Earth Koi Ponds on the Farm
Here at the Nisei Koi Farm we have special ponds that we breed and raise our koi in. They are our mud ponds. These ponds were man made when the farm was built in 2001-2002. Each mud ponds were built for a specific reason.
Some of the ponds are very large and deep. These ponds are used to grow out our larger koi. These koi are placed in the ponds in spring and are left to grow thru the summer, only to be caught when they are harvested in fall. These ponds here on our farm are up to an acre in size.
Other ponds on the farm are narrow and shallow. These ponds are used to breed and grow fry. These ponds are this size and shape because the young koi have to be caught and culled thru out the summer. The narrow pond makes it easy for the seine net to be pulled down the pond to catch the koi for culling. The shallow ponds make allow the sun light to penetrate to the bottom layers of the pond, producing algae as food source for many organisms in the pond to live on, which the small fry feed on.
Our ponds, although man made, are operate as natural ponds. The ponds are lined with clay, to hold the water in the ponds. Then a layer of top soil is placed on top of the clay lining. This top soil layer houses the bacteria, aerobic and anaerobic bacteria are needed to break down the waste from the koi. The only addition to the mud ponds is oxygen. In order for the ponds to safely hold and raise the large number of koi under our intensive growing procedures.
Mud ponds have many benefits when growing koi. They offer a large volume of water per koi. They offer deep depths that allow the koi to use and build the muscles they use to swim up and down, improving their body shape. This is an ample amount of natural food for the koi to feed on continuously thru out the day, in addition to our manual feeding of koi food.
The one factor that the large mud ponds do not offer the koi is the sun light that is need to bring out the colors of the koi. Once it has been determined that the koi has gotten the most out of its time in the mud ponds, it’s in the clear ponds, here at the farm or the owners ponds, that the color is reestablished. Often, you can see the transition of the color developing from a faded color as the koi is being harvest from the mud pond to deepening, richer color with in hours of coming in to our greenhouse.
The koi’s growth is rate is the most in its first few years. By year 4-5 a koi may only put 1-2” on a year. By using the mud ponds, we are able to the most growth from the koi during this critical time period. This is very beneficial to hobbyist who shows koi in competition, to get the koi to large size while still looking youthful.
Today, koi farms aren’t they only ones using mud ponds, many hobbyists who have the extra space are putting in mud ponds to give their koi the same healthy environment that they had with the breeder.
