Our koi breeding 2022

The setup

This year we started with a new setup. The pool is new and the hanging nets as well. The nets are 1.6x1.6m and have a depth of 1.3m. As can be seen in the picture, these are attached to square hollow profiles made of stainless steel.

The time

If you breed conventionally like we do, ie. without pituitary glands to induce ovulation, the first difficulty is timing. If you are too early, you run the risk that the koi will settle down too well after being transferred to the tank in which they are supposed to spawn and nothing will happen. If you are too late, you run the risk of the spawning process already taking place in the pond, which then leads to random breeding and mostly useless results. If you can, it is therefore also an advantage if females are kept separately from males. But even then, spawning can take place in some cases. Therefore: Timing is key.

The mating

This year we have scheduled three matings:

1. Benigoi x Karashi
2. Doits Karashi x Karashi
3. Orenji Karashi x Karashi

Two of them (2 & 3) were used for testing purposes, as the females had never been bred with before. It was also unclear whether this would work and what the quality would be like. There was also a change in the males, so we were really excited to see the results. All three matings spawned. Matings 1 & 3 worked very well. Mating 2 was less good. There can be many reasons why mating 2 didn't work so well. This can be related to the genetics of the parent breeds, the age of the female which is only 3 years old or many other things. We will therefore try the mating again next year and see if there is an improvement.

The Rearing

After the koi have spawned, it takes 60-80 degrees a day (ie 3-4 days at 20°C) for the little koi to hatch. In the picture below you can see the eggs after spawning.

After the little koi have hatched, they still feed on the egg yolk. However, this is a very short phase of 1-2 days depending on the temperature. After that, it is important to start feeding as soon as possible. We use freshly hatched Artemia as in the picture below.

The interesting thing is that you can easily see whether the small koi have eaten because they are mostly transparent and the artemia shimmers through the body.

Over time, we'll also start feeding our Seichō Mini 1. As we grow, we can then switch to Seichō Mini 2, Seichō Mini 3 and finally our Seichō Tosai. Arriving at the Seichō Tosai, you have the most complex phase behind you. But before that happens, at least one selection will take place. The time of selection should be set as early as possible, but this varies according to variety and size.

We hope you enjoyed the little insight into this year's koi breeding. See you next blog!

If you have any questions or would like advice on the subject of koi or ponds, do not hesitate to contact us.