Koi Fish Adoptions

We receive many inquiries from private hobbyists interested in koi adoption.  To help ensure our rescued koi fish are placed into suitable new forever homes only, an approved Koi Fish Adoption Request is required for all private hobbyists wishing to schedule an appointment to attend our special hosted koi adoption events. We understand many koi keepers tend to improve their ponds over time as their knowledge grows, so please be honest when completing your request without fears of being denied based solely on responses provided.

Click here to learn more about our special hosted koi adoption events.

Have questions?  Click here for more information about koi adoption.

Koi Adoption Request

Note: Please be sure to provide a valid contact cell phone# as we coordinate and schedule all adoptions via SMS text.  

First Name *

Last Name *

Email Address *

Phone Number *Please provide a valid contact cell phone# able to receive SMS text messages.

Street Address *

Apartment, suite, etc

City

State

ZIP / Postal Code

A proper koi pond should have a minimum pond depth of 3 feet (deeper is always better). Aquascape design ponds are typically less than 2 feet deep, too shallow for koi. Is your koi pond at least 3 feet deep? *Yes, my pond is at least 3 feet deep.No, my pond is not at least 3 feet deep.

A proper koi pond requires a bottom drain. Without a bottom drain your pond will quickly become unhealthy for koi for a variety of reasons. Does your koi pond have a bottom drain? *Yes, my pond has a bottom drain.No, my pond does not have a bottom drain.

A proper koi pond should NOT have a pond floor covered with small rocks or gravel as this quickly creates unhealthy water quality for koi and a maintenance nightmare for the pond owner. This is common feature of Aquascape design ponds. Is your pond floor covered with small rocks or gravel? *Yes, my pond floor is covered with small rocks and gravel.No, my pond floor is not covered with small rocks or gravel.

A proper koi pond requires sufficient koi pond filtration. A waterfall filter, cannister filter and/or skimmer filter alone are not sufficient to maintain optimal water quality for koi. Insufficient filtration for koi health is a common issue for Aquascape design ponds. Does your pond have sufficient filtration for Koi? *Yes, my pond has sufficient koi pond filtration.No, my pond does not have sufficient koi pond filtration.

A proper koi pond requires a UV clarifier, the only 100% effective way to prevent green water caused by algae blooms, which can be dangerous for koi. Does your pond include a UV clarifier? *Yes, my pond includes a UV clarifier to prevent algae blooms.No, my pond does not include a UV clarifier.

A proper koi pond requires a dedicated aerator pump. A waterfall and/or fountain alone does not provide sufficient aeration for large koi. Does your pond have sufficient aeration for koi? *Yes, my pond includes a dedicated aerator pump.No, my pond does not include a dedicated aerator pump.

Overstocking your koi pond can be very dangerous for koi health. How many koi do you currently have in your pond? *

All things being equal, koi do best in larger ponds. A minimum pond size of 500 gallons is recommended for koi. Approximately how many gallons is your koi pond? *

If deemed necessary, would you be willing to allow Southern California Koi Rescue an opportunity to inspect your pond onsite to confirm it's suitability as a new forever home for some of our rescued koi? *Yes, I would be open to allowing Southern California Koi Rescue to inspect my pond.No, I prefer not to allow Southern California Koi Rescue to inspect my pond.

If deemed necessary, would you be willing to provide some photos of your current pond setup to confirm suitability for koi adoption? *Yes, I am willing to provide photos of my pond if requested to do so.No, I prefer not to provide any photos of my pond.

Koi often serve as hosts to various common parasites -- including flukes and costia, which can be found during scoping in virtually any established pond. While it is NOT possible to permanently eradicate all parasites from any established koi pond, regular preventative treatments -- including salt, praziquantel, and potassium permanganate can greatly assist to keep koi parasite numbers in check to help ensure optimal koi health. *I understand it is NOT possible to permanently eradicate all koi parasites from any established pond; however, regular use of preventative treatments can greatly help to keep parasite numbers in check to ensure optimal koi health.

