Cloud Nine

[koifishgirl]

You guys are not going to believe this. Last summer I went to a mans farm about 45 mins from here and he has 14 mud pond and has a bunch of koi that he is raiseing. I was looking for some parent stock to start my little bussiness and someone gave me this guys name and number, so I gave him a call and went to check out what he had, while I was their we talked for hours and I found out he did not know much about koi but he liked them. He does not know one type from the other and his pond are clear because he does not ferterlize his ponds, he also just put all his parent koi in one small mud pond and lets nature take its course. Mass spawns only. He does not remove his koi and I am sure alot of the eggs are eaten and alot are lost because of no care taken to prepair the pond for the fry. I called him today thinking he may be getting ready to pull the ponds and spawn the koi and guess what he was planning to do this this coming weekend. He wants me to come and sit and talk with him next Saturday as he want me to go into the business with him. I can tell you guys that I am on could nine. This is what I was thinking about and you guy tell me what you think. I want to purchase some good bloodlines and provide better parent stock, give him half the fry and help with the pulling and culling and paying for ferterlizer and food on halfs he would provide the ponds half the food and ferterlizer. I would also provide the knowledge he need to improve the #of fry and improve the farm overall. I would provide the advertisement , web and paper. What do you guy think? I wont be able to think of anything else all week. I knew God wanted me to do this just look at what he has done I will am climbing the ladder now, and it is only going to get better.

I got to say thanks to you guys for giving me some of the knowledge that I need to get mud pond going for the fry as I think with him not removeing the parents and not prepairing his mud ponds that is his problem. Thanks guys alot. I just did not think I would need all this imformation so quick. I cant believe this guys, I am soooooo happy. Any advice? I can use all the help I can get, I dont want this guy to turn and run although I dont think he will but you never can tell. Pray guys pray!

[MikeM]

Go for it! .... just don't give him any money.

[MikeM]

...and get keys to the gates and something in writing that says what fish are yours, and that you have irrevocable permission to enter his property so long as any of your fish are on the premises. [It's my business to worry over the things that can go wrong. ]

[dick benbow]

good advice Mike! KFG, I wish you luck in your new venture!

[koifishgirl]

Thanks Guys, I had thought about a written contract if we are going to do this, but I did not know just what to put in the contract. He is a good old country guy and not looking for any money he just needs some help turning things around for him. I had planned on working with him for 6 months and let him see what I can do and then if he likes the difference we could sign a contract. He has told me that he would house any of my fish and I dont think their would be a problem with him even if he were to change his mind or me I think we could part on good terms. So a six month contract would be all I do at first.

[B.Scott]

Just a little flashing red light here...

Breeding halfway decent koi for a profit is an arduous and expensive undertaking. Even when you have managed the spawn and have produced a batch of inch long fry you need to be able to cull.

Culling is not a skill but a gift.

How it is done is for the most part a closely guarded secret shared with a breeders closest friends and apprentices and not given away willy nilly. It is after all what separates the professionals from the wannabees. Realize that 95% of all bred koi fall into the lowest category of fish... Bait. These are sold by the pound and the plastic bag you sell them in is usually worth more that the contents. In most cases you say "Bring a bucket".

KFG I haven't read too many of you posts so let me ask you straight out...Do you have any experience with culling koi or breeding fry other than what you have read on the web?

Take a page out of a serious hobbyist's book and see what it involves


http://homepage.ntlworld.com/duncan....%20special.htm

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/duncan....ecialpart2.htm

B.Scott

[koifishgirl]

Hi Scott let me say this that all my life since I was 10 years old and I am now 45 years old. Spawning egg laying fish has been my hobby. I have raised all sort of tropical fish and dont think koi would be any different. You still have to have good clean water with plenty of live food for the fry to eat and be able to grow to a good size.
As for culling no I have not done this yet and will be a learning experience for me. I do plan to take photo of the koi and keep charts on some of the koi and try to learn from experience. I am sure it will take a while to accomplish my goals. I can say this, it is a challange for me and I love a good challange and you wont find me giving up. If I learn in bits and pieces that will be ok. He is in a boat of a whole lot less knowledge so what I can show him and teach him will I am sure help.
I can remember when I first stated spawnung egg layers. I could get the spawn overnight and after the hatch the fry would only live long enough to asorb the egg sack and then die. Well I raised cultures and so forth and still did not have a lot of luck. I decieded that I did not have proper food for the fry and thought what am I going to do. Well I was using well water and it does not have any live foods in the water. I switched to spring water to do my spawn and keep some live plants with algie on them in the tank and was able to raise the fry to the size that they could take mashed powder food. After I figured out to go natures way I had good luck. This guy is mass spawning and is raiseing fry in mud ponds. I think with a little help and showing him how to spawn the koi type to type and not leaveing the parent koi in with the eggs that it will increase his production and the fact that I am sure he is losing a lot of his fry from them not having ample food because he does not ferterlize his ponds. I have gained alot of my experience as you can see form trail and error so I think I can help him by #1 spawning in a spawning tank and releasing the fry after they hatch into a prepaired fry pond. He has enough ponds that he can keep a # of pond with live food fry the fry to move them if need be. He really has the perfect set up for raiseing koi.

[bekko]

With 14 ponds, what does the guy raise besides koi? What size are the ponds? What is the water source? Is he willing to put money into buying broodstock?

-steve hopkins

[dick benbow]

.

when your 60 you don't want to be looking back wondering if you'd only gone ahead, what would have happen!

[aquitori]

Shot you get a chance like this jump on it!!! I haven't breed koi and from what I hear and see, it looks like hard work!!! But if your up for the challenge go for it.... By the way are you doin this strickly for enjoyment or for profit, if your doing this for profit your culls are goin to be slim considering everything is goin to be a keeper...You got to consider in Japan they can go from 1,000,000 fry to 5,000 by the end summer...But that 5,000 is the best of the best....Well anyways, you luck KFG!!!