Koi are very popular fish bred and cared for by hobbyists the world over. Koi is a Japanese word that means "carp" and includes the dull gray wild carp found in rivers and lakes for food, as well as the brightly colored varieties. It is the vibrant koi fish which are bred for their appearance. Although the proper expression for these "living jewels" is nishikigoi, many 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 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 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 ornamental purposes and produced a number of color patterns. The first kind to be established is the kohaku, the red-and-white koi.

The Niigata koi was first exposed to the community in 1914 in the course of the annual exposition in Tokyo. The beautiful, colorful fish charmed the whole 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. These days, Niigata continues to be the home of the best 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 based on the very koi-like feature of the fish.

Koi Attributes

You can find koi with different colors and patterns. The typical colors are white, black, red, yellow, blue and cream. Female koi are usually plump while the males are more streamlined with torpedo shapes. A matured koi can grow as long as 36 inches and weigh over 17 pounds. The koi are hardy and tough, and can live for decades based on their genetics and also living conditions. The oldest koi ever documented was "Hanako" that reportedly lived around 226 years.

The Koi are omnivores which means they eat almost almost everything 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 often recognize the person routinely feeding your koi fish. It is ordinary to see koi gathering close to their keeper during feeding times with some 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 acquired popularity but are not considered as true Nishikigoi. Among the prominent kinds of the true Nishikigoi are the following:

- Kohaku - white koi with large red markings on top

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

- Showa Sanshoku - black koi having red and white marks

- Tancho - virtually any koi with a lone red patch on the head

- Asagi - is coloured 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 even yellow with small black marks

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

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