Hating Kio Three Years Worldwide News-Death, Beating, Robbery

Flooded by the Puyallup River east of Tacoma,WA
Photo By koiphen.com

Exotic Koi Washed Away Tacoma, Washington

News Report 1

Information from: KING-TV, http://www.king5.com/ and The Seattle Times Company

April, 2009

One of the properties flooded by the Puyallup River east of Tacoma is a business that raised koi (koy), the colorful exotic fish.

TACOMA, Wash. —

KING-TV reports thousands of fish were washed out of ponds at Hoshoi Koi.

An employee of the business, Ryan Daniels, says some of the fish were valuable breeders that had been kept for years.

Baseball Bat Attack Leads To Arrests
Photo By spokesman.com

Men Arrested, Koi Beaten to Death with Baseball Bat

News Report 2

     by: By staff writers

    From: News Core

    June 03, 2010 7:47AM

TWO young men suspects were arrested today in connection with the beating deaths of dozens of Koi fish on a California college campus.

Two men were captured on surveillance cameras beating the fish with baseball bats yesterday, KTXL-TV in Sacramento reported.

At least 13 fish were killed and several others injured in the attack at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton. Several of the injured Koi remained in their pond today, KTXL reported.

Waterfall The Zilker Botanical Garden- Austin, Texas
Photo By places2explore.wordpress.com

Robbery Champion Koi Carp-Zilker Botanical Garden Rocks Flanders

 

News Report 3

By Roddy Thomson (AFP) – Sep 4, 2011

DENDERMONDE, Belgium — Police in Belgium admit they are clueless as they hunt thieves targeting prized Japanese koi carp -- ornamental fish that sell for many thousands of euros yet are practically UN-insurable.

Champion Flemish growers with long and painful experience as victims fear ever-more costly security to protect these creatures -- beloved by wealthy Japanese and Asian fanatics -- that, left in peace, can live to 100 years or more and eat their way to the size of a small pig.

"It's the financial crisis," Veerle Jakobs of Nippon Koi Garden, a Japanese-themed estate near Antwerp holding up to 6,000 fish in high season, told AFP from her site near one of Europe's biggest ports.

Traders have reported a sudden series of koi robberies in Flanders in recent weeks, and two separate police districts are collaborating on live investigations.

A source who could not be identified said Interpol has been called in.

But lost koi stock is only part of the story.

Those who have devoted their lives to raising these Technicolor-dreamlike fish warn that the crimes -- and regular, but botched, raids they blame on economic hard times -- also pose a new threat to the carps' health.

There is at least a two-decade history of industrial espionage -- theft and poisoning by experienced, organized gangs is an accepted pitfall of the trade.

But local knowledge that Flanders is a center of excellence for decorative fish beloved by specialist collectors also provides a new motive -- and creates fresh challenges for owners.

"They took 50 fish from my tank, but I'll never see them again," Herman Belon told AFP after his koi were stolen this month in Sint Niklaas, in western Flanders.

He reckons they are already on display in Japanese restaurants that won't know where they came from. The flesh is considered too dry to eat, but the manager of the high-end La Table Du Dragon in Brussels, who has at least 60 koi on display, was shocked when AFP told him about the robberies.

Millions of eggs produce koi fish sorted by Japanese breeders within weeks, and again, like champion studs, at two-years-old.

The very best, judged for their aesthetic qualities, acquire significant value as display items. Among aficionados, koi are considered moving works of art akin to a Picasso, with the world-record price being 350,000 euros ($500,000).

The biggest dealers in Flanders know how Belon, whom they characterize as an amateur collector, feels.

"They've stolen my fish here before, and poisoned my ponds -- criminal gangs working to order," said Jakobs. "But now I think it's just someone who wants a luxury product but doesn't have the money."

She said the thefts "usually happened in the run-up to a big trade show."

"Once we found our koi at a show one year later. Every fish is individual -- but when the police compared the photos, they said the black stripe wasn't the same size so they couldn't do anything!

