Playing with koi, can they be taught tricks?

[..5..]

They have a toy called the R2 fish school* for aquarium fish has anyone taught a koi a series of tricks** If so how? Ponds are deep and the koi spook if you offer treats too fast or they mug your hands and take all the treats and leave.

I have noticed a difference in personality between the goldies and the koi.
While they are both very food motivated a goldfish is more willing to stay around when the food is gone***. It could be that goldfish have been pets for closer to a millenia than not and a couple centuries ago a koi was destined for a dinner plate and in their little fishie minds they think 'Does she want to feed me or eat me.?'

My pond is only 1K gallons**** so I think 3 koi and 8-12 goldies ***** is the reasonable healthy limit so I might as well get the most entertainment value out of what I have. I didn't pick very showable koi and they are family so they aren't going anywhere.

*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgRrr...eature=related

**Except jumping into a plastic boat and sinking it like jaws the shark, That trick is dead easy to teach a koi (put food in the boat semi sink it so the fish knows there was a goodie in the boat, and progress to bigger toy boats) but not the best idea for a koi in a pond I think it would increase the chance of a jump out the pond fish suicide so that trick hasn't been reinforced in about 2 years.

***Maybe this is my fault it is a mixed pond and the Koi beat up the little fish and if they get too brutal+ I will shove their big fat koi faces down further in the water to give the little fish a chance at a floating pellet. I haven't drowned a koi yet. Upon reflection it probably isn't the best way to treat something you want to train - starvation and abuse vs praise and reward.
+Usually happens when they are on a diet to keep the water in better quality The Tim overfeeds and I underfeed-the fish hate it when they see me in the morning because they know it is going to be a lean breakfast and the koi get frantic to eat as much as they can I'm surprised I haven't lost a goldfish in the riot. The ones small enough to be edible although not brain sturgons are still smart enough to stay out of the way.

**** Will go into everything I'm doing wrong as a pond owner later.

*****I thinned the goldfish school and the new owners love them there are about 4 or 6 fast net wise mavericks that I still have to rope out of the herd. They have good pond homes lined up if I can catch the fast finny little darts

[MacKoi]

I do not have much sucess training my koi as they are from Japan and I do not know how to talk Japanese, but they know when it is time to eat (when I get close to the pond)..Just kidding,,,Mac

[Razoola]

I do not have much sucess training my koi as they are from Japan and I do not know how to talk Japanese, but they know when it is time to eat (when I get close to the pond)..Just kidding,,,Mac

It would be great if koi could be potty trained to poop right next to the bottom drain.

[lypope]

I do not have much sucess training my koi as they are from Japan and I do not know how to talk Japanese, but they know when it is time to eat (when I get close to the pond)..Just kidding,,,Mac

So, from this I am beginning to believe that you're feeling a LOT better? LOL at Mac!

[..5..]

Just kidding,

You won't hurt my feelings about the fish, they are well loved pets.

As far as the language barrier at least you saved yourself the effort. I had been going to nail salons to learn the language for years. Later I was told that I was screaming at them in Vietnamese and the koi spoke Japanese. Like it would have made a difference what language I used.

[alittlepieces]

It would be great if koi could be potty trained to poop right next to the bottom drain.

My koi are actually potty trained to poop right at the bottome drain. But their shit keep floating away...kakaka

[..5..]

I was thinking more along the lines of come and roll over over to start with.

Jackie Chan Trains A Fish - YouTube
The roll over fish was the only one to leave the group so it alone was trained to come on the signal Jackie was schooled to cue the fish with. I cannot fathom how it was trained to roll over.

More advanced

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTpKEyqUyP0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-toImWCoAI


The roll over fish was the only one to leave the group so trained to come

Would like very much to know how it was taught. Since my koi will never be show winners for color or conformation we may as well focus on obediance.

This post was honestly asking about how to school fish the same way that a horse is schooled.