South Carolina Rates and Suitability of Koi

Question: Is the climate in the upper coastal region of South Carolina suitable for koi? If so, what are the rates for stocking?

Answer: They are suitable for koi; however, the koi are not a fish that we generally sell a bunch of. The environment would be friendly to them, however because of the way that they, the colors that they have and the environment they live in, predators often eat these fish—osprey, birds, other bigger fish. We don’t generally stock them in ponds, they’re generally stocked in ornamental ponds or ornamental fountains in hotel lobbies and putt-putt golf courses and such in more controlled environments instead of being in the wild. We generally stock koi at about one fish per thousand gallons of water.