The light brown color may just be due to suspended organic material (muck) or reflection of the muck accumulation. Aeration and natural bacteria will help reduce that organic material. As for the vegetation it will depend on the type as to how to best treat it. You may want to e-mail us a picture of the weeds you would like to control and we could assist you better with how to remove it.

Some customers do use grass carp in their ponds to help maintain weed growth however they are illegal to use in many areas and should not be your complete management program. Adding aeration to your pond would help increase oxygen content so the muck accumulation in the pond would decompose faster. The addition of natural bacteria would further increase this as well. With prevention methods in place chemical control can be used to obtain a temporary relief. This method may be a little more time consuming then adding a few fish however you will end up with a healthier pond in the end.

It is possible that the adult koi may eat some of the babies however you can reduce this chance by having aquatic plants, hollow areas between rocks, or any areas where the small babies would be able to hide out until they grow in size.

Thanks.

dl

Generally Koi will spawn in spring to early summer. Cooler water temperatures followed by a warm up will often trigger the spawning. Trying to tell the male from the females when they are young is very difficult. As the females mature, they have a more rounded body shape. They are considered sexually mature when their body length is around 10 inches or longer. Watching the fish and seeing which fish lays eggs will give you a positive ID of the female and the males will be chasing the females.

Koi will interbreed with Goldfish, however the hybrid offspring will be fertile. I would be cautious as well that the fish that you are introducing into your pond are in good health before placing them in your pond with your fish. Enjoy your babies, they will be fun to watch!

Thanks for your question,
Sue S.