Koi moving, boarding and rehoming while your pond is out of service
Whether you're renovating, moving house, or resealing a fountain that happens to have fish in it, the koi need somewhere safe to be. We move them, hold them and bring them back.
Services
- On-site holding tanks with aeration and filtration during clean-outs and repairs
- Off-site holding at our Orange County facility for multi-week renovations
- Koi transport for household moves within Southern California and Arizona
- Rehoming for owners converting to pondless or selling a property
- Quarantine and health checks before introducing new fish
How we move fish safely
Fish are netted with soft nets, bagged with oxygen or moved in aerated transport tanks, and the receiving water is temperature- and pH-matched before release. We handle large show koi with the extra care and tank volume they need.
Signs you need koi transport help
- A clean-out, reseal or renovation will leave the pond empty for days or weeks
- You're moving house and the koi are coming
- You want to give up fish-keeping but not harm the fish
- New fish arrived and you don't have a quarantine tank
What drives the cost
On-site holding is included in our clean-outs and renovations. Off-site boarding is billed by the week based on tank space; transport is priced by distance and fish count. Rehoming is free when we collect fish during a scheduled job.
What this service covers
Koi transport & holding sits under the wider heading of fish handling services. Clients tend to call it koi relocation or koi boarding; whatever the name, the work breaks down into a few distinct jobs:
On-site holding during clean-outs
Aerated, filtered tanks beside the pond for 1–3 days while work is done.
Off-site koi boarding
Weeks or months at our Orange County facility during construction, billed by the week.
Koi transport for household moves
Oxygen-bagged or tank transport with water matching at the destination.
Koi rehoming and surrender
Healthy fish placed with clients and partner ponds at no charge during a scheduled job.
Quarantine and health checks
New fish isolated and observed before introduction to an established pond.
Terms you'll hear from our technicians on this work: holding tank, aeration, oxygen bagging, temperature matching, pH matching, acclimation, quarantine, koi (Nishikigoi), show koi, Koi Herpes Virus (KHV) screening.
Where we offer it
Routed service through Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego County, the Inland Empire and the Coachella Valley, with construction and commercial crews traveling to Arizona.
Koi Transport & Holding across Southern California and Arizona
Orange County home base, routed crews from Los Angeles to San Diego and the desert. One call, one crew, written findings.
Check out Koi Pros projects
Koi ponds, waterfalls and water features we've designed, built and maintain across Southern California, in one minute. The same crew handles koi transport.
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Questions about koi transport
How long can you hold my koi?
On-site holding is typically 1–3 days during a clean-out. Off-site holding is available for weeks or months during construction, billed by the week.
If I want to buy fish, can I pick them out and you transport them to my pond?
Yes. You can buy them online and have them delivered to our location in Orange, and we'll bring them to you and make sure they're safely acclimated and added to your pond. You can also pick them out at a local dealer and we'll swing by, pick them up and deliver them to your pond.
Can you hold them at our house?
Yes. We can set up a customized holding tank on your property, complete with filtration, shade and water from your own pond, so the fish stay in water they're already used to. Contact us for a daily rate quote.
Can you take koi I no longer want?
No. We don't take fish, because of the potential for disease to spread between ponds. We suggest placing an ad on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace to find a new home for your fish. We can hold them on-site or transport them to the new owner once you've found one, for a small fee and if our schedule allows.