to add either a bass or a sun fish to the mix i have 8 babies from last year that are getting very big very fast and about 20 in this years spawn. the fish on the left is last years spawn while the fish in the center is from 3 years ago and the first to be allowed to stay in the pond. it is amazing how fast and how reserved they can be at times
rw.jpg
 
Last edited:
Joined
Sep 14, 2013
Messages
6,216
Reaction score
4,969
Location
Cincinnati, Ohio
Hardiness Zone
6 A
Country
United States
I have 4 adult koi in 1700 gallons. I'm a bit OCD about catching every last one of the babies....so I lower the pond water and put on my waders! This year I'm gathering information on how to safely removed my adults from the pond while I lower the water and catch the babies. Last year I had to really lower the water and besides being stressful on the adults I'm sure the water quality was bad.
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Messages
13,522
Reaction score
10,649
Location
Ct
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
Make a trap tula let time do the work for you . the trap worked great when i was home. Other wise they go in get the food and find the way out over time. They are easy to make and you need a couple rocks a 5 gallon water bottle a saw and some zip ties. cheap
 

cas

Joined
Apr 20, 2015
Messages
2,267
Reaction score
3,039
Location
NE Ohio
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6a
Country
United States
I have used a minnow trap previous years and it worked great. However, last years fish must have been smarter that previous years because I couldn't catch them all and now I have 10 extra that I don't need. @Tula , I also dread lowering the water level to try to catch them because I worry about the water quality for the bigger fish if I do that.

@catbird what a pretty pond and nice fish you have.
 
Joined
May 29, 2017
Messages
271
Reaction score
158
Hardiness Zone
5
Country
United States
Take a five gallon water jug cut the top off where the top is the same width as the bottles widest point . Turn the top around and shove it into the bottom half drill and zip TY ie them together put a couple rocks in it and some food. Put the trap where you see the babies the most
Used this method with regular sized water bottles for my minnow fry a couple years ago. Surprisingly effective.
 
Joined
Sep 14, 2013
Messages
6,216
Reaction score
4,969
Location
Cincinnati, Ohio
Hardiness Zone
6 A
Country
United States
I have used a minnow trap previous years and it worked great. However, last years fish must have been smarter that previous years because I couldn't catch them all and now I have 10 extra that I don't need. @Tula , I also dread lowering the water level to try to catch them because I worry about the water quality for the bigger fish if I do that.

@catbird what a pretty pond and nice fish you have.
I think I have too many hiding places for small fish and I'm determined to catch them all! I believe I'm going to fill my stock stand with pond water, aerate it, have Prime on hand, keep it in the shade and cover it securely . I'm also going to put more pond water in a kiddie pool....maybe I can even find more containers, so I can pump it back into the pond when finished.

I'm thinking of renting a big pump to pump the water from the pond more quickly. I've been told to not feed my fish for 3-5 days before doing this.
 

cas

Joined
Apr 20, 2015
Messages
2,267
Reaction score
3,039
Location
NE Ohio
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6a
Country
United States
@Tula it sounds like so much work! I suggest you build another pond and put the two females in one and the two males in the other!
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Messages
13,522
Reaction score
10,649
Location
Ct
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
I built the shallow extension of the pond this year and while I was doing so the fish breed like crazy. I got some pretty cool colors and combinations but I am maxed out for what I want to have. By the way if anyone is looking for black very dark brown koi with yellow outlines on the scales let me know ill post some pics soon
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
30,912
Messages
509,936
Members
13,122
Latest member
Mozzzika

Latest Threads

Top