Koi Fish Rescue & Adoption Services – Established May 2019 With the completion of our BEAUTIFUL NEW pond we are now offering a new rescue and adoption program and this one ISN’T for the furry family members!
This program is for our finned friends Koi Rescue & Adoption Services. We understand that there are many reasons someone might not be able to care for their Koi fish. As with many animals we rescue and adopt out, there comes a time when the most humane thing to do is let them find a better home, a home that can better care for them, and a place of safety and health.
Your finned friends will enjoy time in our 80×50 foot pond. Over 60,000 gallons with multiple hiding areas, different depths, various water features with lights, fountains and bubblers. They will stay with us until we find appropriate homes for them.
Please note – this is a very new program for our shelter and we are NOT adopting any fish out until spring/summer 2020 at the earliest. Since we did not have any fish until recently and due to the weather during the cold months, the fish go in to a state of hibernation – It is unsafe to move them during this time of the year. Great link to Prepping Your Pond for Winter / Wintertime Health Risks for Koi Early Detection is Key- What to Look For
Since this program is so new – we are working on the best way to adopt our little finned friends. We are starting a list of potential adopters, so we can contact you when we set up dates/time.
If you wish to be added to our ADOPTION list please click the link above and include the following info: Your name, address, phone, email, what you are looking for (size/colors) and an estimate of how many fish you are considering adopting. This will help our volunteers to prepare the holding tank with an assortment of sizes/colors.
- We will be setting specific dates and times the fish will be available for adoption. (Due to the sheer size of our pond makes it a bit difficult to have potential adopters walking around the pond and pointing at a specific fish and expect us to be able to catch that one fish.) To address this….
- We will be moving groups of fish (we CAN move) into a small holding pen that will allow adopters to see the variety of colors and sizes of the fish.
- Adopters will then have the option to select the fish from the holding pen the volunteers have them moved to.
- All fish in holding pens will be able to go home THAT day.
- You will then fill out an adoption contract and pay an adoption fee (Adoption fees are TBD and will be based on their size similar to the pond stores).
- Irrespective of whether your backyard pond is new or established, the fish should be quarantined in a separate aquarium for at least two weeks—we strongly advise a four-week quarantine period.
- You should spend five minutes or more several times each day watching your new arrivals in the quarantine aquarium. Give them a couple of days to settle down and then observe their behavior. Look for signs of problems—disinterest in koi food, off-balance swimming. Watch closely for signs of wounds or parasites—raised bumps, white or grey patches, blackened fin edges and so on. There is no better time to play fish doctor. If you do discover a problem, then treat all the fish together. This is especially important with parasites, because some fish may not show any outward signs of being infested.
- When the quarantine period is over—a minimum of two to four weeks—you’re ready to move the fish to the backyard pond. You have done everything possible to ensure that your new finned friends will make a smooth transition to their new home.
- Please understand, Once you adopt, the fish are your responsibility, and there are a number of steps you can take to minimize the risks of losing one or more of your new finned friends. We highly recommend doing some research on introducing your new fish to your backyard pond.
READY TO ADOPT?
- PLS plan to bring your own small tub and water from YOUR pond this is a must. The water should be prepared before coming to adopt. The water should come from your quarantine aquarium, thus ensuring that the pH matches our water and that the transfer to the quarantine aquarium is stress-free. Please, Do not take shortcuts, this is a safety measure to protect the fish.
- The holding aquarium can be any temporary enclosure that is biologically filtered. Although this sounds like a big pain in the neck—and it is—it will save you unimaginable grief in the long run. The quarantine period will allow you to study the new arrivals in detail over a period of time and to reliably and effectively treat any diseases or parasites they may be harboring. Equally important, this procedure will also prevent the introduction of parasites into your backyard pond.
- The backyard pond where your new fish will eventually live should have completed the initial nitrogen (ammonia) cycle before they are added. If the backyard pond is already established, this will not be a problem. If it is a new pond, it should be cycled before you even add the fish.
- What are Koi? Koi are ornamental carp, which originated in Japan. More than a century or two ago (at least…no one really knows), the Japanese raised a particular black carp in their rice patties called Magoi. These black/dark brown Magoi were originally raised for food, but somewhere along the line it is speculated that a farmer noticed some off-colored babies and put them aside to raise further. These babies were off-colored genetic mutations of some sort and by continual breeding with each other over time, the beautiful fish of today arose with all the colors of the rainbow.
- With that said, understand that the world of Koi and their value is very similar to the world of Dogs. There are mutts, purebreeds, and show winners! As a matter of fact, most Koi sold in the USA are considered “mutts”.
- Standard fin Koi have pectoral fins which are proportional to their bodies and usually short and round to oval in shape. These were the original Koi developed by the Japanese. Within the hobby the Koi purists which have taken the hobby to its highest level usually tend to stay with the original Standard fin Koi. Many of these folks even show their fish just like the dog shows around the world.
- Butterfly Koi are a cross between a long-finned carp and a standard fin Koi, and are also referred to as “Longfins.” These fish were developed in Japan originally in an attempt to make Koi have more robust bodies and more total body length.
- Scale Patterns- Koi also come in various scale patterns, which also are given particular names and used as adjectives when describing a certain fish or variety/breed of fish.
Questions? Please email us!
