HOW TO BREED JAPANESE KOI? - DIY (Step by step breeding tutorial)

Yamakoshi, Niigata. A mountainous area where most of the Japanese Koi

breed

ers are located. It is early June and very hot and humid. Exactly the conditions that Koi

breed

ers need for their new offspring. It is an exciting time for Shintaro Koi Farm in addition to normal activities. …This will be a long day and night for the entire staff. This time of year is the time for the Koi parents to spawn and the important period of reproduction and growth of the Nishikigoi takes place. Over the course of this... ...program we follow Shintaro Koi Farm throughout the

breeding

process.

In this episode, Shintaro Koi Farm will show us exactly how they are raised in Japan. …

breeding

koi, from nursery preparations to the actual breeding program. We don't skip anything and show everything from start to finish. The images that you will see in this program, both in part 1 and part 2,… …are unique and exclusive. It's special at best that a koi breeder gives us... ...access during this process. Nothing can go wrong on this day, all the ponds have been... …cleaned with military precision and only fresh water guarantees perfect conditions. Every smallest deviation can ensure that fragile eggs do not hatch.

Fortunately, Shintaro Koi Farm is a very experienced koi farm run by Masaru Seito. Knowledge and experience have been passed down from generation to generation. Masaru San will be assisted by all the staff, including his sons Kensuke... and Kosuke. They will both have to do everything themselves in the future and... today they have an important role in this reproduction process. Shintaro Koi Farm is known for its very high quality Go-Sanke and jumbo koi that sometimes... ...grow up to 90cm. But before a fish reaches that length, every fish is on the same journey... ...and at Shintaro Koi Farm this is the starting point.

This is the breeding house, during cultivation, guests are generally not allowed... ...or only in very exceptional cases. Both males and females are placed… …in the ponds. When the females are ready to hatch, the male and female koi are placed... ...together between the spawning ropes. With a little help from the staff, several couples will successfully contribute to the new generation of Nishikigoi tonight. It's around 10pm and the fish are in the mood. It won't be long before the first females release their eggs. Since the eggs have to be collected, everyone is attentive to the first signs. You can only do it once.

When the time comes, Massaro's son will begin the whole process. Finally the time comes: the females are ready to release their first eggs. Kensuke and Kosuke trap the Nishikigoi females and let them settle in a... ...separate tank before the process can begin. It is very important that the female Showa calm down before the eggs are removed. Therefore, Kensuke San allows you to show how to swim in a separate tank... ...for about 1 hour. Tonight, the farm will spawn two sets of Showa, two sets of Sanke, and one set of the Kohaku variety. Most with human intervention, but... ...Kohaku's will be generated completely naturally.

Every year, the Shintaro koi farm gains... ...more information about the development of the different bloodlines with the goal of... ...striving for perfection. For this reason, all data is carefully stored: the number of... ...eggs and, for example, the water temperature. The koi will go to sleep briefly so they don't notice anything when the eggs are removed. Everything happens in an animal-friendly way where the health of these koi is the most important thing. Parents are the foundation of any Koi Far, so all parents deserve only the best care. It is absolutely very important that the fish is very calm, the quicker it will fall asleep.

This will make the extraction of eggs or sperm much faster. It's finally going to start and the Showa woman is the first to act. The opening and... ...the belly are now cleaned with a saline solution to ensure that all germs are removed. After drying the fish, the koi is wrapped in a towel and extraction can begin. The eggs are gently massaged to loosen and collected in a sterilized container. The Nishikigoi… is completely under anesthesia and does not notice the entire process at all. Because Nishikigoi sleeps, all of his muscles are completely relaxed so that all of the eggs can be extracted.

It is very important that all eggs are collected. If not done correctly, it can cause future health problems for the Koi. Once all the eggs have been collected, they are carefully packaged and weighed. The female is immediately returned to recover from the removal of her. Several hundred thousand eggs of this Nishikigoi are ready to be fertilized. With the seed of the male koi comes the time for the next female. After this, the first… male will donate his sperm and fertilize all the eggs. What can be clearly seen is that this female has a swollen cloaca. A sign that... the Koi is ready to go.

This koi has significantly more eggs than the previous one, it differs depending on the fish... and based on the weight of the eggs an estimate of the absolute numbers will be made. Once outside, everything is ready to fill the first pawn ropes with the… fertilized eggs. But before that, a man must be added to the process. Back at the koi house, the staff noticed that the Kohaku can continue without... ...help from people. These eggs are fertilized naturally and will then be collected. Kohaku's sets are assembled. Because these Kohaku can reproduce... ...without the help of the breeder, the focus for now is on the male fish from which the sperm must be collected.

It's almost two in the morning and the crop is now... ...running at full speed like a well-oiled machine. The team works together to successfully complete the mission. The male koi is now well asleep and harvesting can finally begin. You use an empty syringe and then place the contents in a large bottle… …with liquid. It is very important to collect as much fluid as possible from the male so that the maximum number of eggs can be fertilized. Once ready, the fish is given an injection of antibiotics and allowed to relax in one of the ponds. It's time to see perhaps the most important part of this video!

The eggs mix with the sperm. Koi are about to become parents to hundreds of thousands of their own offspring. Masaru San divides the eggs and mixes them with the seed of the male fish. Masaru uses a sterile dividing tool that... ...ensures that fertilized eggs can be evenly distributed over the spawning ropes. Thousands of koi are now at the beginning of their life journey. One that can end up in your own pond or at one of the largest Koi shows in the world. Maybe the future Grand Champion can grow here in one of those tanks. The eggs will stick to the hairs on the spawning ropes.

Within minutes they are clearly visible and it will only be two days before the first eyes are visible. After three days the eggs will hatch. Even eggs that are not tied to spawning ropes will accompany their… brothers and sisters at the bottom of the tank. It's already night... ...and the hard, exhausting work has paid off. The last eggs are collected from one of the females. I am very grateful to Shintaro Koi Farm for their hospitality and support of the channel. These unique images provide an insight... ...into the work of one of Japan's most famous breeders. At the end of the video I have prepared two new videos for you that you should watch.

In part 2 of… …this program the eggs will hatch and the fish will be selected. Don't forget to… …subscribe, like the video and let me know in the comments if you liked it.