Adding new koi to an existing pond (Introducing my Karashigoi)

Today I pick up my new koi, a red eyed Karashigoi from Quality Nishikigoi. In this video I pass on some tips for how to safely introduce new koi to an existing pond and talk though some things you can do to ensure it is as stress free as possible for your new fish.
This is my first time owning a Karashigoi and I have to say I'm delighted with her so far. She eats like a pig and is extremely friendly and already a big character in the pond. I've caught her nose to nose with Nando, my ridgeback, many times at the pond window.
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[@asterixborden-koi6881]

What a lovely fish And thanks for the advice 👍

[@DazzleKoi]

Thank you, you're very welcome 🍻🍻🍻🍻

[@projectkoi7822]

Lovely koi mate and spot on advice as always.

[@DazzleKoi]

Cheers mate, thanks very much 🍻🍻👍🍻🍻

[@garysmith5966]

Great video again Daz. Enjoy your new addition .👌🏻

[@DazzleKoi]

Thanks Gary, loving it so far 👍👍

[@LauMagroTheFrenchKOInection]

Awww Darren, she is absolutely stunning. That's what you call a clean fish! Beauty.

[@DazzleKoi]

Thanks Lau, she's definitely my new favorite 👍👍

[@anthonywatkins2783]

Lovely clean fish, settled in nice and quick. 👍

[@DazzleKoi]

Thanks Anthony 👍👍

[@carollycett1329]

Brilliant video lovely looking fish 🙏🐟🙏

[@DazzleKoi]

Thank you very much Carol 🥂🥂

[@peterkoczkowski5000]

Hi Daz nice to see you have your new baby home looks fantastic love her red eyes well done 👍👍🐟

[@DazzleKoi]

Thank Peter, yes I'm really pleased with her. We cant stop going out and looking at her (and feeding her, she has a massive appetite) 😁😁

[@adamcoleman3935]

Hi Daz cracking fish, she's very active in the pond which is great to see in a new fish. I got a red eye last May and its doing ok, will be getting it out next month to measure it, brought it at 17 or 18cm's. At a guess now it's 27cm... we will see... cheers

[@DazzleKoi]

Thanks Adam, sounds like its growing well. This one is already the main character in the pond. Couldn't be happier. Keep me posted on how yours goes 🍻👍🍻

[@adamcoleman3935]

@@DazzleKoi 👍

[@baitking1]

Cracking koi great video as always 👍

[@DazzleKoi]

Thanks mate 👍🍻👍

[@garydrablow853]

Lovely looking fish

[@DazzleKoi]

Thanks Gary, hopefully I can keep it in great condition 👍👍

[@georgea2583]

Lovely fish Darren. I’m jealous LOL 🤣

[@DazzleKoi]

Thanks George, I'm really happy with her 👍👍

[@mardebskoi6711]

Koi looks great 👍

[@DazzleKoi]

Thank you very much mate 👍🍻👍🍻👍

[@abstractkoi9088]

She looks awesome 🤩. Definitely will be a big girl one day. Love your pond! Cheers

[@DazzleKoi]

Thank you very much, yes I think you're right, sadly I think she could very quickly get to big for my pond but we'll see 👍🍻👍

[@RosieKuhnPhD]

Wow!! Thank you for sharing your new fish with us. I get to live vicariously! It happens to be my birthday! So I feel like it was a lovely present to watch you get your beautiful koi!

[@DazzleKoi]

Thank you very much much for your kind words and I hope you have a great birthday 🎂🎉🍻🎁

[@RosieKuhnPhD]

@@DazzleKoi Thank you! It was a lovely day! 🥰

[@ACKoi]

Nice new addition mate 👍👍👍

[@DazzleKoi]

Cheers Pal 🍻🍻

[@sontrinh1457]

Congrats 👌

[@DazzleKoi]

Thank you Sir 👍👍🍻🍻

[@RamseysDIYKoiPond]

Great video that mucker 👍👌🐟

[@DazzleKoi]

Cheers mate, I appreciate that 🍻🍻👍👍🍻🍻

[@markmoulton3521]

Beautiful Koi 👍

[@DazzleKoi]

Cheers Mark 🍻🍻🍻

[@CATANDEYEKOI]

One of the best educational channels out there. Great work.

