How big will my baby koi fish grow?
What are the three factors that will determine the size of your koi and goldfish?
1- Heredity:
Without the proper genes your koi and pond fish will never be large no matter how much good care you give them. Genes play a very important part in the size of your koi and pond fish. If your koi are from an average size family that’s what your fish will be. You do not have any control over this factor except to buy from a reputable source. All the good fish care in the world will not help if your koi and pond fish does not have the proper genes.
2 – The first 120 days as fry:
How much good koi care your koi fish receive in the first 120 days of their life is a very important factor that will determine their growth rate and size. All the best genes that determine size will mean nothing if your koi and pond fish do not receive good koi care in the first 120 days of their lives.
If the “Fish Breeder” does not feed the proper koi and pond fish high quality foods in the right amount and keep the water quality perfect, the size of the fish fry will suffer. The fish will become stunted. I’ve received 2.5 inch goldfish that never grew any bigger because of the poor goldfish care they received as fry. In fact these small fish even laid eggs.
3 – Proper koi and pond fish Care from you:
Proper nutrition is a must!! The fish food and koi care you give your fish is vital to their growth rate. Not all fish foods are created equal. Many claims are made by fish food manufacturers, however, that’s just what they are, claims, with no real results. You should look for fish foods that have been used by Pond fish Collectors and have been proven to add size and color to your fish. Plus, proper nutrition will reduce fish disease.
There’s more!
Water Quality:
Excellent water quality which is a part of good koi care is a must for raising nice big fish. That means 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, a good solid pH of 7.5 and very low nitrates.
Pond fish are heavy eaters and produce large amounts of waste. Weekly water changes and proper filtration are very important. Filters that can be easily cleaned and incorporate both mechanical and biological filtration. A good filter will cut down on pond fish disease.
The importance of Weekly Partial Water Changes
Over crowding:
One inch of koi or pond fish per ten gallons of pond water is the perfect goal for the average pond with average filtration. Too many koi or pond fish in your pond will inhibit their growth rate. Fish disease can be caused by overcrowding.
Conclusion:
The purchasing of your koi and pond fish from a reputable source, that buys their koi fish from “fish breeders” who have the fish genes for quality and size is very important.
Plus, they must know how to raise good healthy fry. The good fish care you give your koi and pond fish is very important, excellent water quality in your koi fish pond and a very good diet of high quality fish food will greatly improve their growth rate and reduce pond fish disease.
How many fish can I have in my koi pond?
Thank you for your time,
Rick
