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  1. #1

    Safe to move koi when hibernating?

    Can I ask, is it Safe to relocate koi when he is hibernating over winter? (Im wanting to check this is okay in case someone as clueless as us offers to rehome him in coming months and we do him damage, when we should have waited till spring?) thanks, liz


    Last edited by Pond; 11-10-2021 at 09:22 PM. Reason: Mis spelling

  2. #2
    Kev, I understand what you said about the water will be same temp in new and old pond, so no temperature shock, so its okay.

    Im thinking more that if he is hibernating (presume means lying on bottom of pond, not swimming for few months), is it okay to be disturbing that process to put him through the stress of 'capture' in a net, car journey etc?

    Im keen to rehome him sooner rather than later because Im scared he might become ill (while we try to learn about fish!) then no one will take him and he will be suffering. But if its not a great idea to relocate him during winter, we'll just leave him where he is for now?

    thanks for any thoughts anyone can share! liz

  3. #3
    Senior Member Rank = Gosai KevT's Avatar
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    Hi

    Koi don't really hibernate as such, they will slow down and on sunny days if the water temp lifts they will look for food, I feed my koi down to 6 degrees with wheatgerm. I think moving fish is okay at anytime if the water is the same PH and within a few degrees. The problem arises when people buy fish from dealers and try to put them in ponds that are a lot colder than the pond they've lived in all winter. Your fish will be fine as long as you float the bag in the new pond and then mix the water in the bag with the new pond water. Usually half an hour float, if someone collects the fish with bags they should also have oxygen to fill the bag if the journey is going to more than half an hour. The fish should be in a dark box side ways on in the car so it doesn't knock it's nose if you break sharply.

    My fish are covered all winter and they come to the corner when I open up the cover to look at them as they associate me with food even when I think it's too cold for them to have some food

    You never know the fish might grow on you and you might get it a friend

    KevT
    Last edited by KevT; 11-10-2021 at 10:13 PM.

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  5. #4
    ' you might get it friend'..... OMG this is how it starts! I wondered how you all ended up with such a time consuming expensive hobby ��

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  7. #5
    Thank you for the great advice about transporting him/her Kev.

    But I think I need to keep my other half away from this site or you sweet talkers will have him adding an extention on the pond , and I'll spend the rest of my life digging holes in the garden to bury all the toxic filter slime
    Last edited by Pond; 11-10-2021 at 10:59 PM.

  8. #6
    Senior Member Rank = Nanasai Naoki Atsumi's Avatar
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    Can I be realistic here? How everything was kept in the summer? and was the basic strength of the KOI developed? It all comes down to.

    The distinction between hibernation and fasting is another matter, but in fact it is rather common for large KOIs to be harvested after mid-October or November and then moved long distances (i.e. exported by air over 20 hours) without any food until spring. This is because it is much safer to move the fasted KOI than to risk the disadvantages of refeeding them at an inadequate temperature.

    In conclusion, if the KOI has the strength, there is nothing wrong with it. Whether the KOI has the basic fitness or not is a matter for another time.

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  10. #7
    Thanks for that reassurance Naoki.

    Because we accidentally became owners of our fish we are constantly playing catch-up. The internet is full of little snippets of information which prove the saying 'a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous...'! If I ask decent people on a specialist forum like this, I trust the answer.

    So with yours and others kind help I feel more confident now that we can keep Fred in good health till he gets his forever home.

 

 

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