[@DazzleKoi]

Thank you mate, that means a lot. I've been following your build to. That tree house is amazing. I've wanted a tree house literally my whole life. Makes me want to move house 👍👍👍👍

[@CATANDEYEKOI]

@@DazzleKoi Cheers mate, thank you too.

[@andrewmason2879]

Lovely koi mate 👍

[@DazzleKoi]

Thanks Andrew, I'm made up with her so far 👍👍👍

[@keithcowburn4715]

Thanks for another interesting and informative video. Karashigoi are one of my favourite koi...friendly and they grow fast and I've found they bring out the best in the other fish. The same characteristics as chargois but I prefer their colours. I've now got the tempest installed after a nexus so it should be interesting to see how it performs. For cleaning I will be using the waste valve and an airline on alternate weeks to see how each performs...I can let you know during your next review of the tempest if you wish.

[@DazzleKoi]

Thanks Keith, that would be great. I'm still really happy with mine and its still spotless after a flush. Make sure you give it at least a couple of weeks initially as the media doesn't become fully semi-buoyant until at least that long. The cleaning cycle looks completely different after two weeks compared to when you first fit it. You'll be amazed at what it catches and probably, like me, a bit disappointed in your old filter when you see what its missing 🍻👍🍻

[@KoiRun50]

Beautiful beast. Ready to eat out of the box. Looks like she’s going to eat most of your food lol.

[@DazzleKoi]

Thanks mate, I have literally doubled the size of a feed since she went in 😁😁

[@countrykoipond]

A new koi video is always a pleasure to watch. You have found a good local koi dealer. It seems everyone buys koi differently. Personally I do not have them delivered by courier to me and prefer to pick them up in person as this not only adds to the enjoyment of the experience it also lets me see everything else!

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi mate, I couldn't agree more. I couldn't dream of choosing a koi without seeing it in person. Imagine buying a dog without seeing it, or a used car. As you say, a trip to the koi dealers to pick out a fish is half the fun.

[@robholmes6041]

Very nice koi...one of my favourite Breed of koi. I have 2 karashigoi swimming around in my unheated pond and they are growing considerably large. Rest of your koi look great too daz.

[@DazzleKoi]

Cheers Rob, I just hope she doesn't outgrow my pond to quickly. I may need to build a bigger one sooner than I planned 😁😁

[@JMacFlyFishing]

Well done 👏 beautiful 😍 🐟😎👍🏼

[@DazzleKoi]

Cheers mate, I'm like a kid at Christmas at the moment. She has changed the whole dynamic in the pond. They all seem to be more active and spend their time looking out of the window. I put my normal amount of food in yesterday and she ate every single pellet in seconds. The others didn't get a single one between them. I've had to double the amount I'm feeding overnight 😁😁😁

[@JMacFlyFishing]

@@DazzleKoi awesome 👌. Happy ponding mate 👍

[@DazzleKoi]

Cheers mate, you to 🍻🍻

[@thepondowner]

Cool

[@DazzleKoi]

Thanks a lot 👍

[@Gaz_511]

She's nice.

[@DazzleKoi]

Cheers Gary. Definitely already the main character in the pond 🍻🍻

[@christophersinclair6434]

I've got three gorgeous koi at quality nishikigoi just waiting to be picked up, unfortunately I bought two from a cheaper koi shop last sept and now have flukes, tim has kindly kept hold of my new koi until I'm rid of flukes. I know where I'll be buying from now on. Great video by the way.

[@DazzleKoi]

Thanks Christopher, much appreciated 🍻👍🍻 Hopefully you can get shut of the flukes and get the new guys in soon mate

[@iainbusbridge9585]

Nice fish pal. Got a kohaku to collect. Cant wait but up here in Cumbria it's still bloody freezing!

