Ghost Koi Dies at 15: Not Old Age, Check Spawning Injury

15-Year-Old Ghost Koi Dead—Why?

15 is young for koi (can live 40–60+ years). Bread (especially white) is junk food but rarely kills. Baby fish = recent spawn.

Likely Cause

Spawning injury. Large females get battered during breeding. Internal trauma, secondary infection, or exhaustion kills them days later.

What to Check

• Any visible wounds, missing scales, fungal patches?
• Water quality post-spawn (ammonia spike from eggs/milt).
• Other fish behavior.

If no other fish affected, it was likely an individual spawning casualty. Sad but not a pond-wide crisis.