Question about mixing of different fish in the same pond...

[Mikey]

I have koi, shubunkin, comets and mosquito fish in the same pond.  They get along well although the koi sometimes launch a sneak attack and try to eat the mosquito fish.  Today while checking out koi at my local dealer I noticed they also had Wakin for sale.  What are your thoughts about wakins mixed in with these larger fish?

[JoshS]

Wakins are just comets with a double tail...basically.  They should be fine together.

[livetogarden]

Josh...where is Independence located?
Cath

[CliffandJoann]

Why not? they're all very social. The watkins are pretty too.

Joann

[Mikey]

Thanks guys.  I'll try to swing by there this week and pick up a few.

[Bonnie]

The main thing that comes to mind is, koi requirements are different than goldies.
More filtration, Bigger pond and deeper depth, etc.. you get the point.
Also know that koi and goldies can spawn and have some very fugly babies!

Wakin are beautiful fish... I hope to have my lower pond dedicated just for them very soon!

[Mikey]

...fugly babies!

  The mosquito fish do an excellent job dining on the fugly eggs.    I didn't have any new fish for the last several years but I recently noticed a young shukoimet swimming about that had apparently survived the spawn.  It's about six inches long and I can't tell yet if it's a "Fugly".....

[JulieBrown]

I have one huge goldfish, Sunset Platies, Mosquito Fish, and another tiny one I can't ever remember the name for.  All have been happy together for more than a year, but then the pond used to be my swimming pool so there is lots of room -- about 22,000 gallons.  I have noticed lately there seem to be a lot fewer of the small fry than the original hundreds I started with.  Could be why Red [the goldie] is so huge!

JulieB

[slackjeep]

"Shukoimet"

 

[slackjeep]

I have a pond full of commons, wakins and shubunkins and mosquito fish.  Yesterday I was a bad girl and picked up a butterfly "non-koi."  (you know some of dem kichi's don't consider butterfly true koi.    )

I may end up with a pond full of shukoimonkins this summer.   

[PondmaninAL]

Mikey, I have a similar mix of fish as you with the addition of Tilapia and a stray Rosey Red Minnow. They all get along fine.

Happy ponding,
Scott

[Esther]

Yup, I also had a mixture of several types. Other than the strange mix spawns that happen, I don't see any reason to not mix them. The fan/split tail types are the first to go when the predators visit though because they don't swim as fast as the Koi etc. My goldfish and fantail fish were spawning like crazy but the Koi don't seem to. I can't believe I have all one sex. There's 8 of them and several are at least 5 years old so I would think they are old enough to mate. So bit by bit, the heron has gotten the split tailed fish and I gave away the mutts and odd ones so now have almost all Koi.

[JoshS]

Cath, I'm in the east-central part of the state...north of Cedar Rapids and east of Waterloo.  Do you ever make it out this way?

I think goldfish/koi crosses are pretty uncommon, but not impossible.