Getting to Grips with Koi Breeding

Getting to grips with Koi breeding is a task easier said than done because every would be amateur breeder thinks that they have what it takes to succeed in this cut-throat and extremely demanding business and are seduced by the prospect of easy money. Nothing in this life is a sure thing, and there is no such thing as an easy ride in terms of making money and particularly in the context of Koi breeding anyone who says anything on the contrary is deluding themselves. We live in a capitalist society and so our economy is governed by the intertwined and mutually dependable entities of supply and demand.

Without getting too bogged down in the minute detail of how capitalism works, capitalism works as follows. If there is a high supply of an item then the price and cost of that item will generally be rather low, (especially in comparison to an area where the resource or commodity is more hard to come by). The reverse is equally true, so if a particular commodity is quite rare then it will cost more.

Now, if you know anything about Koi breeding then you will probably be aware that the adult female Koi will give birth to an astronomical number of eggs (50,000-500,000 to be more precise.) On a superficial level, it would appear then that there is a very high supply of Koi fish (due to the remarkably high numbers involved) and therefore the market must be overrun with Koi fish. This is an understandable mistake, but a mistake nonetheless.

The reason why the market is not quite as saturated and overwhelmed with Koi fish as you would initially think is due to a number of reasons. First and foremost, not every single egg that is laid by the adult female will actually go onto to hatch, as some will be born stillborn, be eaten by the parents etc.

However, the number of Koi breeders is actually comparatively low, due to the highly technical, onerous and complex nature of the entire Koi breeding process. A good analogy would be that the Koi breeders are very much like the Koi fish themselves, in that whilst there is usually a significantly high number of breeders at any given time, only a small percentile will actually go on to reach success.

There is an extremely steep learning curve attached and associated with Koi fish breeding, and this is an industry that does not forgive mistakes easily. Only the most elite entrepreneurs, the breeders who are prepared to make substantial sacrifices in terms of social life, time and money will actually get anywhere.

Too many novice breeders enter into the market with the mistaken belief that all they need to do is buy two parent fish, let them breed and produce offspring and then they are well on their way to making millions of dollars. If only. As touched upon earlier within the article, the female lays a lot of eggs and whilst not every single one of them will survive, a significant number do and it is the breeder's responsibility to care for each and every one of them.

Therefore, you need to ensure that you have sufficient food, shelter and space for these large numbers of fish. As well as, the dedication and time that it takes to maintain their lifespan and worth.