There’s a special kind of excitement in the air when the first crisp mornings arrive in Iowa. The leaves turn, the ponds settle, and at Kloubec Koi Farm that can only mean one thing – it’s harvest time! While others mark their calendars by spring, summer, autumn, and winter, we measure ours by koi rituals: spawning season and harvest season. Everything in between; every feeding, every water change, every shimmering glimpse of growth, leads to this moment.
For our family-run American koi farm, fall harvest is the culmination of months of care, patience, and anticipation. It’s when we finally see the results of a summer’s growth beneath the surface of our mud ponds: top-quality koi in every size, color, and variety. It’s what koi enthusiasts across the country have come to expect from Kloubec.
A Season Measured in Koi
The story of harvest really begins months earlier, back in the spring, when our hatchery awakens from its winter rest. The hatchery building is disinfected top to bottom, every system cleaned and checked, and all equipment put back into service for the sole purpose of breeding koi fish.
Each Spring also brings the excitement of selecting breeding pairs. We rotate through our high-quality Japanese bloodline and domesticated adult broodstock koi to ensure as many varieties as possible.
Both traditional-fin koi and Butterfly koi are represented. These breeding decisions shape the year’s harvest long before a single net hits the water.
The Countdown to Harvest
Outdoors, some of our earthen ponds are tilled, renovated, fertilized, and filled with pristine water. They’re designated as nursery ponds for the season, ready to receive newly hatched fry.
By late summer, the countdown to harvest begins. The koi have spent months feeding on our Platinum Koi Cuisine and natural plankton, developing deep color and luster. Koi in the nursery ponds have been sampled periodically to monitor growth and development. When water temperatures drop and daylight shortens, the koi metabolism slows. These are nature’s signals that harvest time is near.
Preparation is key. Harvest nets are inspected, transport tanks disinfected, and aerators tested. It’s a careful orchestration of timing and teamwork, and if we’re honest, a little friendly competition among ponds. Everyone secretly hopes their favorite batch will produce this year’s standout koi.
The Mud Pond Reveal
and Butterfly Yamabuki and Orenji Ogon.
Draining the ponds is the first step of fall harvest. Some ponds are seined while completely full, while others require the water level to be lowered. As the waterline recedes, flashes of red, white, yellow, black, and blue begin to stir beneath the surface.
High-quality koi, developed over the summer, appear like living jewels. Some ponds yield bold Gosanke (Kohaku, Sanke, or Showa), while others produce beautiful Hikari types. In other ponds, incredibly rare and unique varieties are unveiled. Graceful, radiant Butterfly koi seem to dance in the shallow water.
As the seine net draws closer and the fish are confined, the once clear water turns murky with their frantic movement. Excitement grows as the overwhelming volume and vivid colors of the koi emerge through the clouded water.
No matter how many years we’ve done this, there’s always a sense of wonder during fall harvest. You can plan the genetics, manage the feed, and control the environment – but nature always surprises you. Each koi tells a story of growth and transformation, shaped by the Iowa mud and the changing seasons.
Harvest Day
Harvest day at a koi farm starts before sunrise and often ends well after sunset. Boots splash through cool water as the team forms a line to pull the seine net. It takes coordination, communication, and endurance.
Numerous people might be working the same pond; hauling nets, dipping koi, and operating the harvest crane that transports fish to one of our indoor koi buildings.
And of course, there’s always a little humor involved. Someone inevitably ends up stuck knee-deep in mud, and several koi always make a daring escape. The laughter keeps the team energized, even as the work intensifies.
The fall harvest spans many days, even weeks. It’s a labor intensive, hands-on process that celebrates what koi farming is about: patience, passion, and pride in every catch.
Sorting, Grading, and the Art of the Eye
Once the koi are safely netted and transferred indoors to one of our koi buildings, the real artistry begins. Sorting and grading require a trained eye and years of experience. Each fish is evaluated for body conformation, skin quality, color depth, and pattern. Young koi are grouped by size and variety. Some exceptional koi are set aside and pampered while they continue to grow and develop to their full potential.
This step blends science and intuition. Two koi from the same spawn can develop in completely different ways, depending on environment and diet. Recognizing potential takes both knowledge and instinct, shaped by 44 years of owning and operating our American koi farm.
Every harvest comes with its share of memorable moments. One year, a koi that had gone unseen all summer resurfaced. It had doubled its spring size and was twice as stunning. Occasionally, onlookers watch wide-eyed as hundreds of koi gleam in the sunlight during harvest. These moments remind us why we love this work.
