Problem with koi..bought 3 this summer, 2 committed suicide(jumped out and died) and one was a floater. Why?

Question

The 1st one jumped out 2 days after we got it, the butterfly grew to about 10 inches and jumped out the day after we cleaned the pond. Pond is about 5 feet around and 2 1/2 feet deep.Is it too small for koi? Not cleaned enough? Anyone know what we did wrong?

Answer 1

Sounds more like you stressed the fish when you cleaned the pond and they were too close to the surface - leaving them easy targets for predators. I would suggest not changing more then half of the water and putting a fine mesh over the pond to keep predators out and the fish in.
A

Answer 2

My grandma had koi in her fish pond, and they kept jumping out. They are powerful swimmers, and don't know that the water ends. She ended up putting up some lawn edging all around her pond, just 3 inches away from the water. She had lilly pads in the pond, and this gave the fish somewhere to hide when predators came to get them. Also, they use the plants to lay their eggs in. You might want to make your pond 4 feet deep, because a predator can easily catch your fish. My grandma had her lilly pads in a box with legs about 6 inches off the bottom of the pond. This way she never had to worry about her grandchildren drowning if one should fall in.

We live in Michigan, and because the pond was below the frost level, she would have a wooden top placed on it in the fall, and then covered with straw. In the spring, the top was removed, and then a few weeks later, the pond was cleaned out, and all of the baby koi would be saved to be put back in with their parents. Most of the baby fry would be eaten, but lots of time she would find over 100 koi about 1 inch long.

Answer 3

Fish sometimes jump when there is a lot of oxygen in the water. They may jump because of the water temperature or getting away from predators such as cats. Be sure a neighbor's cat hasn't gone fishing in your pond ;) Do you have bubblers, waterfalls, moving water or a pump circulating the water? Try cutting back on the flow. Provide shade for the fish with shrubbery, potted water plants or overhanging rocks, etc. for the fish to stay under out of the sun. Unless you had a lot of sludge buildup, changing the water often is not necessary. The greener the water, the better it is for the fish. Koi are plant eaters(as are most goldfish[carp]), so unless you just want clear water to see them, let the water alone. the algae is food for them. I have a smaller outside pond than yours and the fish are happy(for the last 7 years), w/o anything but changing the water about every 1-2 years. I always let the water stand for a day or two before putting the fish back, for the chlorine to evaporate. I have a passive pond, one that needs little attention. No moving water, plenty of shade and overhangs with waterlillies to hide under. The fish can be ignored for weeks on end with no ill effects, and they stay fat and sassy.
...jj

Answer 4

Yes the pond is too small for koi. Koi need 1000 gallons for 1 fish and an additional 100 gallons PER extra fish.
They jumped out for a number of reasons,
ammonia and nitrite spike read this site about cycling
http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin.html

predators could have spooked them
you didnt add water conditioner when you filled the pond up or after you cleaned it

Answer 5

Koi jump, that's what they do, nothing has to scare them to make them jump. I would say that your pond is too small around for koi
and the last koi that died could have had a disease or tumors or anything(sometimes we can't see it) Your pond would be better suited for goldfish, be sure to have some water plants and make sure you de-chlorinate your water when you clean the pond

Answer 6

I don't think you did anything wrong. Do you have large preditory birds in your area? My grandmother had a problem with hawks scareing her fish and flying off with a few. Perhaps that is what you need to think about. She put a mesh net about 10 inches away from the water to keep the birds away and the fish in. It seems to have worked. She now has the largest and most frendly koi I have ever seen. Keep it up! They really are rewarding fish. You will have to eventually make the pond bigger but, for now it should be fine.

Answer 7

It's difficult to diagnose a problem like that without knowing all the other factors. I am giving you a link to a website that details size, filtration and other aspects of keeping koi in a pond. I do hope this helps.

Answer 8

the first summer we had our pond we went through many fish depends on how big your koi are, but your pond sounds good sized. remember--theyre fish (little brains) just keep plugging, and dont spend alot of money on them