I have done a search but cannot find much. Is it possible to tell if a fish is egg bound? We have recently taken on some koi from someone who could not continue to keep them due to a death in the family. The largest two (about 5") look very fat/rounded. Being a bit of a koi thicko, I don't know what gender they are. I'll try and get some pictures done today. If they are egg bound, is there anything we can do?

it depends on how they have been kept by the last own if they have no current to swim againest , lack of space they will grow rugby ball shape.
On saying this spawning season is due normally withing the next month or two so it could be the case that the fish is holding eggs.
there is a thread with a picture on sexing koi by looking at there vents and if you rub your finger over the gill plates if it male it should be rough.

Thanks for that. I'll have a look at the thread on sexing.

Although we have put them in our smaller of two ponds, the previous owner's pond was much smaller and I believe there was no current to swim against so that may be the answer. They appear well enough, nosing about and eating. Does this rugby ball phenomena apply to goldfish as well? My parents have a pond full of rugby shaped goldfish. I have attached the best photo I could get today. They are still a bit skitty after being moved.

Hey there.

From the picture the one fish looks nice and round, around the back end. My smaller ghost koi looks like this and she tried for the first time to spawn last year. I don't think they could be egg bound yet. But the next few weeks might tell you more. A lot of us here are all waiting on spawning koi!

Does take a while for new fish to settle, hope they love it there

Dawn

I don't think they could be egg bound but only time will tell i would give them a month and see if you have fry. looks to me as to be full of eggs

Oh no! I don't want any more

Hi dottysue any up date on your fish if you are having the same weather as me i think it will be a week or two before you see fry

Hi there

i have been looking into this subject my self and more into spawning ,,

koi master sent me this ,,

i hope it helps

Spawning of koi can be quite dangerous, as males aggressively pursue females. During spawning, female Koi fish sometimes experience dystocia or egg binding. Egg binding occurs when the female produces eggs, but the ovaries are not developed enough to release them. This leads to a buildup of eggs in the ovaries, which results in egg binding or impaction. Egg binding causes females to bloat. Spawning requires the males to forcefully bump into the female's sides to release the eggs. An egg bound female may be too weak to withstand the onslaught. Continued unchecked, the condition will lead to death.

What to do with an egg bound koi
1
Withhold food from the female koi once spawning is complete. As winter approaches, she will absorb the eggs back into her system as food. If she does not absorb the eggs, her abdomen will begin to harden.

2
Increase the temperature to 25 degrees Celsius for seven days. Koi traditionally spawn when the water temperature increases to 20 degrees Celsius in late summer. The increase in temperature can assist in preparing her ovaries and you will be able to gently squeeze her sides to release the eggs. You should squeeze very gently to avoid injuring the koi. If gentle pressure does not yield eggs, you will have to try injections.

3
Obtain CPE (carp pituitary extract) from your local veterinarian. The powdered extract is harvested from the pituitary gland of the carp. You will have to mix it with sterile water or saline solution according to the manufacturer's instructions. Inject 0.3g per kilogram of body weight. After 18 hours, administer another injection. After 10 hours, you can attempt to manually harvest


Kind Regards

Mr Miyagi