06/12/2012
Introduction to Koi Fish
Koi fish has become an amazingly popular hobby over the last several decades and rightly so.
Our koi have been popular because of these reasons:
1. They're very beautiful, as well as a sturdy with an ability to survive even in freezing conditions.
2. They're suited to large ponds and can grow to over 1-2 feet in length, and this provides the rare pleasure to watch fish swim and prosper in large outdoor or indoor ponds in a more natural environment.
3. You’ll eventually be able to hand feed your koi when they gain your confidence, and this is a way that we humans really start to bond with our koi, and vice versa.
4. Some koi are worth thousands of dollars, and are a thriving industry for koi breeders.
5. They are believed to bring good fung shui, or luck, in Chinese culture.
There are various koi fish types and varieties available, and they’re classified according to mainly their color characteristics.
It’s a good idea to view a few koi fish auctions online to get to know the koi species better and to decide if there are certain varieties that you’re more interested in. The resources here will give you an introduction to the koi varieties available.
If you’re new to koi care, get to know a quality local supplier or importer of koi, if there is one, and to find out more about the kind of stock that are available locally. Check out the information on this site on how to choose koi fish, if you’re looking for koi for sale online or locally. You’ll also find here a list of the top online koi suppliers.
Looking at building a new koi fish pond in your garden? You'll need to know what factors to consider in terms of pond design, pond size and depth, pond construction before deciding to build your own koi fish pond or to have one built for you.
Probably the most important part of keeping koi, as well as getting the best quality stock that you can afford, its start after understanding and properly using important koi pond supplies. These supplies for your koi fish pond can be found locally or online, and your requirements will differ according to whether you’re setting up a new pond or maintaining, or improving your existing one.
Sometimes, getting your pond supplies online, if you know what you’re looking for, will mean that a much larger range of koi supplies becomes available to you, irrespective of where you live.
So here’s to happy koi and beautiful koi fish ponds, and to our great care of these most admired creatures.
New to koi fish keeping?
Then click here to see the koi fish guide that will have you go from beginner to pro within days.
Koi are ornamental versions of the common carp species.
They originated in China and then spread to Japan and have been cultivated mainly there ever since.
The word “koi” is Japanese for carp, and the word “nishikigoi” means ornamental carp. It was in the nineteenth century in the Niigata prefecture of Japan that koi breeding emerged.
According to history and legend, the farmers of that prefecture noticed colorful carp varieties in their rivers, that they were more easily snapped up by the birds because of their attractive colors, and began breeding them.
Over time, a classification system developed according to their color variations and qualities, and now, there is an accepted categorization by which koi varieties are known by. Depending on the quality of their colors, rarity, patterning and sheen, the price of koi vary from a few dollars, to thousands of dollars each.
They have become very popular indeed in many countries around the world now, and we’re all now exposed to the language and technologies of the Japanese when it comes to koi breeding and cultivation.
Apart from their beauty and sturdiness as fish, koi has become legendary because of the fact that they can grow to very large sizes, and is limited relatively by the size of the pond that they reside in. And also they are renowned for their ability to live very long years.
There’s a story of Hanako, you may or may not have heard, which is a story about a koi found in a pond in the mountains of Mino Province of Japan. Some scale samples of this fish was examined by Prof. Masayoshi Hiro in the 1960s and it was concluded that, to his surprise, that the koi was estimated to be 215 years old. I suppose we’ll never be sure of how accurate this is, as it was based on light microscope studies at the time.
The detail was broadcast on national radio in Japan in 1965, and continues:
“Then I had the Professor examine the remaining five carp in the same pond, three white and two black ones. The examination took one year, and it was found out as the results that three were respectively 168, 153 and 149 years old, and the remaining two were both 139 years old.”
Well, whether you believe this account or not, there’s no denying that the popularity of Japanese koi has rocketed in the last few decades all over the world including the United States and the UK.
The sheer variety of koi available now both locally and via export from Japan and other countries, makes exceptionally good koi available to enthusiasts everywhere.
For more information have a look at how to choose amongst koi for sale.
Here’s a chart of the popular koi fish for reference. You’ll no doubt get to know the names even more intimately when you look at koi fish for sale, or at auctions.