Regardless of source we highly recommend isolating ALL new koi additions for a MINIMUM period of 4-6 weeks within a dedicated quarantine tank (QT) before adding them to your main pond. Do you currently have a dedicated QT? *Yes, I have a QT and all new koi additions are placed into my QT before being added to my main pond.No, I do not have a QT; therefore all new koi additions are placed directly into my main pond with my existing koi..

Southern California Koi Rescue has published easy-to-follow "quick" 21-day expedited koi quarantine procedures to our Koi Quarantine resource page. *I have reviewed information provided on the Koi Quarantine page provided by Southern California Koi Rescue located at: https://socalkoirescue.com/koi-quarantine/

A knowledgeable pond owner is equally important to having a properly designed koi pond so we have published a Koi Health page to ensure koi keepers have information needed to properly maintain optimal koi health. *I have reviewed information provided on the Koi Health page provided by Southern California Koi Rescue located at: https://socalkoirescue.com/koi-health/

Southern California Koi Rescue is NOT a koi dealer or reseller. We are a registered non-profit animal rescue specializing in koi and other pond pets.  We are run entirely by a team of dedicated volunteers who regularly travel hundreds of miles at their own expense to rescue these precious living jewels from private residential ponds and commercial water features located throughout CA, NV, and AZ.  *I understand that Southern California Koi Rescue is NOT a koi dealer or reseller. They are a registered non-profit animal rescue specializing in koi and other pond pets run entirely by a team of dedicated volunteers.

Southern California Koi Rescue does NOT ship koi. The only way to adopt koi from us is by attending a special hosted koi adoption event in Victorville, CA. *I understand that Southern California Koi Rescue does NOT ship koi, and I am willing and able to attend a special hosted koi adoption event in Victorville, CA..

Our hosted koi adoption events are intended for private hobbyists only. These events are NOT intended for koi dealers or those interested in acquiring koi for resale. *I am NOT a koi dealer nor am I looking to acquire koi or other pond pets for resale.

Southern California Koi Rescue's mission is to find suitable new forever homes for the beautiful living jewels entrusted to our care. For this reason a completed Koi Adoption Request form is required for all koi adoptions made to private hobbyists. *I understand the mission of Southern California Koi Rescue is to find suitable new forever homes for the rescued koi entrusted to their care; therefore a completed Koi Adoption Request form is required for all koi adoptions.

While a tiny fraction of typical koi dealer wholesale cost, koi adoption is NOT free. To help offset some of our significant costs for the various free services we provide, a nominal rehoming fee applies for all koi adoptions. *I understand that koi adoption is NOT free and that a nominal rehoming fee shall apply for all koi adoptions.

We highly recommend transporting adopted koi within an air conditioned vehicle. We do not advise transporting koi in a truck bed exposed to direct sunlight or high temperatures. While we do NOT provide free ice packs; we are happy to add ice packs upon request when they are provided by our customers when preparing their selected koi for transport. *I understand that koi fish should be transported within an air conditioned vehicle to help protect them from warm temperatures. I also know that free ice packs will NOT be provided; however, if I supply my own ice packs volunteers will gladly include these ice packs when preparing my selected koi for safe transport.

All koi adoptions are AS-IS and FINAL. Absolutely no refunds will be issued. Credit for any koi losses occurring during transport may be issued at our discretion; however, this credit must be redeemed towards replacement koi during our next scheduled koi adoption event after credit issue date. Unused credits may NOT be “banked” or “saved” for use at any other future events. Whether they are used or not, all credits are void after our next adoption event has been completed. *I understand that all koi adoptions are AS-IS and FINAL. No refunds will be issued for any reason. Any credits issued for koi losses occurring during transport must be redeemed for replacement koi during next scheduled koi adoption event after credit issue date. Unused credits may NOT be “banked” or “saved” for use at any other future events. Whether used or not, all credits are void once next koi adoption event has been completed.

