KOI

Have you ever seen koi?  Despite the fame of this creature, many people still are not familiar with koi. “Koi” is a Japanese vocabulary word which means “carp”. 

Koi are cold-water fish that are typically kept inside the pond with a temperature varying from 17 degrees C to 25 degrees C as their immune system turns off at 10 degrees C.  Japanese classified koi as wild carp or “inbred Magoi”. They believe that koi is a symbol of ambition and progression and is usually associated with insistence in difficulties and strength of purpose.  Koi also means love, affection and friendship as illustrated from the short story of Koi-san by Mukoda Kuniko.

 In 1820’s, Koi were first bred for color in Japan which started in the Niigata region situated at the north eastern coast of Honshu island.  Several color patterns had been established, most commonly the red-and-white Kohaku.  Most of the breeders are not knowledgeable on the color variations only when the Niigata koi were displayed in the annual exhibit in Tokyo.  By that time, the interest and desire for koi breeding spread throughout the archipelago of Japan. 

The hobby of keeping koi has become remarkably popular all over the world.  It is not only enjoyable but also takes responsibility and knowledge in the maintenance of the whole aquatic ecosystem which determines the koi’s strength and health. Therefore, maintenance and breeding of koi requires complete awareness and enough funds.  The bigger it has become, the more expensive it is.  And for some, it costs thousands of dollars.

Koi were first bred for color mutation in China. Nowadays, Koi have many different colors.  Their main colors are cream, blue, yellow, red, white and black. The major named varieties are:

• Asagi – a koi that has luminous blue scales on its top and red scales on its bottom
• Bekko – a yellow-skinned, red-skinned, or white-skinned koi with a black pattern
• Kawarimono (kawarigoi) – other types of koi with normal scales
• Kohaku – a white-skinned koi, with a red pattern
• Taisho Sanshoku (Sanke) – a white-skinned koi with a red and black pattern, named after the Taisho Emperor
• Showa Sanshoku (Showa) – a koi that is named after the Showa Emperor.  Its skin has black shade with a red and white combination.
• Tancho – it is the only koi with the red circle design on its forehead. This type of koi can be a Tancho Showa, Tancho Sanke, or even Tancho Goshiki
• Utsurimono – a black koi with a red, white, or yellow pattern

Varieties of koi are available for you. You can either search the world wide web for inquiries and online distributors of the said koi fish will be more than wiling to accommodate you.