Koi fish money potential.

[Oldcountryboy]

You got a spare pond?

Was talking to a cuz(by marriage) of mine and she was telling me she has a Aunt & Uncle who have a small pond and raise Koi fish to sell. She didn't tell me just how much they make off each fish but said they make a killing off of them. The bigger and more marked up the fish is, the more money they get. She said they self reproduce easily in ponds so once stocked you have a continuous supply.

Might be worth checking into.

[bluemoonluck]

I looked at putting in a koi pond several years ago.... really decent koi can go for $300 - $500 each, and there are some really really nice koi in Japan that auction off for tens of thousands of dollars each!!

[gone-a-milkin]

I think it depends on who you market them to. My mom raises them on a small scale. She bought her breeding stock from Japan and keeps them separated for breeding purposes. (I am glad I dont have to pay her power bill...)

The true Koi fans are really picky about the colorations. They will not pay big money for just any old fish. I recommend starting with quality stock if you plan to get any real $$ out of their babies. Also be prepared to do some culling of the little ones.

That said, they are amazing and beautiful fish. They can easily be trained to eat right out of your hand.

[LandRover]

There's a lot of good info online and in lots of books on keeping Koi. You may want to check those out before committing to the scheme. A lot if your success will be determined by the quality of fish you stock. You may also want to watch out for herons and other fish-eating birds.

[fishhead]

Originally Posted by LandRover

You may also want to watch out for herons and other fish-eating birds.

I stocked 140 koi into a little 1/4 acre pond several years ago. I have 12 left. The birds ate well to the tune of $1,000.

Like anything else marketing is the key to whether you make a profit or not.

[JJ Grandits]

Before any business enterprize check out the market first. More times then not it's always someone who knows someone who is making a killing with little effort. Life ain't like that. I've worked several different businesses. All they require is all your time and all your money and then the gamble starts.