"You never get anything back," Jakobs sighed. "You can't insure the fish unless at a massive premium, one third of their value. Materials, equipment, staff, yes -- but not the fish themselves."

Lloyds of London confirmed to AFP that there are only a select few policies on the market.

Another veteran of the trade, Annie Van Alboom of Paradise of Japanese Koi near western Ghent, showed AFP two prize specimen.

One is a priceless 37-year-old European Jumbo champion Chagoi 103 centimeters long (more than 40 inches). The other, under heavy security, already sold for 50,000 euros ($72,000) to a Brussels millionaire, she said.

"Ten years ago, thieves stole 17 and then the next year another 38 -- 75,000 euros worth on that occasion," she told AFP.

"My father-in-law had a heart attack and died when we discovered the second robbery. They got one year in jail and were out in six months.

"It's been going on all through the 20 years I've been here," she said.

Van Alboom has invested in state-of-the-art laser alarm systems, and twice a day braves a nightmare chamber of flies and excrement to make sure an underground water purification system keeps working.

She and her sons are now suspicious of visitors, and calls the thieves "opportunist". "People still want luxury items, but they can't pay for them as easily now," she said.

Van Alboom also worries how amateur thieves treat the koi.

"When I bring mine back from Japan, it's a two-day journey, very stressful," she said. "I leave them in quarantine for 40 days. Sometimes they lie on the bottom of the pond looking dead for up to a week, and don't even eat."

The thieves carry only bin bags full of water, "no oxygen".

"They pull out the first one with a big net on a long pole -- so the others are terrified. Stress releases poison, and causes real damage to their long-term health," she explained. "This crime is particularly cruel."

British Veterinary Association agrees

Its animal welfare foundation has offered advice for ornamental fish keepers, and a spokeswoman detailed recommendations on water quality, plant proximity and diet, as well as diseases from skin lesions to protruding scales.

They worry that the uninitiated may be tempted to release damaged koi into the wild -- "illegal, and dangerous for the environment."

In the beautiful city of Dendermonde near Ghent, deputy district attorney Jurgen Coppens told AFP he is treating Belon's case seriously and said koi thieves could risk "five to 10 years in jail".

"There is another case also being investigated in the next precinct," he said, unable to confirm any direct link.

"We haven't any leads," he admitted, "but the minute value is stolen, we don't care if it's fish, jewellery or a grand piano."

 
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Tobi-Koi Fry

Tobi-Koi Fry- Photo By en.wikipedia.org


Tobi

What is tobi defined-Tobi: (Toe-Bee) jump; in koi fry it refers to koi that jump in size by eating their siblings. It is very important to remove these tobi koi when sorting fry from a spawn and placing the tobi in separate aquarium; keep the tobi do not destroy the tobi.

Anyone who breeds koi knows about tobi. In other species these are often called "shooters". Koi fry can and do also occur in goldfish spawns; these are the fry that grow to juvenile size at break neck speed and they are noted for eating their smaller siblings. Most koi breeders assume tobi koi do not have the refined characteristics the breeder is looking for, however this is wives tail most  koi fry do in fact are generically the same as their smaller koi fry siblings.

What Causes Tobie's? The Answer We Don’t Know: but here’s what we do know.

The primary belief all tobies are not worth keeping and must be destroyed this is mistake Tobi is generically the same to their smaller koi fry siblings, so what explains tobi koi versa same spawn smaller fry siblings.

Behavior killing or eating siblings is well documented in the animal world. Life in the wild or breeding environment can be so brutal, sometimes animals are forced to do terrible things to ensure their survival. Cannibalism and infanticide are well known in many species, but perhaps the most disturbing cases are those of baby animals killing their siblings, sometimes moments after they are born or in the uterus of their mother like the sand tiger shark! Here is a list of just a few species that start their lives as ruthless fratricides or cannibals.

