PhoenixKoiRescue.com
IntroductionI belong to Greater Phoenix Pond Society and got an email from Lenny Beard, who is a duck rescue guy and was trying to get someone to rescue some koi from a golf course pond in Scottsdale. I met Lenny out there, we caught 6 large koi in just a few minutes. Then it turns out there were 8 ponds on the course, 6 being of significant size. So rounded up as many people as I could, found some great volunteers and new homes for many koi. Was a bunch of fun, but figured that it would be a one time thing. Then I heard about koi from private homes that needed to be relocated, and another golf course, and more private homes, and every time I think that is the end of the koi, more appear. So this is an effort to try and get more people involved, find more homes for koi, share in the fun of rescuing, and help out some friendly creatures that are very interactive & soothing to be around.
NOTE: there are 2 pond clubs in Phoenix: Greater Phoenix Pond Society and the Valley of The Sun Koi Club. I belong to the Greater Phoenix Pond Society which has great monthly meetings with lots of varied topics, a LOT of active members, and a very friendly atmosphere.
Where are all these koi coming from?
Koi can live 60 years if kept in good water, the oldest koi is over 200 years.
Private Backyard Ponds - Mostly when a home is being sold and the new owners might not be interested in taking care of the koi. This happened to me, when we sold our home that had my first pond, the new owners were initially interested in keeping the fish, but after a couple of months shut off the filter and just let them die one by one. We also get koi from backyard ponds that have been overstocked -- the koi get very large and either the pond starts to look like a sardine can, or the filter is getting overloaded.
Home Aquariums - If you put a goldfish in a small aquarium, it will stop growing. Koi aren't like this, if the water is good and they are fed, they will continue to grow which can get up to 40" long. So people unaware of this purchase a koi from Walmart for $3, keep it for a year or two and then it is way too big for an indoor aquarium.
Golf Course / Public Ponds - We hear about golf course ponds being drained, and many have either been purposely been stocked with koi, or the koi have been dumped there. They actually do pretty well in non-maintained ponds, but please don't dump your koi in the local ponds. They get caught by fishermen, and some idiots take them home to eat them, or put them in a tiny plastic preform pond like you get at a home center. We have also observed people making spears from broom handles and trying to spear them since they swim so slowly.
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PLEASE DON'T DUMP YOUR KOI !!! Because it is tough to find new homes for koi, many people end up dumping their koi in local ponds or the canal. The koi do survive very well in the ponds, except for the big problem that people fish for them and usually damage or kill them in the process. To start with, koi don't bite on the usual bait so anglers put a treble hook on and as the koi swims by, they snag it. The hook usually stick in their eye or gills causing damage, and possibly permanent blindness. People also try to spear the koi, some of the koi we have pulled from ponds have damage from being speared, and we also find the spears in the bottom of the ponds. Broomsticks with some kind of point duct taped on the end. Some people take the koi home and either eat them, or put them in their bath tub thinking they want to try and keep it, but the koi quickly dies from stress. The canals are regularly cleaned and when koi are discovered in there, they are usually killed because the only fish that are allowed in there are grass carp to eat the weeds, and red ear sunfish for controlling the snail problem. |
Pond Club Meetings
Phoenix koi rescue is just a notification list and organized way to find homes for koi. If you would like to join a pond club, there is already a great pond club here called the Greater Phoenix Pond Society which I belong to. Very inexpensive to join, lots of great members, monthly meetings, and a friendly atmosphere. So visit their website PhoenixPonds.com to join the pond club.
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