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Everything You Should Know About Koi Fish
Koi are very popular fish bred and cared for by hobbyists around the world. Koi is a Japanese word which means "carp" and covers the dull gray wild carp found in rivers and also lakes for food, along with the brightly colored varieties. It is the colorful koi fish which are bred for their beauty. Although the proper term for these "living jewels" is nishikigoi, most people, particularly those in the United States, call them simply as koi.
A Very Koi Story
The carp came from Central Europe and also Asia where it was merely a food fish. It was the Chinese that began propagating 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 gorgeous color mutations, Japanese farmers in Niigata, a prefecture in Honshu, bred them for aesthetic applications and produced several color designs. The first variety 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 beautiful, colorful fish charmed all of Japan and some kept koi because they looked perfect 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 best koi breeders though you can buy koi from almost all pet stores. Then again, you have to go to specialized dealers if you want 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 various colors and designs. The typical colors are white, black, red, yellow, blue and cream. Female koi are usually plump while the males are a lot more streamlined 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 many years based on their genetics and also living conditions. The oldest koi ever reported was "Hanako" that supposedly lived up to 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 run away when disturbed, they often know the person frequently feeding your koi fish. It is ordinary to see koi gathering around 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 also scales. There are a few hybrids like the Ghost koi or the Butterfly koi that have also acquired popularity but are not regarded as true Nishikigoi. Among the prominent kinds of the true Nishikigoi are the following:
- Kohaku - white koi with large red marks on top
- Taisho Sanshoku - resembles the Kohaku but has more small black marks
- Showa Sanshoku - black koi having red and white marks
- Tancho - 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 colour of red, white or even yellow with small black marks
- Goshiki - black koi accented with red, white, brown and also blue markings
- Shusui - does not have scales other than a single row of large mirror scales running along the dorsal area, from head to tail
The Right Way 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.
All You Want To Learn Regarding The Black Koi Fish
Black koi fish are koi fish that have the black koi pattern. Many people prefer the black koi over other koi fish. In general, koi fish, which come from the carp family, are known to live up to 35 years
Building Your Koi Pond Water Garden
If you want to keep koi, you will need to build them their habitat. It will be cruel to keep your koi fish in an aquarium because they can grow large and need ample space and depth to swim around. You need to build a koi pond water garden.
Tropical Fish Guide - Avoid Problems
A tropical fish guide will help you to avoid the mistakes most new fish owners will make when looking after these beautiful creatures.
What All You Want To Successfully Enhance Your Fish Tank
Decorating your salt water fish tanks with rocks and pieces of coral is imperative in order to make the fish feel at home.
Methods To Install Your Salt Water Tank Properly: A Few Key Factors
If you are looking to recreate the magic of the sea, then salt water fish tanks are a great idea for your home. You will need sufficient space and the right location to house the tank.
Customizable Fish Tanks - Blunders
People with custom aquariums tend to make the same mistakes as any other novice fish owner. The most common of these is overfeeding.
The Tropical Fish Guidebook - Averting Issues And Difficult Fish
The tropical fish guide will tell you that marine fish can be difficult. They are often more aggressive than freshwater fish particularly with members of their own species.
Koi Breeding: Everything You Need To Know About It
Koi breeding is not easy if what you aim for is to produce high-quality fish for competition purposes. Before you can obtain a prize-winning koi fish, you will have to cull and discard several thousand fry. The koi breeding process is long and difficult but it is all worth it.
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