• Golden Eagle

• Bald Eagle

• Spotted Hyena

• Praying Mantis

• Snowy Egret

• Tiger Salamander

• Common Cuckoo

• Great Spotted Cuckoo

• Queen Honey Bee

• Copidomopsis Floridanum Wasp

• Sand Tiger Shark while still in their mother’s uterus

• Tobi Koi

• Hamsters,

• Rats,

• Squirrels,

• Bats,

• Seals

• Sea lions,

• Otters,

• Polar bears

• Grizzly bears,

• Lions,

• Tigers,

• Chimpanzees,

• Bearded vulture,

• Northern goshawk,

• Nazca boobies,

• Black Eagle,

Species, like koi fish, eat their own young. For example, egg-eating is rampant among male and female koi fish breeding or guarding egg nests. Researchers have found that while the nests often contain eggs sired by other dads, the fish aren’t terribly discriminating in the eggs they munch, which means they’re often eating their own koi fry.

It may be worthwhile to the koi fry fish, experts suggest, because the nutrients supplied by the eggs improves their odds of producing viable eggs and offspring in the future, which increases their lifetime reproductive fitness. Alternatively, the practice may perpetuate because it has a “neutral” effect, neither harming nor helping the lifetime reproductive success of the animal. Egg-eating may simply be a behavior that can occasionally come in handy.

Genetics:

Tobi koi and tobi goldfish carry in their genetic code remnants of everything that come before. A top-notch pair of gosanke or ranchu carries all the genetic material needed to make the ancestral common carp or crucian carp from which they were derived through selective breeding. Koi fry also have all the genetic material needed to recreate the incremental steps in their evolution. In the offspring from a pair of sanke you will find kohaku, higoi and perhaps even a magoi. A group of ryukin offspring may include tobi individuals with characteristics of wakin and common goldfish.

The more ancestral forms are always more hardy. Koi left to their own devices and allowed to breed indiscriminately for many generations, a population of koi will revert back to something resembling the ancestral common carp and goldfish will revert back to something resembling a crucian carp. In a group of sibling fry, those with a more latent genetic make-up will be just a little bit stronger and faster giving them a slight advantage when it comes time to eat or avoid a predator.

But, in the world of koi fish fry, a slight advantage can become amplified many fold. There is a snowball effect. A fry that gets just a little bit bigger than its siblings is better able to capture and compete for food so it grows faster; the larger the size disparity, the bigger the advantage. So, over just a few weeks time an tobi individual that is just slightly larger could be to the serendipity effect.

Tobi are larger than their koi fry siblings becomes ten times larger than its siblings. At some point, the size disparity becomes so great that the larger individual can eat its siblings providing it with a new limitless food supply. The a process that starts from an initial state of small insignificance and builds upon itself, becoming larger and perhaps potentially dangerous or disastrous (a vicious circle, a "spiral of decline"), though it might be beneficial instead (a virtuous circle).

Serendipity Effect

How can some tobi be excellent examples of highly refined koi or g goldfish and show no signs of being a latent ancestral form? I think it is because there is the serendipity effect and factors at work as well.

Imagine a group of larvae which have absorbed their yolk sack and are ready to begin feeding. Perhaps some arrive at this stage a few hours ahead of the rest because they were spawned first or their position on the koi fry spawning substrate was a fraction of a degree warmer then the rest, or because of some other factor. The larvae instinctively dart at a moving food particle. Some times they catch it and sometimes they miss.

They are growing extremely rapidly and catching one or two extra choice food morsels can make a difference in that growth rate. Some individuals are just lucky and are able to get a tiny bit ahead of their siblings. As described above, a very small advantage can quickly snowball into a large advantage. An individual with no innate genetic advantage can become a tobi just through serendipity effect.