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi Iain, I feel your pain. I think we've got a bit of warmer weather coming next weekend so hopefully that's the start of summer 🍻🍻🍻👍👍👍

[@Tillygoat60]

Nice fish Daz, should put good size on this season 👍

[@DazzleKoi]

Thanks Rex, I hope so, although I don't want it to outgrow my pond to quickly

[@dannycurrie1]

Lovely new fish, sure it will grow quick 👍 have you got your grow and show fish in aswell now?

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi mate, yes I have the grow and show fish in as well now. Eating 5 or 6 times a day. Its hard to say for sure but I think its around 65cm now 😮😮

[@colrobbo2821]

That is a nice fish buddy, it'll be interesting to see what growth she puts on this summer!!👍

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi Col, yes I agree, they way she eats she could get really big, really quickly. I could see her outgrowing my pond very quickly indeed 😒

[@AJBAdventures]

@@DazzleKoi would you not say that your pond could handle jumbo koi bud?

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi mate, no unfortunately not, not a chance. Its pushing it with the 7 koi I plan to have in there eventually and I expect that one or two will need to move to new homes at some point of I don't move house and build something bigger in the next couple of years. I think this karashigoi could outgrow my pond very quickly 😟

[@AJBAdventures]

@@DazzleKoi Ahh fair enough I'm building an indoor wooden pond similar size to yours, around 1000 gallons/4000L, how many koi long term to full size could we keep? thanks aaron

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi Aaron, I'll be brutally honest mate, 1000 gallons is a bit on the small side for koi. I only built this pond as a short term thing as we will be moving house in the not to distant future. Really it is only big enough for about 5 koi. The general rule of thumb is 200 gallons per koi. I plan to have 7 which is pushing it but I have a lot of filtration and spend a lot of time on maintenance, for example I flush my filters every day. I've always stuck to this stocking level of at lest 200 gallons of water per koi and in 25 years I've only had to treat once for flukes (just before Christmas) and that is largely because I don't have to many koi in. The more you have the more problems you will run in to and the more difficult it is to overcome. I would recommend going bigger if you can or sticking to just a few koi.

[@adamjohnson9148]

Cracking fish.

[@DazzleKoi]

Cheers Adam 🍻🍻🍻

[@anthonystevens6733]

Nice fish mate buy all mine from tim quality dealer and very approachable as is Paul 👍

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi Anthony, yes indeed, it makes a huge difference if you can find a good local dealer who you can trust and rely on 👍🍻👍🍻👍

[@just4koi143]

Lovely looking fish matey, I just added a karasigoi to my pond too, I haven’t measured up yet, purchased last year but left with my private seller which was 30cm at the time looks like it’s almost doubled in size, not sure of sex tho I hope it’s female too, thanks👍🏻

[@DazzleKoi]

Nice one mate, sounds good. They do grow well and are real characters to 🍻🥂🍻

[@grahamparker5129]

Very nice fish there Darren mate

[@DazzleKoi]

Cheers Graham, thanks a lot 🍻👍🍻

[@grahamparker5129]

@@DazzleKoi How many Koi would you buy at any time would you say Darren to a pond mate

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi Graham, that's a good question. I guess that the chances of having an issue increase slightly with each koi so I would be tempted to add no more than two or three at a time to a pond that is already stocked with a number of fish. I don't think there is a hard and fast rule, and I'm certainly people will have added a lot more without having a problem, but that would be my preference.

[@grahamparker5129]

@@DazzleKoi Thanks Darren mate

[@grahamparker5129]

Just got 3 Koi today but it is to cold to have them they are keeping them for 4 more weeks got a Sanke and Kahaku and Asagi as well Darren mate

[@badenwright6375]

Lovely fish mate.I’m pretty sure she’s the one I enquired about but had already gone!!

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi Bade, thanks mate. It could well be, it was the only one of this size and colour. There where a couple of smaller ones but this one really stood out. He's got a lot of good quality, bigger koi in the new batch, well worth a look. I've reserved a chag to replace the little one that I have that refuses to grow 🍻👍🍻

[@badenwright6375]

@@DazzleKoi got some from Tim hopefully arriving Sunday🤞He said he’ll probably do another video!?I won’t be seen as I’m a bit camera shy

[@DazzleKoi]

Nice one, what did you get mate?

