A Still Pond and Gasping Koi: A Story of Life Below the Surface
In the tranquil gardens of Taipei, where the scent of orchids lingers and the air hums with the rhythm of cicadas, the pond in front of the botanic garden shimmered like glass. Beneath the surface, a mass of koi glided flashes of gold, amber, and crimson weaving between ripples and bubbles.
But there was something unusual. The koi, instead of cruising lazily through the water, clustered near the surface, mouths gaping repeatedly in what looked like gasps for air.
This wasn’t just feeding behavior. It was a silent biological cry for help.
Koi, like all fish, rely on dissolved oxygen in the water to breathe. Their gills extract oxygen molecules from the water as it passes over delicate filaments. Under normal circumstances, koi are content near the bottom or mid-layers of a pond, surfacing only occasionally to feed.
However, when oxygen levels in the water drop—especially in warm, stagnant ponds with a high density of fish—koi are forced to the surface, where oxygen is slightly more abundant due to air-water exchange. This behavior is called surface gasping, and it’s a classic sign of hypoxia—low dissolved oxygen.
Several biological and environmental factors could be at play here:
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High stocking density: A large school of koi in a confined space consumes a significant amount of oxygen, especially at night when plants and algae also switch to respiration and compete for oxygen.
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Warm temperatures: Warmer water holds less dissolved oxygen. In summer, especially in tropical or subtropical climates like Taipei's, ponds heat up quickly, reducing available oxygen even further.
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Poor circulation: Without proper aeration or water movement, oxygen does not circulate well, and the lower layers of the pond can become hypoxic or even anoxic (completely lacking oxygen).
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Water quality issues: Accumulation of waste from the koi (ammonia, nitrates) and decaying plant material can lead to eutrophication—a nutrient overload that triggers algae blooms. These blooms, when they die off, consume massive amounts of oxygen during decomposition.
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I am restarting the whole 8 seasons of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It reminds me of university years.
...they are popular here.
ReplyDeleteYeah, always learning to know anything around us
DeleteThat doesn't sound at all healthy for the koi. I hope the problem is soon addressed and resolved. Koi are such beautiful, responsive fish.
ReplyDeleteI doubt much will be changed
DeleteI love the feel and beauty in your photos.
ReplyDeleteYou are kind
DeleteThe photo is great, but the explanation makes it even better. The fish really looks like it's drowning.
ReplyDeleteVery sad to see
DeleteThat is a shockingly high density of Koi in this pond. Yes, you have listed the reasons for low oxygen density in the water. Perhaps these fish could be distributed to more healthy ponds?
ReplyDeleteQuite inhumane
DeleteThat is sad, I never heard of this before. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI used to keep aquarium
DeleteThe water seems so crowded with the fish. I hope something happened to improve their lot.
ReplyDeleteLovely photo but sad about how they are struggling.
ReplyDeleteSo sad to see the koi struggling like that. Hard to believe something that looks so peaceful can actually be a sign of distress.
ReplyDeleteLooks amazing
ReplyDeleteWe have goldfish, and I know that a certain amount of space in the pond is needed for their comfort… Here, the koi fish seem very crowded! Perhaps you captured just the moment when they were gathering for food?
ReplyDeleteNo animal should be kept in an overcrowded situation. That includes people.
ReplyDeleteThey are lovely :-D
ReplyDeleteGosh so many fish in there, probably too many!
ReplyDeleteHopefully, someone is looking into why the koi are gasping like that.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad to think the Koi are gasping for air. The photo is amazing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend. PS, thanks so much for leaving me a comment.
That are a lot together.
ReplyDeleteMuy concentrados se ven en esas aguas.
ReplyDeleteA very fine photo and lesson.
ReplyDeleteVoy a decir algo que ya no es nada original creo debían trasladar un buen numero de peces a un estanque con mas capacidad y así haber menos aglomeraciones.
ReplyDeleteSaludos.
Wow, that's a lot! We can see them at one of our parks and it's fun to watch them. They have good fish food that you can buy and feed them. They love that!
ReplyDeleteI've learned something new. I've seen this behavior before but didn't know that was what was happinging.
ReplyDeleteI hope that someone helps them.
ReplyDeleteI love watching koi but I've never seen so many or learned so much about them as in this lovely post!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photo of a terrible problem that could be fixed, but hasn't been fixed.
ReplyDeleteHello :) A good photo, but very sad to see such a large concentration of Koi gasping for air. I hope someone helps them before some die for lack of oxygen.
ReplyDelete