Other Koi Fry Observations

In some batches of koi fry the size distribution is large and there is an unusually large number of koi fry tobies In other batches the size distribution is narrow and the siblings look almost identical. In general, the better the fry are fed the less variation there will be in their size. If abundant live food can be kept in front of the fry at all times while maintaining good water quality, there is a much lower incidence ofkoi fry tobies.

Under the best of conditions the growth of fry is phenomenal and most of the population (except for those with serious deformities) has the potential to grow at the rate of koi fry. The best way to minimize the number of tobies is to provide better nutrition and husbandry.

The biggest and best koi and goldfish will have had the best nutrition and water quality their entire lives. Periods of less than optimal conditions can have long-term effects. In extreme cases, we say that the fish is stunted.

The younger the koi fish, the more severe and lasting the effect of poor nutrition and water quality. Tobi are considered by most to be undesirables. If they are genetic throw-backs then they probably are undesirable. However, you should be on the look-out for those  koi fry fish which have both the genetic potential to meet your selection criteria and the serendipity factor  to have gotten off to a fast start in life and become a superb genetics or genes.

 

It is always a good idea to separate tobi if you can; especially if they have become large enough to be cannibals. Never automatically assume this koi fry has no potential; you would be wrong; just remember the tobies are bigger, stronger and are generically the same as their baby brothers and sisters.

  

Sexing Koi, Breeding Koi, Spawning Koi, Raising Koi Eggs and Koi Fry

Sexing koi- Photo By nishikigoi-info.com

By Chiltern Koi Club

Sexing Koi Fish

Females, especially in season are far more rounded than male fish which tend to be slim at all times. The pectoral fins of male fish tend to be larger and more pointed than those of female fish, but this is by no means always the case.

During the breeding season, male fish can display a rough surface to the gill plates, again however, not always. To be sure, net the chosen fish and apply gentle pressure along the lower abdomen wall with your thumb and forefinger towards the vent. Male fish show signs of milt from the vent, whereas females in season will provide eggs! This operation should however be performed with great care so as not to injure the fish. 

I find the only sure way to sex fish is to watch the fish. The ones that lay eggs are female, the ones that chase are the males

Pairing

This is always initially a process of trial and error. Always pair like varieties if you are trying to produce a certain variety. For example, if you are trying to breed kohakus, use kohaku male and female fish. Crossing a kohaku and sanke/showa is acceptable, crossing a kohaku and a Yamabuki for instance will probably produce only ghost and black koi.

Remember that male genes tend to be dominant in any pairing.  Always select adult fish only to ensure successful spawning. Once you have found a pairing that gives some good fish – keep it. If you find a pairing that produces show winners, give me a ring I'll buy them!!


Preparation
Separate males and females at least one month before you intend to spawn the fish.  Provide a reasonably small pond – ideal 2 x 3 x 1 meter deep  Or use a spawning net in your main pond.  Don’t feed the parent fish for a few days before you expect the fish to spawn.

Prepare your growing on pond(s) by seeding them with chicken manure or (if you are worried about your koi catching salmonella!) use leaf mold to encourage the production of infusoria and daphnia which the koi fry will need in abundance from day one.

Spawning

Spawning usually takes place 1 – 3 days after introducing male(s) to the female(s). It can take place at any time of day or night, unfortunately, typically spawning seems to happen around two am (about the same time as most babies are born!).  Spawning can be triggered by temperature changes, change in water conditions, introducing new fish or barometric pressure changes (i.e. thunder.)

Water Conditions

Koi will spawn when the water temperature reaches around 18 Deg +. As always, you need to ensure prime water conditions with zero   ammonia or other pollutants present.  I have found that the addition of Refresh or similar clay products to the water can to get them going ! To achieve and maintain the necessary water temperatures early in the season (late May) it is a good idea to provide heated conditions so that you can achieve a spawning as early as possible to maximize the length of the growing season.

Spawning media

I recommend using purpose made spawning ropes. These are soft and easy to handle.  Don’t use blanket weed – it is too difficult to collect the eggs without damaging them. A good quantity of media is required to collect all the eggs and encourage spawning.