[@badenwright6375]

@@DazzleKoi gin rin shiro,sanke,gin rin kindai showa,chag and a goshiki which the wife knows nothing about and is of course very cheap cos I’m a good customer!!just moved on quite a few and left myself with just 4 so it looks very sparse at the moment

[@DazzleKoi]

Wow, nice selection mate. Is he doing a video of your pond?

[@MrPleasureMaker]

Lovely addition Darren. Cracking looking pond and just wondered what size your window is and thickness? Is there any bend in it? Just planning my first proper Koi pond hence the question. Cheers

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi Andy, its 1400mm x 750mm and 21mm thick (2 x 10mm laminated and toughened). There is a very slight bit of deflection in it but not a lot, you have to look for it. If the pond was any bigger or the window was any bigger I would go up to 25mm (2 x 12mm) and depending how much bigger maybe even 2 x 16mm

[@MrPleasureMaker]

Thanks for the info Darren. I am planning 13,500 litres and a similar size window is what I was thinking.

[@DazzleKoi]

Nice size pond that, I would definitely go up to at least 25mm then . I used optiwhite in mine which is low iron glass with a higher transmission. It means it is very clear rather than having a green tint to it. Get prices for each and see what the difference is. I think its worth it but it might cost quite a bit extra on a 25mm+ window.

[@MrPleasureMaker]

Thanks again Darren, I will certainly aim for 25mm. Not sure if this is the right place to pump you for advice but I was wondering how low down in the pond the returns should be? The pond being semi-raised, I would like to have at least one of them sub ground level to hide it but not sure if that's good for the fish during cold weather? Sorry for pestering you ;-)

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi Andy, I dont buy in to stratification in a reletively tiny body of water like a koi pond. They are simply not big enough or deep enough for any kind of temperature difference to be maintained through the water column. Throw in water movement from aeration, filter returns and koi movement and its definitely not going to happen. As such I wouldn't worry about the depth of returns from that point of view. The lower they are the more back pressure on the pump and so you'll use a bit electricity for the same flow. I would say the deeper they are the better they will cause water movement on the bottom which is what you want to push waste to the drain/pump. Many people fit a couple of depths that they can switch between. Personally I prefer a couple of directions so you can switch the circulation flow to stop koi developing a bend in the bodies from always swimming in the same direction. I'm waffling and not really providing any answers but if it where me I'd go about 30cm below water line and one in each direction, fitted on an angle to encourage circulation.

[@garystone5746]

Hi Darren great channel easy to understand I'm doing a 1600 gallon pond seem to get conflicting advice on stocking koi in to this pond eventually it will have five large Goldfish my daughters not an option what would you advise and what filtration!

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi Gary, no problem at all housing 8 or 9 koi in a pond that is 1600 gallons. Its a bit big for a Pod so I would look at a nexus 220 if you can. 4" bottom drain straight to nexus will work well 👍👍

[@garystone5746]

@@DazzleKoi Thanks Darren sound advice from someone who's not trying to sell me fish or filtration thanks again .

[@DazzleKoi]

No problem mate, good luck 🍻🍻

[@paulholt8311]

Thanks for sharing just out of curiosity will you put a net over your pond overnight incase it leaps?

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi Paul, no I didn't. It is definitely a good option though if you have any doubts. To be honest, she was eating after 10 minutes and the signs of stress had gone. She was completely calm and at home straight away so I had no concerns at all.

[@garyneo2259]

very nice fish m8 just waiting for my 2 fish of tim

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi Gary, what have you got mate ?

[@garyneo2259]

@@DazzleKoi sanki showa

[@garyneo2259]

@@DazzleKoi showa and sanki

[@DazzleKoi]

Nice one, is he delivering them or are you paying him a visit?

