Barstow Koi Farms

Barstow Koi Farm
click photo to enlarge	The name of this place is Barstow Koi Farm. But it is located in Newberry Springs just outside of Barstow. This is called a mud pond. When we asked why, in the middle of the desert, the owner explained the water table in the area is high. The Mojave river goes nearby so he has a good source of clean water. In this area the Mojave river is an underground river. There are also water skiing areas nearby where they have huge long ponds dug out for water skiing clubs.
click photo to enlarge	Here one of his ponds is cleared out for cleaning. Each pond contains only one blood line of Koi. He breeds many different bloodlines for his different customers. The ponds are 10 to 14 deep. A Koi can live to be 70 years old. One of these ponds will have 100's of thousands of Koi. The Koi farm is on about 40 acres.
click photo to enlarge	Ahhh here they are. He has one area with tanks all under netting to keep out the hot sun and also birds and other predators that might want a fish dinner. These guys are probably 4 to 6 inches long. He sells locally retail and commercially all over the world.
click photo to enlarge	He had one tank where he had his biggest Koi. These guys were easily 20 pounds. There are three breeders in the area but this one is a bit more accommodating of tourists. Mu Liu was happy to show us around and answer questions.
click photo to enlarge	Koi are a variety of the common carp family. These small tanks are out in the open although they are covered by netting. I'm not sure why. The two German Shepard's are named Harvard and Yale. As you drive up they are very menacing looking and they run out to your vehicle. But, they were pretty docile.