Remove eggs as soon as they are laid to prevent parents eating them. This is obviously easy to do if you have used spawning ropes. Move eggs on ropes to vat or separate tank for hatching. This should contain water of approximately the same temperature as the spawning pond and should be well oxygenated. It does not however need to be filtered. Eggs introduced straight into growing on ponds are vulnerable to predators such as snails, tadpoles and dragon fly larvae etc. Having worked so hard to achieve the spawning in the first place, don't use them as a food source for the local pond wild life!

 

Handling Fry

Once the fry have hatched, after about 4-5 days, depending on temperature you will need to move them to the growing on ponds. Fry can be moved even when a few days old using plastic bags or fine mesh net. Handle with care however since they are easily damaged.


Culling

Now comes the tricky part. To cull fry successfully you must:

• know the parent stocks;  

• have extremely good eyesight; 

• have experience;  

• and there are a few basic principles that should be followed; 

• watch out for Tobi they will eat and feast on their smaller siblings;  

For example, Utsuris and Showas should produce black fry. Whites and reds develop. You should destroy any fry which are not black. With kohaku /Sanke fry will tend to be orange or orange and white. Any pure white or black should be culled.

If you are breeding patterned fish you should generally speaking destroy all plain colored fry.   I find that the fry need to be at least 6-8 weeks old before I can see what I am doing!  The Japanese breeders start culling generally at 4 weeks.

As the fish get larger, cull out any with deformities, missing fins, two heads etc.  Ideally you should cull several times in the season, but in practical terms I find that Herons and Kingfishers do more culling than I do!.  Culling is clearly important to reduce numbers to ensure that the fish that you want reach a reasonable size by the end of the season.


Feeding

The fry need an ample supply of live, natural food if they are to survive and grow quickly. Providing the proper growing on pond environment is the surest way to provide a good supply of daphnia and infusoria, on which the fry will develop. Whilst tempting. no dry or artificial food should be given to fry for at least six to eight weeks – it can damage the gills and is also likely to pollute the growing on pond. Any slight build up of ammonia or nitrite will kill fry very quickly indeed.

Growing 

Fry normally reach between 2 and 4 inches by mid October assuming spawning in early June. Factors which will affect growth rates are: - temperature, food supply, volume of fish and variety. If you don't cull, you may end up with a lot more babies, but they will be very much smaller than desired. Also of course, your food source will be depleted that much faster.

Unfortunately Runts and plain fish grow quickest !. Showa, Utsuri, Kohaku and Sanke seem to be slowest. Another reason why culling is so important.

The growing on environment is also important since baby koi don’t grow well in man made filtered ponds because of a lack of natural food and are vulnerable to pollutants in water especially nitrite.

   
  
 
 
 

Koi Forums-Resource For you

Koi Group Photo By en.wikipedia.org

http://www.koi-bito.com/forum/main-forum/
Note-publish magazine/ large forum/ active

http://www.koiphen.com/forums/
Large forum very active

http://www.gardenpondforum.com/
Good size forum active and deals primarily with pond plant

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/koiponds/
Smaller forum appears to be active-personally I like smaller forums

http://www.koikeeperunleashed.com/forum/
This forum has live support and it is big and very active

http://www.extremekoi.co.uk/
This forum has product reviews and is very active

http://www.pondkoi.com/forum/index.php
This forum deals with pond plant care-actually I really like this forum it is active

http://www.koifreaks.mobi/
This is really not forum it is more like a place where you could purchase koi photographs and art

http://www.koi2day.com/forum/
Good size forum active located in Australia

http://www.pondkoi.com/forum/index.php?board=11.0
Active forum seems very responsive

http://ukkrazykoi.com/
Super active forum with it appears lots of experts

SPKC Koi Forum
Smaller forum it is active

http://club-nishikigoi.phpbb3pro.com/viewforum.php?f=5
Smaller forum but super active