[@garyneo2259]

@@DazzleKoi delivering them its hard for me to get to his shop with me being a support worker hard for me to get a get time or date

[@philnayler7156]

Good morning Daz I have a question if I may.....a friend of mine has a small garden pond with just two koi, however one recently has developed what I think is Popeye. So I have told him all about water quality and what to do to bring it back and for him to get a test kit. In parallel with this I have also suggested to purchase some medikoi food but I am not sure if this will be useful if the fish are not feeding or it’s contents. Other than taking it to a vet that’s going to stress it even further would you have any recommendations? Many thanks in advance BR Phil

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi Phil, as you say, water quality, poor maintenance, poor or no nutrition, tumor, overstocking (doesn't sound like the issue here) etc can all cause popeye so the first step is to find the cause and address that. Absolutely he needs to get a test kit and use that as part of the investigation in to the cause of the problem. Medikoi is just ordinary koi food despite their clever use of 'medi' in the name which implies it is something more than it is. It has pre and probiotics but any good quality food does. So once the underlying problem has been sorted (or actually in parallel) you need to treat the popeye. Unfortunately its not easy to treat and often treatment is unsuccessful. Antibiotics are the only real course of treatment but it may simply not be worth the effort and cost as it isn't guaranteed to work. You can add a background level of salt to the pond to help with the stress and can fix the issue but again not guaranteed.

[@philnayler7156]

@@DazzleKoi Many thanks Daz for your informative reply I will relay this to him. By the way love the new koi and those ruby eyes😍

[@DazzleKoi]

Thanks Phil 👍🍻👍🍻👍

[@mikefogo9912]

How deep is your pond, thinking of changing mine,what's the ideal depth?👍

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi Mike, its only about 1m. Not ideal but just about ok 🍻🍻

[@TriniTrav]

Can’t find a quality one near me. They come in red or blue eyes?

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi mate, where are you based? They mostly have normal, very dark brown eyes, but a rare few have red eyes.

[@TriniTrav]

@@DazzleKoi New York

[@DazzleKoi]

Ahh right, sorry I can't help you there mate. You'll find one eventually I'm sure. Probably 99% of them have brown eyes so you may not find a red eyed one.

[@luxurimemotivation1892]

What's that bubbles coming from down?

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi, the bubbling is air from the spindrifter bottom drain. It adds oxygen to the water and also pushes the waste to the drain so it can be collected by the filter 👍

[@luxurimemotivation1892]

@@DazzleKoi thanks.... I got it 😊

[@DazzleKoi]

No problem 🍻🍻

[@northernkoikeeper512]

Nice fish Daz. I have one the same. In a future video could you look at using PP in the pond. Dr Paula Reynolds of the Lincolnshire Fish Health Is looking at PP effects on Koi and is recommending NOT to use PP where another product exists (www.lincsfishhealth.co.uk/html/potassium.html) . Whereas the koi club I'm in say that they have been using PP for years without any problems. They say they have to use it if you have low PH and Low KH as other products are not suitable. If you get a chance could you address this as I would love to hear your opinion.

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi mate, yes I'll put that on the list. I have to say though I'm really not a fan of PP. It does have its place in certain cases but it can be very dangerous if you don't get it spot on and its extremely harsh on koi even when you do get it right. I've heard of people adding it routinely even when their koi don't have issues and it makes me so angry to think of people putting their koi through that for nothing. They claim it keeps organic waste under control so basically rather than fit a proper filter and clean it regularly they throw chemicals in instead 😟😲😟 As a treatment for the right parasite though it can be very effective.

[@iandeeley554]

Hi, yes great fish, can I ask? How much?£ thx

[@DazzleKoi]

Hi Ian, its certainly no secret but my wife reads these so I can't risk posting the actual price on here 😁😁 May have to find a way of messaging you

[@iandeeley554]

Dazzle Koi here is my email [e-mail] cheers 👍Ian

[@DazzleKoi]

email sent 👍🍻👍

[@sage6336]

never put fish in your own system without quarantine ........

[@TimWaddington]

Can you not drive so fast down out road!!

[@DazzleKoi]

Haha, Michelle was driving, that's not even speeded up!!! PS: You promised me you would get a new sign 😮

[@TimWaddington]

@@DazzleKoi a new sign?? I’ve not got your money.

[@DazzleKoi]

HA, I wish I was a pound behind you!!