COSHOCTON — Coshocton County is home to a unique business that provides for a unique hobby — people with koi ponds.
Amore's Koi Farm at 44300 County Road 58 was opened in 2007 by Clifford Amore, a U.S. Army and National Guard veteran. It specializes in providing domestic koi and helping pond owners or those building ponds to have the type of ponds they'd want on their property. Geomembrane Welding
"I bought some koi online and started raising them. I got intrigued with it, fascinated with it and then obsessed with it. It just kept growing," he said. "It's just the beauty of them. The fish are so social. They have their own characteristics; aside from all the colors, every fish has its own personality."
The business carries items to construct and maintain koi ponds such as liners and microbe-lift equipment by a variety of companies, along with plants, fish food and more. Amore said they just don't want their koi to survive when they leave, but thrive.
Among services offered are water testing, fish delivery, consultation, pond building or assistance with construction, maintenance and winter pond shutdown. Amore will do speaking engagements and schools and clubs can take field trips to the koi farm.
"We like to teach everybody and share information on how to take care of (koi) and do it right. It's more than just digging a hole, throwing a liner in it, throwing water in it, throwing fish in it and saying, 'Oh, I've got a pond.' Then they wonder why things go wrong," Amore said.
The business started out with just 110 domestic koi from Florida. Amore said the original plan was to use them as an economical way to rid their farm ponds of duckweed. Then he and his wife, Gabriele, learned more about the history of koi and how to raise them. Amore laughs that family and friends might call it an addiction, but if they ever have any events at the farm there's always one place everyone gathers — the ponds to watch the koi.
Koi are sorted by size and type for selling. The breeding fish are kept in a pond that also serves as an example of what one might build themselves. Amore will build and repair ponds for customers in adjacent counties, but people have traveled from different states to buy koi. He wants to add shipping in the future.
Breeding fish are paired and put in separate tanks in the spring around a rainstorm. Weather changes trigger spawning. The fish only spawn once a year. Eggs are laid and the fish are removed. The eggs hatch in three to five days depending on water temperature. The fish are put in different ponds on the property to grow. When they get to four to five inches, they go to the sell tanks.
"One of these fish will lay 1,000 eggs, but if you get 100 (fish) out of them, you're pretty excited," Amore said of the low survival rate.
Amore said most import fish from other countries, such as Japan, so a domestic breeder like his operations is a bit more rare. The farm had 400 to 500 fish this spring, which is the biggest time of year. Cleaning and repairs is about 75% of the business, he said.
"Spring is the time of year everybody want to buy koi or wants their ponds cleaned or fixed," Amore said.
When it comes to building a koi pond, Amore refers to the three Ps or planning, patience and persistence. Initially one must consider where to build the pond, how big they want it, cost for construction and future costs to maintain and operate.
He said many people consider koi ponds and water gardens to be the same thing, but they're different and require different care. Water gardens are focused more on water-based plants.
Amore's Koi Farm website has a frequently asked questions section Amore hopes helps perspective koi pond owners to think through everything they need to know beforehand.
"The concept is kind of like an automobile. You still have four tires, a steering wheel and a motor. As long as you stick with that, the outside and the cosmetics can look different," Amore said as a comparison. "That's where a lot of folks go wrong. They want to leave something out, like only putting three tires on your car or they want to put on different sized tires. Everything's got to match up."
For more information on Amore's Koi Farm, call 330-353-0563, email amoreskoifarm@gmail.com or go their website or Facebook page. The Amores also operate Ye Ole Hillbilly Lodge and Outfitter.
Waterproof Pond Liner Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.