Koi are extremely popular fish bred and taken care of by hobbyists the world over. Koi is a Japanese word which means "carp" and includes the dull gray wild carp caught in rivers and lakes for food, as well as the brightly colored varieties. It is the colorful koi fish which are bred for their magnificence. Although the proper expression for these "living jewels" is nishikigoi, many people, particularly those in the United States, refer to them simply as koi.

A Very Koi Story

The carp originated from Central Europe and Asia where it was simply a food fish. It was the Chinese that began propagating specific species of carp until they developed the gold fish over a thousand years ago. The Chinese first brought koi as food to Japan in 200 AD. Seeing the gorgeous color mutations, Japanese farmers in Niigata, a prefecture in Honshu, bred them for ornamental purposes and produced a number of color patterns. The first variety to be popular is the kohaku, the red-and-white koi.

The Niigata koi was first exposed to the community in 1914 during the annual exposition in Tokyo. The beautiful, colorful fish mesmerized the whole of Japan and many kept koi because they seemed perfect for their water gardens. It didn't take long before the entire world caught up on the hobby. Nowadays, Niigata remains to be the home of the best koi breeders although you can buy koi from most pet stores. However, you have to go to specialist dealers if you want the higher-quality fish. Prices of koi differ based on the very koi-like feature of the fish.

Koi Characteristics

You can find koi with various colors and patterns. The usual colors are white, black, red, yellow, blue and cream. Female koi are generally plump while the males are more streamlined with torpedo shapes. A fully-grown koi can grow as much as 36 inches and weigh over 17 pounds. The koi are hardy and durable, and can live for many years depending on their genetics and living conditions. The oldest koi ever documented was "Hanako" that reportedly lived up to 226 years.

The Koi are omnivores which means they eat almost almost everything including vegetables. It is very koi of the fish to look for food at the bottom of the pond. Although koi fish are basically shy and will run away when disturbed, they usually recognize the person regularly feeding your koi fish. It is common to see koi gathering around their keeper during feeding times with several eating straight from the hand.

Varieties of Koi

There are several kinds of koi that are distinguished by the color, pattern and also scales. There are some hybrids like the Ghost koi and Butterfly koi that have also gained popularity but are not considered as true Nishikigoi. Among the prominent kinds of the true Nishikigoi include the following:

- Kohaku - white koi with big red markings on top

- Taisho Sanshoku - resembles the Kohaku but has additional small black markings

- Showa Sanshoku - black koi with red and white markings

- Tancho - any koi with a lone red patch on top of its head

- Asagi - is coloured light blue on top and red beneath

- Utsurimono - black with very koi markings of red, white or yellow

- Bekko - base colour of red, white or yellow with small black markings

- Goshiki - black koi accented with red, white, brown and blue marks

- Shusui - does not have scales other than a single row of big mirror scales running down the dorsal area, from head to tail

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Custom aquariums allow you to develop exactly the type of fish community you want to own. Not only can you often determine the size and shape but you also get more input on how you are going to populate your new equipment.

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Koi Pond Water Garden: Why And How To Make One For Your Koi
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