Mixing boys and girls

[Tom C]

For years I have heard you don't want to mix males with females. What are all the down sides to mixing males with females? Also how many of you mix males and females?

[MikeM]

Negatives:

(1) They get beat up during spawning.

(2) The Japanese believe sexual maturity occurs earlier when the sexes are mixed, resulting in slower growth due to production of eggs. There are hormones released that could support this view.

[MikeM]

...and I do have both together now. Goal is to find new homes for most of the males over the next 11 months.

[Tom C]

Quote: ...and I do have both together now. Goal is to find new homes for most of the males over the next 11 months.

Mike you used the word "MOST" in this post. Does this mean you're going to keep a few males?

My big thing is growth. I have heard it can kill the growth mixing them. I'm wondering how true this is.

[dinh]

I have only one pond and buy koi that I love regardless whether they are M or F.

Is that really against "mother nature" to separate or segregate them? Imagination of that apply to human ;-))

[MikeM]

I got a problem, Tom. My daughter's favorite is a male. And, I have a real soft spot for a male Goshiki. So, they will stay. (Hmmmm ... maybe a second pond some time? LOL)

[adreamer2]

Now that's interesting!!!... Because I know a girl with a collection of koi who believes that natural selection is the key to growing any kind of koi.... Be that male or female....

She will even let the heron come and select what it wants as a means of that natural selection....

she figures, if it was meant to mate, it will mate... And she thinks along these lines so as not to have her pond overrun with too many baby koi.....

Adreamer2

[koiczar]

I had always agreed with Mike M on this. That is why the Japanese separate the males and females when they put them out to the mud in the summer. Something to do with the male hormones screwing up the growth rate of the females

However, I too have a mixed pond and I have 2 females, one is a Maruyama kohaku and the other is a Momotaro sanke. Both were jumbo tosai when I purchased them at the end of last October. The kohaku was 12.5" and the sanke was 13". They are now 19" and 21" respectively. I think it really boils down to the genetics the fish picked up from the parents and your water parameters and fish load. I currently have 33 fish from 12 to 28" in a 10,000 gal. system.

[Tom C]

Quote: I currently have 33 fish from 12 to 28" in a 10,000 gal. system

Did you have this many koi in the pond all year?

Quote: I got a problem, Tom. My daughter's favorite is a male. And, I have a real soft spot for a male Goshiki. So, they will stay. (Hmmmm ... maybe a second pond some time? LOL)

Mike, I know what yuo're talking about. My wife has a ochiba that's a male that I can't clear out. I'm to the point of buying what I like no matter if it's male or female.