Southern California Koi Rescue offers several “free koi” promotions and quantity discount offers during our hosted koi adoption events. Because of this, we do NOT offer free replacements for any koi losses occurring after adoption date. *I understand Southern California Koi Rescue offers several “free koi” promotions during their hosted adoption events; therefore additional free replacements will NOT be offered for any koi losses occurring after adoption date.

During our hosted koi adoption events our experienced volunteers will box and bag all selected koi for you to help ensure safe transport. We do this FREE of charge and guarantee live koi arrival to your destination location anywhere within our primary service area. Therefore, there is no need to bring your own containers. Any issues occurring during transport must be reported immediately in order to qualify for credit at next adoption event. *I understand Southern California Koi Rescue will box and bag all selected koi for FREE; therefore, I do not need to supply my own containers for transport. Live koi arrival to my location within their primary service area is guaranteed; however, I must immediately report any koi losses occurring during transport in order to qualify for credit at next scheduled adoption event.

What types of pond pets are you interested in adopting from Southern California Koi Rescue? (Check all that apply) *Standard Koi FishButterfly Koi FishAlbino Channel CatfishBlack Channel CatfishPond GoldfishPond TurtlesMosquito Fish

How did you hear about Southern California Koi Rescue? *Search engine (Google, Yahoo!, etc.)Social media (Facebook, Instagram)Referral (from a friend or koi pond professional)

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Frequently asked questions about koi adoption:

Below are some commonly asked questions about koi adoption from Southern California Koi Rescue.

Where do our rescued koi come from?

Our dedicated volunteers provide onsite koi fish rescue services completely free of charge, often traveling hundreds of miles at their own expense in order to save these precious living jewels from private residential ponds and commercial water features located throughout CA, NV, and AZ. These koi are made available to us by their previous owners for a wide variety of reasons. Some of these reasons include hobbyists moving and being unable to take their koi, total pond closures, overstocked ponds, koi ponds in disrepair, etc.

Where can I view photos of currently available adoptable koi?

Please visit our Instagram page for sample photos and videos of koi currently available for adoption.

What are the koi quarantine procedures followed by Southern California Koi Rescue?

Southern California Koi Rescue quarantines all rescued koi for a minimum period of 4 weeks before they are made available for rehoming. During this period, rescued koi are commonly scoped and treated for common koi parasites. For costia we commonly treat with salt and potassium permanganate, while for flukes we commonly treat with praziquantel. To help guard against Koi Herpes Virus (KHV) we also commonly heat quarantine tanks over 70° F.

What is the typical quality of koi available from Southern California Koi Rescue?

The vast majority of Koi we rescue are not show quality fish.  In fact, most of our rescued Koi are standard pond grade fish only. But these Koi were extremely valuable to the pond owners who entrusted them to our care, and therefore they are also extremely valuable to us. When we do rescue koi of significantly higher quality these premium grade koi are also made available for adoption to properly vetted forever homes once they have completed quarantine. You can view sample photos and videos of adoptable koi on our Instagram account.

How can I adopt koi from Southern California Koi Rescue?

If you are a private hobbyist interested in adopting some of our rescued koi fish, then please submit a Koi Adoption Request. Once your request has been approved you will be notified via SMS text using contact phone# provided to allow you to attend a special hosted koi adoption event in Victorville, CA.

How much does it cost to adopt koi from Southern California Koi Rescue?

If you are looking for free koi then please look elsewhere. While a tiny fraction of typical koi dealer wholesale cost, a nominal rehoming fee is required for all koi adoptions. These rehoming fee helps to offset some of our significant costs for the various free services we provide. Typical rehoming fees for most large koi made available for adoption are approximately $50 each with quantity discounts also available. To help ensure our rescued koi are placed into suitable new forever homes only, a completed koi adoption request form is required for all koi adoptions.