# Saw a Koi in a local pond.



## SPEAKSUP (Feb 19, 2009)

I was at a local pond today fishing. Was sitting there and had a Koi swim right up to the shore and stare at me. I was in the WTF stage. I have been fishing this pond for years. Never seen a Koi in the pond just Bass Crappie Cat's Gill's and Carp. 

I reeled my line in fast trying to guide it to snag it. It moved and tried to get a second cast on it couldn't get it. 

What damage will this fish have in the pond I seen a lot of bubbles weird behavior on the water from this pond. The scum has gotten crazy. I am hoping that someone didn't drain their whole koi pond and dumped all of them in their I only seen one and it was good size. Id say 1 1/2 feet long decent girth. 

Yes it was a Koi not a Carp no carps in that pond grow with Silver Black White Patches. I am 100% sure it was a Koi. 

Will this have any damage to the pond. I know in aquarium's you don't want to mix them with other fish etc so wondering if anything will come of this also?

I rather just snag the thing kill it and throw it out. Doesn't belong in a pond not this one. I just really hope that they didn't throw a whole bunch of Koi in there instead of just 1. 

Any suggestions? Maybe bait it up with some fish feed? Or will it die off over the winter.


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## AlanC (Jun 16, 2010)

Koi fanciers would pay for one that size. It won't die over winter if the pond doesn't freeze completely solid. They root out plants worse than carp.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

In my opinion and experience, both of you are wrong. I fish a fairly large farm pond about six acres that has several large Koi up to 24" plus smaller ones. The pond has significant week cover and also supports a healthy population of largemouth in the 4 to7 pond range as well as 9 to 11" gils. If you want it removed why not test your skills and fish it out and give it to someone that would be happy to add it to thier pond. Why kill it just to get rid of it? As far as the Koi tearing up the weed growth they do more good than harm in the ponds that I have bass fished.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Another thing to think about as far as removal of the fish is whose pond is it? If it is a private pond I would certainly consult the owner before taking matters in to my own hands. And if it was public then I would again find out from the proper folks whether they indeed wanted it removed. Perhaps it was put there by someone intentionally and they may want it there.

As Shortdrift suggested their presence is not necessarily a negative impact on the pond. Now more than one and reproduction is another issue but just one fish is not going to make a difference.


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## SPEAKSUP (Feb 19, 2009)

Snakeheads, Silver Carp? Do those spark up anything? Sure they are a different fish then koi's. They are still a invasive species. This pond is not that big. It's not square so I couldn't give you a good idea size. 

It's a community pond. Point is that the Koi doesn't belong there. I rather see more natural carp or something. It's a invasive species that does not belong.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

You're making a mountain out of a mole hill. Do you think it's the first to ever get into a pond? No. It's not a snake head, or asian carp.  It's a koi.


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## Flashball (Aug 26, 2009)

I have 2 in the 24" range in my 4 acre lake. They coexist with the huge Amurs as well as the huge Bass and gills. Let's just say I can catch a 7 pound Bass and a 8" Bass consecutively. That means my annual hatch is doing well as is the forage.

Listen to Shortdrift. He knows tons of stuff


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

I have quite a bit of experience with Koi'ish Goldfish. Are you sure it wasn't a big goldfish. Just becasue it had white, black, etc... doesn't mean it was a Koi. There's quite a bit of difference in actual Koi and goldfish. If it's a couuminity pond, I am almost totally convienced you saw a goldfish. By the way, a Koi that size is VERY expensive.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

M.Magis said:


> You're making a mountain out of a mole hill. Do you think it's the first to ever get into a pond? No. It's not a snake head, or asian carp.  It's a koi.


What he said

Community pond? Someone in the community has authority over the pond. He, she, they, may not appreciate your fisheries management efforts


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## Flashball (Aug 26, 2009)

H2O Mellon said:


> I have quite a bit of experience with Koi'ish Goldfish. Are you sure it wasn't a big goldfish.


yes I am............


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## SPEAKSUP (Feb 19, 2009)

I have seen a lot of goldfish in my life never seen one that was over a foot and half long. This was a coy the small mouth same head two little barb's from the mouth. It's a Koi.


