[mstrseed]

Quote: Originally Posted by smithvillemike I want to preface this by saying I live in a cabin in the woods so I have a lot of time to think about my koi, so I had two questions last night that I can't find answers to on the internet. 1. I need to learn to bowl my koi for many reasons. Is it better to learn in the winter when they are slowed down, or will this cause stress that will be worse because of their slowed down state? What is the best season to learn? 2. I have a 10x12x6 foot above ground pond that I have decided to keep only 5-6 quality large fish. I currently have 9 of which 8 were pond fish and one is what I call my Japan cull (good but not great) I want to cull them down to 2 maybe 3 fish. As they are schooling animals will this sudden drop of their number cause much stress? Should I take only a couple at a time or just cut back to what I want to keep? thanks in advance for any insight on koi psychology. Mike

Hey Mike,

First thing to remember about bowling Koi is attitude. Positive, positive, positive.

They are slower in winter but not that much slower. Introduce a net and they seem to perk up a bit.

Its best to have someone show you how to bowl your Koi as opposed to learning. I learned by doing, and it was a rodeo of sorts which is not good. Stressed one fish so bad it got sick. Proper tools is next. Good net, good bowl.

As far as culling if you dropped them to 3 fish I do not see a problem or even 2.

BTW I live a little over an hour from you, if you want some help send me a PM with your information and we can work something out.

Bill