3. Actual Spawning.
The pregnant female shows
her readiness to spawn by exhibiting movements that seem to indicate
an intention to arrange the spawning material into a nest. The
male is attracted to these movements, and tries to force the female
against the wall of the pond. If there are two males in the
pond, they will attempt to sandwich the female between them.
The thrashing and bumping of the males against the pregnant female
causes the latter to release her thousands of eggs into the spawning
material (and into other places as well). The eggs are very
sticky and will adhere to anything they come in contact with.
Simultaneously, the males will release their sperms onto the eggs to
fertilize them. A second cycle of the same ritual may be
employed if the female still needs to discharge some eggs.
This spawning activity (see
Figure 2) can be
very physical, or even violent. Injuries to the female may
happen, especially if the male koi continues to beat her up.
The male should be promptly but very carefully removed from the pond
if this happens. It would be good to leave the female in the
pond to let her recover her strength. Keep her safe by keeping
her properly aerated and preventing her from jumping out of the pond
(some females have been observed to be jumpy after spawning).
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Figure 2. Photo
of actual koi spawning
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