What Should I Do With My Cull Fish?

[Julles]

Now that I have taken a few koi out of my pond, they are living in my turtle pond.  They are doing OK in there, but it's not optimum life for fish who could grow to big, healthy fish if they had cleaner water and more space.  They are overcrowded, potential to become sushi, and live in unfiltered or aerated water that fills with turtle waste until I clean it every Sunday morning.  So I'll keep a few goldfish, maybe 2 koi, but the rest need new homes.

FreeCycle.com got me only three calls, and they haven't turned out to anything (One guy's phone message says he's traveling in China...so why did he say he would come get the fish at noon on Wednesday???.  Another said her friend MIGHT want them, but she hadn't talked to her yet.    FreeCycle can be like that.   


So, what to do?
-Dump in a local river?
-Sneak into a predator-protected pond at the arboretum?
-Take to a local stone yard, where they have ponds, and someone said she took her fish there one year... But this place frequently has EMPTY ponds, so if they have leaks, I don't want to bring my fish there. 
-The water garden store won't take them back, due to possiblity of diseases.
What would you suggest?

[miguynmkoi]

Have you asked neighbors or friends with ponds?  Even if you keep them for a while longer you should be alright. 

Post free fish to good pond in your local  stores bulletin boards - pet sores, grocery, doctors office, etc.

I'm sure someone here can help you too.  Good luck.

[Kat]

Have you tried Craigslist?

[thedahlialama]

So, what to do?
-Dump in a local river?
-Sneak into a predator-protected pond at the arboretum?
-Take to a local stone yard, where they have ponds, and someone said she took her fish there one year... But this place frequently has EMPTY ponds, so if they have leaks, I don't want to bring my fish there. 

absolutely not!! this kind of thing is the reason states are passing laws that effect our wonderful hobby!!

-The water garden store won't take them back, due to possiblity of diseases.
What would you suggest?

try calling around to pet stores. someone should want them. just because the place you usually go doesn't, doesn't mean others might not.
post a flyer at the post office. might not work better than freecycle or craig's list but at least you're reaching locals who might be easier to arrange things with if they do respond. i gave away plenty of extra plants that were too big to ship to anyone doing this last year.
if giving them away doesn't work - try advertising them for sale - many people distrust 'free' but will jump at a 'good deal'
in the end, like it or not, killing some for the survival of the others might be your best option.

[Lynda]

"Dump in a local river?"  "Sneak into a pond at the arboretum?"  Please tell me you're not serious!  That is against the law in most states and theatens native species.  Do not even joke about this.  Koi are against the law in Maine because of this, and Vermont is seriously considering a ban as well.  Do not "dump" unwanted koi anywhere without permission, ever - you could expose native fish or koi to disease and death, or expose the very koi you're trying to save to pathogens to which they have no immunity.  That is the very height of irresponsibility.

[LeeAnne151]

-Dump in a local river?
-Sneak into a predator-protected pond at the arboretum?
-Take to a local stone yard, where they have ponds, and someone said she took her fish there one year... But this place frequently has EMPTY ponds, so if they have leaks, I don't want to bring my fish there. 


PLEASE   Do NOT do any of those options.

Domestic fish should never be released into the wild, they may outcompete native fish for food or transmit diseases to wild fish.

Post them on Craigs List or on eBay for local pick up only

Call other fish or pet stores and see if they will take them, I take mine to a store for credit

Contact local watergardening/koi club and see if they know anyone who might need them

Post on other pond forums to see if anyone in your area might want them. Like Garden Web, post on the section for gardening exchanges in your area too.

[Bonnie]

Like LeeAnne and Lynda said, Please do NOT do those things. :'(
Part of being a pond keeper with fish is being responsible with getting rid of our culls and none of those options are being responsible.



Contact your local watergarden groups, do a google for ALL ponding forums, etc... even put a listing on ebay if needed to find them homes.   All of them for $1 buy it now and local pickup.


Good luck with finding them homes.. sometimes it takes alot of effort on our part but eventualy we find good homes for them. 

[Esther]

If you aren't able to find a home for your fish and feel forced to get rid of them, they can easily be euthanized by putting them in a ziploc bag with water and then put them in the freezer. Evidently that is a humane way to take care of them. I know it sounds awful but I did that with one of my big Koi that somehow got up in the bog and layed there over night half submerged. I fussed over him for a whole day be he just wasn't going to recover and I decided he had suffered long enough. Oil of cloves is supposed to act like an anesthetic too I think and put them to sleep.

[PondmaninAL]

Julles, where do you live?

Happy ponding,
Scott

[laurence]

This solution worked for me .Years ago, when faced with the same problem, I placed a home-made sign at the end of my driveway advertising pond fish for sale. I sold out in no time and have done the same every year since then, selling  about 150  koi and about the same number of goldfish. I then found a water plant wholesaler and began retailing plants . Now I grow my own lilies and hardy marginals and  only buy in my tropicals.I make a good dollar dealing with interesting people.  Problems sometimes are opportunities in disguise.

[Julles]

I live in Houston, Texas.

No, I wouldn't really let them go in a river.  I do know better than that.  The stone yard, theirs is a pond just like we ponders have, and I would definately call and ask if they wanted them before I brought them over.  But I don't like the idea they their ponds don't seem to be maintained (or even filtered).

On my FreeCycle offer, I specified that the people had to have a pond with a filter and aeration.  Maybe if I just say "Free Fish" and don't worry how well they'll be taken care of, maybe then someone will take them.   ??   

For now, they're fine in the turtle pond.  But I do need a long term plan. 

[LeeAnne151]

Koi and goldfish both breed like rabbits and as the years go by, often the babies aren't great. They start to stay gray and lose their fancy fins etc. Getting rid of culls is part of ponding. Often local fish stores will take them, even if for feeders which is better than releasing them into the wild or into a pond that you don't know how they will be cared for.