13 cents to get a koi baby at Petco

[pbeemer]

it's the joy of the hunt, Leland;

feeders at my local Walmart are usually pretty fancy looking goldfish (not a goldfish fan myself, so take that with reservations), and i wouldn't be surprised if some koi snuck in.

since the coloration of koi is hardly a static thing, they could get lucky and find one that grows up really nice. (it's really unlikely that that green baby Kurtsy found was really a wild type that was going to stay that way.) well worth a quarantine tank (which they presumably already have anyway) and a little time

of course, they need to have a big enough tank / pond to put the koi -- that's where the $$ come in

 

[Piranha86]

Yeah PetSmart isn't the best identifier. I saw a Blood Parrot Cichlid in with the ryukin goldfish

 

[67chevelle]

Yeah PetSmart isn't the best identifier. I saw a Blood Parrot Cichlid in with the ryukin goldfish

No kidding. I paid $1 for a jag that was labeled as a convict.

I have seen black bar endlers in the feeder tanks too.

Good luck with the koi.

 

[nc0gnet0]

The question is, why would you want a $.13 koi ? The original purchase price is marginal when you consider the amount of food and cost involved in its lifetime. Given the proper environment (decent sized pond) it will grow to 24-30+ inches. If your like most people and have limited space in your pond for adult fish, you would be far better off spending some money on attractive koi, rather than have your limited space taken up by marginal fish. Just my $.02.

 

[kiddevo]

Can somebody explain why Koi are so darn expensive? I saw some in a Local that I swore were comets until I saws the "Moustache". They look so similar. Why were they $20?

 

[RisiganL.]

I have seen some really nice goldfish as feeders at petsmart. If I had a large enough tank, I would probably get some.

 

[Peanutsweet]

I have bought lots of these cheap feeder fish and have never had any trouble. Last time I bought extra figuring some would not make it, and none of them died. They are really pretty too.. I got a yellow one, a couple of solid white goldfish and some with a bright reddish spotted pattern on them. I think I paid about 25 cents ea.

 

[Lillyan]

They have mosquito fish too, but the workers think I am crazy to be picking and choosing...
Sometimes, you can find very pretty 5in Koi for a few dollars. I found a lovely shiny silver one and a shiny gold one, but no pond for them...

 

[Finster]

The question is, why would you want a $.13 koi ? The original purchase price is marginal when you consider the amount of food and cost involved in its lifetime. Given the proper environment (decent sized pond) it will grow to 24-30+ inches. If your like most people and have limited space in your pond for adult fish, you would be far better off spending some money on attractive koi, rather than have your limited space taken up by marginal fish. Just my $.02.

How about the challenge of it. Start with a pond full of 13 cent koi, and selectively breed your own line!