Koi Carp, Taiwan for Saturday Critter

 

They appeared happy and relaxed as they glided through the clear, sunlit water. These koi carp were spotted in the front pond of a museum I visited during my trip to central Taiwan earlier this year.

Koi carp hold a special place in Asian culture, revered not merely for their beauty but also for their symbolic significance. Originating from Japan and China, they are often associated with perseverance, strength, and the pursuit of excellence—qualities drawn from an old legend about koi swimming upstream against powerful currents to transform into dragons. Their vibrant colours—ranging from pure white to deep crimson, gold, and black—represent various virtues such as love, prosperity, and success.

In temple gardens, courtyards, and museum ponds alike, koi are kept as living works of art, embodying a serene balance between nature and human cultivation. Watching them move gracefully beneath the water’s surface evokes a sense of calm and continuity—an ancient symbol of harmony still treasured in the modern world.

Sony A7RV

FE 20-70mm f4 G

Linking Saturday Critter

Koi in Taipei for Saturday Critter

 

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:

• 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.

• 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.

• 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).

• 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.

Sony A7RV

FE 20-70mm f4 G

Linking Saturday Critter

I am restarting the whole 8 seasons of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It reminds me of university years.