It is common belief that Koi are carp and therefore are hardy enough to survive in less than optimum conditions. Most people are also quick to point out that Japanese grow them in mud ponds. If survival of koi is the ONLY goal, this is true to some extent, though koi death rates are the highest in ponds that hold Koi outdoors in winter. Besides, Japanese mud ponds are artificial ponds where clay is carefully laid out to the desired thickness. Their mud ponds are not overstocked. Japanese neither overfeed their koi nor overwinter them outdoors.

Most koi owners have bigger goals than just keeping their koi alive. They want them to grow big, be healthy and friendly. They also prefer an ordinary-looking jumbo koi to a small show quality koi. This complicates Koi upbringing. A lot of the reading material available on raising koi is written by koi breeders or dealers whose goals are quite the opposite. Their koi stay with them for a short time. During that time, they use cheap treatments to keep their koi alive, in order to be profitable (except may be Hanover Koi farms)

Koi growth depends a lot on its genetics, hatching conditions and the growing environment but friendliness? A koi that grew up in a mud pond has never seen friendly humans. They are fed by automatic feeders. When humans do visit, they come with seines, plastic bags and catch them, bag them and transport them. What incentive does a Koi that grew up in a mud pond have to be friendly with humans?

So, how to make koi big, healthy and friendly? There were no answers to these questions when we started. But against all odds, we managed to find answers to many of these questions. And we hope, our experience will help you make the right choice for your Koi.

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