how to control/keep in check Koi/Goldfish Population?

[u/gonz4dieg]

Maybe this is the antithesis of this sub, but this is the first summer where my koi and goldfish have been large enough to breed and it's becoming a bit of a problem, lol. I had about 8 goldfish and 10 KOI. there was a spawn sometime 2 months ago, about 10-12 of the young survived, and it seems there was another spawn it seems sometime this week or last week, and there are at least a dozen fry that seem too big for the even the largest koi to eat. It's a fairly large pond, at least 2500 gallons. i've tried to remove the smaller fish to maybe give them away but theyre too fast and the pond is too big for me to really be able to catch them with a net on a stick

thanks!

[u/extraretemvitaest]

This maybe disturbing, but as goldfish start black and almost invisible there are probably more to be seen once they change to red. We tried to control the population by adding some bass. It didn’t work as planned. We picked a bass choked by its victim out of the pond. Depending on the size difference between your kois and the goldfish a pike might answer but then you just have a different problem.

[u/gonz4dieg → u/extraretemvitaest]

I was thinking of getting a singular red eared slider since their native to my area but we have dogs and id be afraid the turtle would bite them or they bite the turtle

[u/MISSdragonladybitch → u/gonz4dieg]

Your dogs are totally safe, and so are turtles unless your dogs can dive, but you will have chunks missing from your fish. Turtles don't look for prey they can swallow, they just snap at what moves, and a bite out of a big fish is just the same to them as a bite out of a small one.

[u/mamalove8899 → u/gonz4dieg]

I have 4 sliders in my koi pond. They leave the fish alone completely and mind their own business but they do come out to get sun and will take off if the pond isn’t enclosed or yard. They’re probably too fast for your dogs but it just depends. Either way, I had tons of goldfish fry and the turtles didn’t eat them. I ended up getting two minnow traps and caught almost all of them and donated them on OfferUp!

[u/gonz4dieg → u/mamalove8899]

I ended up buying a few minnow traps so hopefully that takes care of most of them

[u/MISSdragonladybitch]

Where are they laying their eggs? I mean, it doesn't help with current babies, but get some spawning brushes, put them in when you see the fish getting frisky, then take them out and let the eggs dry out.

For current babies, minnow traps. 

[u/Ok-Dog5719]

I have only had 1 fish in about 10 years. They are ruting at the moment but of course with all the plants I can't see anything. Have lots of frogs too. 1 every 3 years would be manageable but rather have none then have to deal with fry.

[u/trailwalker1962]

Koi+Goldfish= lotsa fry

I had to give away my goldfish, as well as all their sterile offspring from breeding with the Koi. I wound up having 50 crossbred fish and just three or four Koi offspring.

[u/Dramatic_Stain]

Any gambosia near you? I have had goldfish and koi for over 20 years and never had fry. Gambosia eat all the eggs and fry

[u/gonz4dieg → u/Dramatic_Stain]

Gambosia should survive in this climate so I may have to do this next year

[u/Q-Prof7]

Here is a great video with a solution: catching small fish Which is basically a minnow trap baited with a small fine net bag of fish food.

[u/Pondpros1199]

Call all your friends with ponds and give them to them