There’s also the occasional surprise emerging from a pond where we least expect it. It might be a perfectly patterned Showa or a beautiful Butterfly koi that seems to pose for every photo. This keeps us humble, inspired, and eager for next year.
The Final Haul
Once the koi are moved into temperature controlled systems indoors, they’ll spend the colder months under careful supervision as we prepare them for the next season. Feeding routines and water quality are monitored closely, because their health remains our top priority.
In addition to the baby koi harvest, we also seine ponds dedicated to growing select koi to larger sizes. While the fall harvest is our biggest seasonal event, we conduct additional harvests year-round. Harvests occur both in our outdoor ponds and expansive indoor facilities. With over 300,000 gallons of indoor grow-out space and 60 outdoor mud ponds, Kloubec Koi Farm maintains one of the largest and most diverse koi inventories in the country. This ensures healthy, beautiful koi are available for shipment all year long.
By the end, the team is tired but satisfied. There’s a deep sense of accomplishment in seeing the results of an entire season’s work. Hundreds of thousands of beautiful koi each reflect the dedication, skill, and the trust shared between farmer and customer.
Koi Health After the Harvest
Once the fall harvest is complete, the focus shifts immediately to koi health and post-harvest care. At Kloubec Koi Farm, this stage is just as important as the harvest itself. Every koi moved indoors undergoes careful observation, routine health screening, and ongoing monitoring to ensure they transition smoothly from the mud ponds into our temperature-controlled systems.
All Kloubec koi are certified KHV-free through USDA APHIS health certification, and we take that responsibility seriously. Because every fish we sell is born and raised right here on our Amana, Iowa farm—with no outside koi brought into our inventory—we maintain complete oversight of each koi’s health, lineage, and environment from the moment it hatches.
This commitment allows us to confidently supply pond installers, retailers, and koi enthusiasts with vibrant, healthy koi year-round. To make selection easy for our industry partners, we maintain detailed online listings with clear photos and real-time availability, offering a true what-you-see-is-what-you-get buying experience.
Whether you’re stocking a backyard pond, filling retail tanks, or sourcing koi for a special project, our fish arrive conditioned, carefully screened, and ready to thrive.
Reflection: Why We Do It
Fall harvest is more than a task on the calendar, it’s a celebration of everything that makes koi farming so rewarding. Yet for us, the work never truly pauses. Our indoor grow-out systems and overwintering ponds keep the rhythm of koi farming going all year long, 24/7. Each harvest connects the science of breeding koi with the joy of discovery. It’s the payoff for those early mornings and long days, and the beginning of the next cycle.
At Kloubec Koi Farm, we’re proud to share this tradition, and our koi, with pond professionals and hobbyists across the country.
At last, the nets are hung and the ponds freeze over, but a glow of pride still lingers. Because at the end of every harvest, we’re reminded that we’re not just raising fish, we’re cultivating living art, color, and joy for koi lovers everywhere.
Committed to Koi Health
At Kloubec Koi Farm, koi health is paramount. After harvest, every koi undergoes close observation and health screening. All Kloubec koi are certified KHV-free by USDA APHIS health certification. We take that responsibility seriously. All koi sold at Kloubec Koi Farm are born and raised right here on our Amana, Iowa farm. We do not sell koi sourced from other producers, ensuring that every koi leaving our farm is as healthy as it is beautiful.
Our devotion to koi health and quality allows us to confidently supply wholesale customers, pond installers, retailers, and koi enthusiasts nationwide with healthy, vibrant koi year-round. To further support industry partners, we also maintain detailed online koi listings featuring clear photos and real-time availability. This accurate, what-you-see-is-what-you-get inventory is a tool to help pond professionals plan and select healthy, American-raised koi with confidence.
Whether you’re stocking a backyard pond, enhancing a retail display, or planning a special project, our fish arrive ready to thrive.
About Kloubec Koi Farm
Located in Amana, Iowa, Kloubec Koi Farm is one of America’s largest and most trusted producers of high-quality koi and Butterfly koi. Family-owned and operated since 1981, the farm maintains USDA APHIS certification and is proud to offer koi that are 100 percent KHV-free. The farm does not sell any koi sourced from other producers, ensuring that every koi leaving the farm is as healthy as it is beautiful. With both seasonal and year-round harvests, Kloubec supplies healthy, vibrant koi to pond professionals, retailers, and hobbyists nationwide, every month of the year.
“Rest assured that our koi are raised with care, passion, and pride.”
