What Makes Koi Very Elegant?

Koi are very popular fish bred and cared for by hobbyists around the world. Koi is a Japanese word that means "carp" and includes the dull gray wild carp caught in rivers and lakes for food, along with the brightly colored varieties. It is the vibrant koi fish which are bred for their magnificence. Although the proper term for these "living jewels" is nishikigoi, most people, especially 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 merely a food fish. It was the Chinese who started to propagate specific species of carp until they developed the gold fish more than a thousand years ago. The Chinese first introduced koi as food to Japan in 200 AD. Looking at the beautiful color mutations, Japanese farmers in Niigata, a prefecture in Honshu, bred them for ornamental purposes and produced a number of color designs. The first kind to be popular is the kohaku, the red-and-white koi.

The Niigata koi was first seen by the public in 1914 in the course of the annual exposition in Tokyo. The charming, colorful fish mesmerized the whole of Japan and many kept koi because they looked great for their water gardens. It didn't take long before the rest of the world caught up on the hobby. Today, Niigata continues to be the home of the finest koi breeders although you can buy koi from most pet stores. However, you have to go to specialized dealers if you prefer the higher-quality fish. Prices of koi differ according to the very koi-like quality of the fish.

Koi Attributes

You can find koi with different colors and patterns. The usual colors are white, black, red, yellow, blue and cream. Female koi are generally plump while the males are a lot more sleek with torpedo shapes. A fully-grown koi can grow as long as 36 inches and weigh more than 17 pounds. The koi are hardy and tough, and can live for decades depending on their genetics and living conditions. The oldest koi ever documented was "Hanako" that supposedly lived around 226 years.

The Koi are omnivores which means they eat almost anything including vegetables. It is very koi of the fish to forage at the bottom of the pond for food. Although koi fish are really shy and will dash away when disturbed, they usually recognize the person regularly feeding your koi fish. It is ordinary to see koi gathering close to their keeper during feeding times with several eating directly from the hand.

Varieties of Koi

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

- Kohaku - white koi with large red marks on top

- Taisho Sanshoku - looks like the Kohaku but has additional small black markings

- Showa Sanshoku - black koi with red and white marks

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

- Asagi - is colored light blue on top and red below

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

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

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

- Shusui - doesn't have scales other than a single row of large mirror scales running along the dorsal area, from head to tail

A Couple Of Tips On Keeping Your Koi Healthy
Koi health is of paramount importance if you want to enjoy your fish for a long time. Koi fish are known to live for decades although the average life span is 20 to 30 years. Koi are hardy and durable; however, they can get sick.

Find Out How To Correctly Feed Koi Fish
If you have a koi pond, you know that feeding koi can be fun. Koi are highly interactive fish; they are known to feed right out of their owner's hand. Many koi owners find pleasure in feeding koi because these fish actually learn to recognize the person who feeds them.

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You Need To Be Adequately Informed Before You Can Manage To Have A Good Fish Tank
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