Saturday 3rd May 2008.
The sun has been shining much of the time over the last few days, this is warming the mud pond water and is making me feel more comfortable that the fry will do well.
Generally there looks to be more chagoi fry than yamabuki, but a day makes a great deal of difference when you are a young koi fry and the chagoi will always be a day ahead. Within a couple of weeks they will look the same age, but for now you'd be surprised at the difference a day can make!
Prospects for good early growth look excellent, the Daphnia (water fleas) are multiplying at an amazing rate so live food is plentiful at the moment.
Daphnia collecting in the shallows.
Closer shot, I'm sure I could do better as a macro shot, but I didn't think about it when I took the photo.
The fry start eating smaller bugs which are hard to spot, but under a microscope they are amazing. As they grow, so they feed higher up the food chain and the final live food are these daphnia. Although I have food which will raise new born fry, you just can't beat this natural supply.
I don't expect to start feeding the fry for a couple of weeks, but I keep my eye on the live food situation and supplement when it starts getting exhausted.