I have three new koi fish and it has been almost three weeks. They do not tend to swim around during the day but will come out "sorta" at night w/the light above them on. They still don't react to the food I put in once a day at night while I watch them so the question is is it normal for them to place the "hide" game and be shy for such a long time or should they be well adjusted by now. Water is good and they are in a sun room in Colorado for the winter. a 3X5 stock tank w/3 3inch fish so defnitely no overcrowding. They hide in the plants that I have also brught in and under a plastic crate that the bog plants sit on. Thank you for your time just wondering if I need to be patient.

Hi, Noreen,

Tosai (yearling fish) are "hard-wired" to hide, mostly because practically every other form of pond and garden life looks at them and thinks "Mmmm, crunchy koi, heap good!"

Keep the area quiet and fairly dimly lit, provide top cover, and be patient. When you feed, stay around the vat for a while so that they begin to associate your presence with food. Water test for ammonia and nitrite frequently and make sure that your filter is up to the challenge. Remember, these are not goldfish. Koi are notoriously champion producers of ammonia, and can easily overwhelm a standard aquarium filter. Do frequent partial water changes and maintain salt levels at about 1.8 parts per thousand to minimize stress.

Bob Passovoy
President
MPKS