"Gill Passman" wrote in message
...
drsolo wrote:
until you can tell the difference between a $10, $100, and $10,000 dollar
koi, get the $10 one. HOWEVER.... what is even more important is to find
a
place sells healthy koi and you wont get one from petsmart for sure, and
it
is unlikely you will get one from any old pond store.

Well said, Ingrid.....just wish we could get $10 Koi over here in the
UK....


You need to find the
place that quarantines their koi for at least a couple weeks after
getting
them in, and before they sell them to the public. of course you dont
tell
them you are looking for quaratined koi, you ask them when they got the
fish
in, or "when are you getting the fish in so I can be first in line to
pick
the ones I want" and see if they bite on that.

The place I buy my fish already has posters all about where they get their
Koi and the fact that they come either from a certain place or are QT'd
there.....maybe MA should branch out into the US.....right now those of us
lucky enough get really good service and expertise.....


Now, if what you want is a pond with koi, then that is really all you
need
to know. If what you want is a koi pond, then you are going to have to
search on the net for discussions about the different types of koi,
color,
desirable shape, etc. there are a lot of badly bred and raised koi out
there with bent backs, huge heads, etc. If your pond does well then
consider that you are going to be looking at that same gorgeous (or ugly)
koi for 50 years.

I remember on rp someone posting some beautiful Koi pics - can't remember
if it was you, Jan or Roy but these were great looking fish but at a
price....until I really get into the keeping of Koi a nice healthy looking
fish, fed and kept correctly and thriving will suit me down to the
ground.....
======================
You said your yard was not that large. Since koi can reach quite a size you
may want to rethink turning so much of it into a pond. Even two adult koi
will need at least 1200 with good filtration and water changes. A 500g pond
would be suitable for a smaller yard. You can keep a nice group of real
pretty goldfish in something that size.
--
RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Zone 6. USA
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