Koi

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Koi

The original Japanese word koi simply means "carp," including both the dull grey fish and the brightly colored varieties. Today colored carp are simply called Koi and the term has evolved into the common name for them worldwide. Koi are bred throughout the world, but most people agree that the best ones come right from the Niigata Prefecture in Japan.

Because the facts are "sketchy", there are many theories and speculations that exist regard the history of Koi. Koi are thought to date Back more than a thousand years, some of the earlier statements that follow are not very well documented or not at all. Nobody knows exactly where the Koi we have today originated, but it is common belief that the common carp (Cyprinus Carpio) originated somewhere near Persia and western Asia. What happened to Koi from the 2 nd to the 17th century is still being investigated, but many believe Koi were gradually spread around the orient, and possibly even via trade caravans to or from the Middle East. The history and existence of Carp and Koi is certainly evident in some of the oldest crafts that exist today which remain or originated in Asia and the Far East, in the form of paintings, utensils, pottery sculptures and carvings etc. Koi were believed to be introduced to Japan with the invading Chinese and a first account of them being kept by an emperor in Japan, apparently dates Back to AD 200. Koi fish are claimed to have reached 2 meters (6 feet) in length, and the oldest Koi to have reached the age of 230 years, the Koi being passed down from generation to generation. By approximately 1227 AD, koi breeding was done in Austria and later spread to Germany and France in about 1358 AD and to Denmark in about 1600 AD. From this time the history of Koi moves forward to the 17th century, when rice farmers of Yamakoshigo, a village in the Niigata prefecture on the northwestern coast of mainland Japan, introduced koi into their irrigation ponds to supplement their winter diet of rice. They raised these koi in the ponds they used to flood their rice paddies. By the late 1880s modern day color patterns for Koi were fixed and the hobby of Koi breeding and collecting began in earnest. Many ancient lines of Koi where destroyed during World War II when almost all koi were lost in Japan due to lack of food and orders from the military to forfeit all Koi to be eaten. Fortunately the core koi brood stock was hidden in secluded Shinto temple ponds. Following WW II the hobby of keeping koi spread worldwide after plastic bags and shipping of koi became both fast and safe for Koi. Today Koi are bred in every country and considered to be the most popular fresh-water ornamental pond fish and are often referred to as being living jewels or swimming flowers.

Koi varieties are distinguished by coloration, patterning, and scalation. The major named Koi varieties include: Kohaku - a white-skinned Koi, with a red pattern Taisho Sanshoku (Sanke) - a white-skinned Koi with a red and black pattern Showa Sanshoku (Showa) - a black-skinned Koi with a red and white pattern Tancho - Any koi with the only red being in a circle on its forehead. Butterfly koi , Longfin koi , or Dragon Carp were also developed in the 1980s and are notable for their long and flowing fins. Ghost koi, developed in the 1980s are metallic hybrids of wild carp and Ogon koi and are not considered true Koi.

Unlike a purebred dog or cat, even the finest champion-grade koi will produce literally thousands of unacceptable, unrecognizable, or even genetically defective Koi offspring in a single spawning. Although a koi breeder may carefully select the parents they wish based on their desired characteristics, the resulting Koi fry will nonetheless exhibit a wide range of color and quality. Many of the Koi fry will be culled or removed. Culled fry are usually destroyed (perhaps fed to other fish) and older culls are often sold as lower-grade "pond-quality" koi within their first year (also called "Tosai") at 3"–6" long.

In the wild Koi have been accidentally or deliberately released into the wild in every continent except Antarctica. In some countries, koi have caused so much damage to waterways that vast amounts of money and effort have been spent trying to eradicate them, largely unsuccessfully. Koi's bright colors put them at a severe disadvantage against predators; a white-skinned Kohaku is a visual dinner bell against the dark green of a pond. Koi are cold water fish, so Koi will require a meter or more of depth in areas of the world that become warm during the summer. Koi are bottom-feeders, so koi food is not only nutritionally balanced, but designed to float so as to encourage them to come to the surface. Koi will recognize the person feeding them and gather around at dinnertime. Koi normally attain lengths of approximately 2 to 3 feet and weight up to 35 lbs.

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