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## CoolWater (Apr 11, 2004)

I agree with the folks mentioning that a Koi could co-exist fine with the balance that's already established at this water... especially considering it already supports common carp. I think the part that would concern me is not the Koi itself as a species but the thought of someone emptying an aquarium of fish that could have disease in the water. In that regard, I definately could understand some concern about seeing new aquarium fish show up.

And BTW, Common Carp are an invasive species too. We just intentionally introduced them in the u.s. as a fast growing food fish in the 1880's.


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

SPEAKSUP said:


> I have seen a lot of goldfish in my life never seen one that was over a foot and half long. This was a coy the small mouth same head two little barb's from the mouth. It's a Koi.


FYI: I wasn't trying to be a smart alleck or anything. Lots of folks will assume a HUGE goldfish is a Koi. Obviouisly you seem like you know the difference in the two.


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## Eugene (Jun 23, 2004)

FYI, koi and common carp are one and the same, _Cyprinus carpio_. Koi are nothing more than domesticated carp bred for fancy coloration. If you are 100% certain you saw a koi, by definition you are also 100% certain you saw a carp. If there are already common carp in this pond (which is pretty bad news in itself), adding a koi is only adding one more carp.

Also FYI, carp and goldfish can hybridize. A few generations in the wild and goldfish also revert to cryptic coloration very similar to carp's. However, as alluded, pure goldfish do not have barbels and pure common carp have two fully developed pair of barbels. Their body shapes are also easy to tell apart when you know what to look for. Their hybrids look similar to both parent species.

Even if there weren't carp this pond already, the point was alluded to that one fish won't do much of anything at all to the balance of a whole pond, and that's generally true. One more individual added to a population that's already present is even less concern.


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## Eugene (Jun 23, 2004)

By the way, no matter what color they are (i.e., koi or cryptic), I wouldn't want a population of common carp in any small pond managed for game fish.


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## Bonecrusher (Aug 7, 2010)

I say Kill it and grill it!


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## catfishhunter33 (Apr 6, 2004)

koi unspeakable

i would Rotenone the place 

doing the world a favor!!!!!


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## katfish (Apr 7, 2004)

I think you are over reacting.

You will soon be blaming that koi for global warming=another made up panic.

If I remember correctly everyone was supporting stocking Amurs (Asian grass carp) a few years back as a means of controlling vegetation.

If you look close enough along the Olentangy you will see large goldfish
(escapees from the Columbus zoo) As far as I can tell this has not caused any biologic disaster.

Anyone who has the mindset that they have control of the environment or nature is naive or over the top egotistical. Nature has a system of checks and balances and given enough time will sort everything out.

I suggest you relax and have some ice water and enjoy fishing.


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## Eugene (Jun 23, 2004)

Kat, a few sterile white amur/grass carp used as vegetation control in a contained pond is a very different concept than a population of common carp in the same. Those amur are stocked precisely because they can exert some control on their environment...in a (hopefully) controlled way. They are still commonly stocked to private ponds.

An unmanaged population of common carp can do so in an unfortunately uncontrolled way. A great deal of money and time is spent on managing/eradicating/excluding common carp in/from Lake Erie's coastal marshes, e.g., that are managed for waterfowl hunting precisely because they cause those places to be a muddy mess.

Yes, a new species in a place will eventually come to an equilibrium, but that equilibrium may look considerably different than it did before. Look at the history of invasions on the Great Lakes. Those are enormous and difficult-to-change systems, but the introduction of common carp, sea lamprey, alewife, dreissenid mussels, spiny water fleas, etc. have each dramatically changed how they function in a real and measurable way.

Zoos tend to be pretty good at containing their non-native populations...and nobody cares to see goldfish when they visit a zoo. There are certainly a few goldfish and a whole mess of carp (maybe some with fancy coloration) in the Olentangy, but I wouldn't accuse the zoo of allowing any of them to escape. Those populations are already there and occasionally augmented by releases from private aquaria/ornamental ponds.

However, as you correctly allude, an extreme reaction to a single fish is unwarranted. I would be more concerned about the _population_ of common carp...of which this koi apparently is now one more.


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