Question
Hello,

I found a pair of baby koi hiding in the wrinkles of my pond liner in the shallow end of my pond the other day.  I was quite surprised, as I didn't think my koi were mature enough to breed.  What should I do to maximize their chance of survival?  I have managed to catch the babies and take a photo, which I have posted here:

http://www.campgoodtime.com/babykoi.jpg

As you can see, they are about an inch long.

I was actually quite surprised to find them, as my 9 adult koi are still quite small.  4 of them were just a couple of inches when I put them in this spring, and the other 5 are 6-9 inches and have lived in the pond since May 2006.  The pond is about 3000 gallons and has a maximum depth of 4.5 feet.

Is there any risk the big koi will eat them?  The shallow end of my pond is mostly just full of floating plants now, with a long thin rock across the surface to act as a gate so the floating plants don't get sucked into the skimmer.  The shallow end could be easily modified so that the big koi can't get in.  The babies have survived up until now after all, so is the pond the best place for them?

I also have several aquariums, one of which is currently empty.  Would it be a better idea to put the babies in their own tank for a while?  I live in Canada and the pond freezes over each year - would the babies be better off indoors for their first winter?

Thanks,

~Peter

Answer
Congratulations! They are so cute!  Your koi do seem young to have spawned but they must have (unless you brought koi eggs in from a purchase of live plants).  Your "big" koi are not very big as far as koi go so they are less likely to eat the babies than older koi would be.  Koi more inadvertently eat fry than on purpose.  At an inch long, the babies are getting past the "please don't eat me" stage.  Predators of other sorts are always a risk for any fish.  The babies may be just fine where they are but there are no guarantees.  If you've overwintered your other koi in your pond fine last winter, then the babies may be fine.  They are a bit more sensitive than adults so you might bring them in.  A tank, of course, is much smaller and lacks the small animals and plants on which the babies are feeding.  Many people bring baby koi in for the winter.  It means extra work for you to be sure they are well cared for.  There's no correct answer.  You can try it either way.  Hopefully, they'll be fine either way.  Good luck!

Robyn
fishpondinfo.com