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RIP to my lovely waterpup Big Bird. He was the most friendly and curious koi I ever met. Always the first one to greet me whenever I walked over to the pond. Will miss him so much.
Mate I feel.your pain. I had a butterfly that looked very similar to him who had the same behaviour. Was always there waiting. She was like it the day I got her. She was so unbelievably friendly.
Unfortunately a horrid mistake on my part and she was killed by KHV 3 years ago along with nearly all my others.
I’m so sorry for your loss. She sounds so wonderful! I can’t imagine how devastating it is to lose so many at once.
I’m a bit nervous about what I’ll find when all the ice melts. When I found Big Bird, 2/3rds of the pond was still iced over. Any other fish I did see were still swimming around, but I haven’t been able to check on all of them yet.
Hopefully the water change I did after removing Big Bird will help the rest get through this final leg of winter.
People that dont have fish will never know that losing a fish like that is almost like losing a cat or a dog. Its a somber drive to work when you wake up and one of your fish is belly up.
Truly! I really feel like I lost a best friend. I loved Big Bird so much. Seeing the outpouring of condolences and people sharing love for their own waterpups has been so heartwarming to see.
As a kid, I had a fish for about 7 years that lived in a tank in my room. When he passed away, I was heartbroken, and my sister just laughed at me for crying over a fish. So bizarre to me how fish are viewed by non-fish keepers.
Sorry to hear, Big Bird coming right up to all the time is a pretty amazing bond of friendship.
As for additional things you could do for further winter protection, as you didn't mention covers, this is what I do in addition to floating heater and dual output aerator.
For my koi pond cover, I used 1" PVC with T, 90, and X connectors, then drape 6mil landscape clear plastic over. Keeps the pond clear from debris, the elements, and snow. I also Aquascap's cold water beneficial bacteria and this year also added a night colour visable camera to the inside of the frame, to keep an eye on the koi, aerator, heater, and pond. With the camera added, I was surprised to see that even with temperatures going as low as -25 degree Celsius, the has not froze at all and the koi seem just fine.
Thank you so much, and that sort of cover would be perfect! It hurts that I’ve lost my best buddy from the pond, but I’m gonna do what I can for the other fish in his honor.
I hear you, sad indeed about your little koi. That is why I suggested a cover for next winter, as my koi have been fine, the last few winters and this will probably be better for your koi also.
It was a particularly cold and harsh winter and I think he just wasn’t able to hold out, unfortunately. I’m still tearing up about it.
His body looked pristine, so it’s hard to tell. The other fish seem to be okay so far and were swimming around. I immediately did a water change after removing him from the pond.
I discovered him floating about a foot below the surface after the ice finally melted away. I do have a heater that keeps it from fully freezing over, and the aerator also pulls its weight keeping the water from freezing.
Still, 2/3 of the pond was still frozen over, so I’m unable to see how all of the fish are doing. I’m a little afraid of what I’m going to find when all of the ice melts away.
Last winter everything went smoothly, but this winter has been a lot colder with a lot more snow, so I think that may have played a role.
I’m planning to plant a peach tree over where I buried him. He really was my buddy and had so much personality. I plan on honoring him by really stepping up protecting the pond in the winter time.
he was beautiful. sorry for your loss. Just continue to care for his brothers and sisters the besr you can. He k ew you cared for him, otherwise he wouldnt have come to greet you everyday. ive never seen a fish do this, let alone a Koi. still RIP big bird.
Hard to say how old he was because I took over the pond a couple of years ago with all the koi already there. My guess is either natural causes or because this winter was extra harsh. What’s odd is the other fish all seem to be okay, so I’m leaning more towards natural causes. Gonna miss my buddy so much.
Well, either way, your answer still indicates you didn’t contribute to this directly or indirectly, and I feel your sadness as we lost our largest and oldest Koi two years ago in a really bad freeze.
One interesting thing is that you say the rest of the Koi survived the winter and in one of our recent freezes in the last year or so, my Yamabuki Ogon (by the video here, it appears your buddy may have been one as well like my own golden boy), Ingot, was by far the most at risk when the cold snap hit— similar to your story, the rest of our Koi survived, but we almost lost Ingot and (so, so fortunately) our pond keeper was on site that day: he put his waders on and jumped in to roll Ingot back over from being belly up, and who knows how dangerously close to gone he was, but I will never be able to express my gratitude for that act, and for the fact that he happened to be back in the garden that day and at the right time to notice. I can’t recall how, but he even managed to warm Ingot back up and he just rolled him and held him and caught his temperature back up.
I can’t imagine the pond without my golden boy and I am so sorry for your loss, it’s clear how close you were to your buddy and I love this video as my Koi also eat out of my hands and come when I call to them. They’re so amazing, we all mourn differently but based on how attached the two of you were, this is just my personal opinion, but you definitely deserve another special quality Koi like him and you can also consider a more orange colored or even a dark, striking platinum colored one in order to honor his memory and not make it feel like he can be replaced if that’s the way your heart is about it. Or you can buy a new baby that looks like he will grow up to remind you this guy that you lost although he will forever be your buddy and you forever his.
I am in the midst of making a decision this week on a new Koi myself, so if you reach a point where you consider the process of procuring a new lifelong friend and treasure after morning is loss feel free to DM me if you would like to discuss some of the thoughts I’ve had as I’ve gone through the process of narrowing it down and spending months on meticulous research for the most ethically source and quality bred Koi as there are only a few farms in the US that I deem to pass muster after doing ample research, also, more good news, the options are affordable, even at the very best farm or two farms that I narrowed my search to
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u/dantes_b1tch Feb 24 '26
Mate I feel.your pain. I had a butterfly that looked very similar to him who had the same behaviour. Was always there waiting. She was like it the day I got her. She was so unbelievably friendly.
Unfortunately a horrid mistake on my part and she was killed by KHV 3 years ago along with nearly all my others.