Etymology & Origin
The word "koi" comes from Japanese, simply meaning "carp." It includes both the dull grey fish and the brightly colored varieties. A homophone of koi means "love, affection" and koi are therefore symbols of love and friendship in Japan: a good example is the short story Koi-san by Mukoda Kuniko.
Varieties
Koi have many different colors. Some of the major colors are white, black, red, yellow, blue, and cream.
While possible variations are limitless, breeders have identified and named a number of specific categories. The most popular category is Gosanke. The Gosanke category is made up of the Kohaku, Taisho Sanshoku, and Showa Sanshoku varieties. The Japanese breeders have many generations of knowledge and experience when it comes to breeding and raising Nishikigoi. They know which ones will be worth hundreds of dollars and which ones will be worth thousands of dollars.
The major named varieties include:
Kohaku - a white-skinned koi, with a red pattern.
Taisho Sanshoku (Sanke) - a white-skinned koi with a red and black pattern, named after the Taisho Emperor.
Showa Sanshoku (Showa) - a black-skinned koi with a red and white pattern, named after the Showa Emperor.
Tancho - Any koi with the only red being in a circle on its forehead. The fish can be a Tancho Showa, Tancho Sanke, or even Tancho Goshiki.
Asagi - a koi with light blue scales on its top and red scales on its bottom.
Shusui - the partially scaled version of an Asagi.
Bekko - a white-, red-, or yellow-skinned koi with a black pattern.
Utsurimono - a black koi with a red, white, or yellow pattern.
Goshiki - a mostly black koi with red, white, brown, and blue accents.
Ogon - a koi that is one solid color, can be regular or metallic; known colors are red, orange, platinum, yellow, and cream.
Kin Gin Rin - a koi with shiny scales. The name translates into English as "Gold Silver Scales" There are also Gin Rin versions of almost any other type of koi.
Kawarimono (kawarigoi) - miscellaneous types of koi.
Doitsu-goi - German carp that has no scales or a few large scales on its top.
Koromo - koi with areas of blue-edged scales aligned neatly.
Hikari-Moyomono - koi with coloured patterns over a metallic base, and koi in two metallic colours.
Ghost koi - "hybrid" of Ogon and wild carp. Not Nishikigoi.
Butterfly koi - long-finned version of all others. Not Nishikigoi.
While possible variations are limitless, breeders have identified and named a number of specific categories. The most popular category is Gosanke. The Gosanke category is made up of the Kohaku, Taisho Sanshoku, and Showa Sanshoku varieties. The Japanese breeders have many generations of knowledge and experience when it comes to breeding and raising Nishikigoi. They know which ones will be worth hundreds of dollars and which ones will be worth thousands of dollars.
The major named varieties include:
Kohaku - a white-skinned koi, with a red pattern.
Taisho Sanshoku (Sanke) - a white-skinned koi with a red and black pattern, named after the Taisho Emperor.
Showa Sanshoku (Showa) - a black-skinned koi with a red and white pattern, named after the Showa Emperor.
Tancho - Any koi with the only red being in a circle on its forehead. The fish can be a Tancho Showa, Tancho Sanke, or even Tancho Goshiki.
Asagi - a koi with light blue scales on its top and red scales on its bottom.
Shusui - the partially scaled version of an Asagi.
Bekko - a white-, red-, or yellow-skinned koi with a black pattern.
Utsurimono - a black koi with a red, white, or yellow pattern.
Goshiki - a mostly black koi with red, white, brown, and blue accents.
Ogon - a koi that is one solid color, can be regular or metallic; known colors are red, orange, platinum, yellow, and cream.
Kin Gin Rin - a koi with shiny scales. The name translates into English as "Gold Silver Scales" There are also Gin Rin versions of almost any other type of koi.
Kawarimono (kawarigoi) - miscellaneous types of koi.
Doitsu-goi - German carp that has no scales or a few large scales on its top.
Koromo - koi with areas of blue-edged scales aligned neatly.
Hikari-Moyomono - koi with coloured patterns over a metallic base, and koi in two metallic colours.
Ghost koi - "hybrid" of Ogon and wild carp. Not Nishikigoi.
Butterfly koi - long-finned version of all others. Not Nishikigoi.
Keeping
The common carp is a hardy fish, and koi retain that durability. Koi are cold-water fish, but benefit from being kept in the 15-25 degrees C (59-77 degrees F) range and do not react well to long cold winter temperatures, their immune system 'turning off' below 10 degrees C. Koi ponds have a meter or more of depth in areas of the world that become warm during the summer. In areas that have harsh winters, ponds that are a minimum of 1.5 meters (4 1/2 feet) are most common.
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. Herons, kingfishers, raccoons, cats, foxes, and badgers are all capable of emptying a pond of its fish. A well-designed outdoor pond will have areas too deep for herons to stand in, overhangs high enough above the water that mammals can't reach in, and shade trees overhead to block the view of aerial passers-by. It may prove necessary to string nets or wires above the surface. A pond usually includes a pump and filtration system to keep the water clear.
Koi are an omnivorous fish and will often eat a wide variety of foods, including peas, lettuce, and watermelons. Koi food is designed not only to be nutritionally balanced, but also to float so as to encourage them to come to the surface. When they are eating, it is possible to check koi for parasites and ulcers. Koi will recognize the person feeding them and gather around him or her at feeding times. They can be trained to take food from one's hand. In the winter, their digestive system slows nearly to a halt, and they eat very little, perhaps no more than nibbles of algae from the bottom. Their appetite will not come back until the water becomes warm in the spring. When the temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 °C), feeding, particularly with protein, is halted or the food can go rancid in their stomach, causing sickness.
Koi can live for decades. One famous scarlet koi, named "Hanako" (c. 1751 – July 7, 1977) was owned by several individuals, the last of which was Dr. Komei Koshihara. Hanako was reportedly 226 years old upon her death. Her age was determined by removing one of her scales and examining it extensively in 1966. She is (to date) the longest-lived koi fish ever recorded.
No comments:
Post a Comment