DIY Inexpensive Spawning Mops

[koikeepr]

Are you interested in breeding your goldfish or koi and catching the eggs in an easy way? Well, just make yourself some cheap spawning mops so your fish can lay their eggs on these.

You will need the following:

1. a wine cork
2. 12 to 15 pieces of thick yarn (just buy the cheap kind at Wal-mart)
3. a plastic zip-tie or something to tie with

Okay, wine drinkers rejoice! Here's an excuse to get to drinking for the betterment of your fish (at least that's what you'll tell your significant other).

Depending on how deep your pond is, cut 12 to 15 pieces of yarn, I wanted mine to hang 12" in the pond, so I cut my yarn pieces 24" long. If you want your mops to hang 15" into the pond, then cut your yarn 30" in length. Do whatever works for you.

You simply fold your yarn at the half way point in the cork. Give it a good twist so it grabs the cork and then tie it in with your zip tie, fishing line or whatever you plan to use to keep it all together"

http://i918.photobucket.com/albums/ad27/koikeepr/moponcork.jpg

Here is what your finished product will look like when done:

http://i918.photobucket.com/albums/ad27/koikeepr/mop.jpg

Now, just float your new mop in the water. You will notice that for a few days the yarn strings will float up. After a few days they will get water logged and start to hang down into the pond.

Here is what your lovely mops will look like covered in fish eggs!

http://i918.photobucket.com/albums/ad27/koikeepr/CIMG2790.jpg

Now you will need to remove these mops and either put them in an aquarium, a DIY hatchery (http://www.thepondforum.com/showthread.php?80-How-to-build-a-Cheap-Koi-Goldfish-Hatchery) in the pond or some safe tank of water so that your koi don't eat the babies. After a week or so, you will notice tiny baby fry, and they will hide in your spawning mops when frightened. After all the eggs have hatched, and the fish are swimming about freely, you can remove the mop and use it again.

[GoldfishLuvr]

Love this post. :yes: I have a question though and, hopefully I didn't just miss it in your post, but will the diy mops actually encourage the fish to mate, or is this just if they're already "in the mood", so to speak. :hmmm: :scratch-head: Thanks a lot for the great idea! :fish:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------


Are you interested in breeding your goldfish or koi and catching the eggs in an easy way? Well, just make yourself some cheap spawning mops so your fish can lay their eggs on these.

You will need the following:

1. a wine cork
2. 12 to 15 pieces of thick yarn (just buy the cheap kind at Wal-mart)
3. a plastic zip-tie or something to tie with

Okay, wine drinkers rejoice! Here's an excuse to get to drinking for the betterment of your fish (at least that's what you'll tell your significant other).

Depending on how deep your pond is, cut 12 to 15 pieces of yarn, I wanted mine to hang 12" in the pond, so I cut my yarn pieces 24" long. If you want your mops to hang 15" into the pond, then cut your yarn 30" in length. Do whatever works for you.

You simply fold your yarn at the half way point in the cork. Give it a good twist so it grabs the cork and then tie it in with your zip tie, fishing line or whatever you plan to use to keep it all together"

http://i918.photobucket.com/albums/ad27/koikeepr/CIMG2689.jpg

Here is what your finished product will look like when done:

http://i918.photobucket.com/albums/ad27/koikeepr/CIMG2688.jpg

Now, just float your new mop in the water. You will notice that for a few days the yarn strings will float up. After a few days they will get water logged and start to hang down into the pond.

Here is what your lovely mops will look like covered in fish eggs!

http://i918.photobucket.com/albums/ad27/koikeepr/CIMG2790.jpg

Now you will need to remove these mops and either put them in an aquarium, a DIY hatchery (http://www.thepondforum.com/showthread.php?80-How-to-build-a-Cheap-Koi-Goldfish-Hatchery) in the pond or some safe tank of water so that your koi don't eat the babies. After a week or so, you will notice tiny baby fry, and they will hide in your spawning mops when frightened. After all the eggs have hatched, and the fish are swimming about freely, you can remove the mop and use it again.

[koikeepr]

Well, that's a good question. Fish do have their spawning seasons, so to speak. But some folks swear that goldfish will spawn just about any time in their ponds. In my pond, the goldfish and koi spawn in spring around May. I haven't really seen them spawning outside of that time. When I see them fattening up with eggs, I drop these in and usually within no time these have eggs on 'em. I do believe the mops encourage them to release the eggs, yes. However, to make the point again, I usually see the girls chubby with eggs and that's when I put 'em in. Not sure what anyone else has experienced in their ponds...

[smallfry]

although 2 years old, I just read this thread last week for the first time after noticing my fish were a little fatter than normal. my daughter and i made two spawning mops following these directions. four days later they were covered in eggs and we are thrilled. we have created a small fry nursery that floats in the pond and we are awaiting hatching. just wanted to say thanks for the fabulous advice - your technique works awesomely.

[ricshaw]

We use to just buy cotton mop heads for about $5.00.

4560

[Kntry]

Great advice, Lisa. I have one correction though. Koi do not eat fry. They will not eat another fish but they will eat the eggs.

"Toby", large fry will eat their siblings. Toby grow faster than the other babies and are usually very ugly. LOL I you see unusually large babies compared to the rest, take them out and put them in another pond/tank or get rid of them.

[smallfry]

hey, is is possible for a female to get so beat up during spawning that she loses a pectoral fin? Just noticed one of my two females lost her fin and is a little gimpy. doesn't seem sick, but odd just the same.

[koikeepr]

Yes! Spawning is a raucous activity and fish getting hurt in the process is not at all uncommon. Damaged fins, missing scales, scrapes, etc. would be typical. Post a photo of the pec fin damage if you can.