So you think you might like to raise koi...or at least have a few in your pond?.

How about a short history of these beautiful and fascinating fish. The koi is believed to have originated in eastern Asia. It is thought that farmers working in rice fields saw brightly colored fish swimming in their paddies and captured them to breed, thus creating an ornamental fish. The word "koi" in Japanese means "carp". A homophone of koi means "love affection" and koi are therefore symbols of love and friendship in Japan. Koi are thought to have been bread from as far back in history as the 4th century in China, but it took the invention of the plastic bag to distribute them throughout the world.

Koi come in many varieties and the Japanese names are mainly descriptors of colors. The actual varieties of koi are limitless and koi will actively breed in your pond to create new and sometimes unusual patterns. The koi breeder will segregate the koi by color and pattern and breed for the most desirable traits of color maturity and body shape. Koi are broken down into category and the most popular is Gosanke. These are made up of Kohaku, Taisho Sanshoku, and Showa Sanshoku varieties. Most fish sold in pet stores are of this variety and are the culled fish from breeders ponds. These are the fish that don't meet the high standards of the breeders for prize fish. For most of us they are still beautiful and make wonderful pond fish for your back yard.

The following are examples the major named varieties.

* 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. 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 - 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
* 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 these terms can be very involved and since I don't speak Japanese, quite confusing, most people who keep koi are only interested in having fish that are pretty and healthy. Pretty is of course a matter of preference, but healthy is a matter of necessity, thankfully koi are a hardy breed and need little support to stay healthy and happy in your pond. Three factors are an absolute must have to keep koi healthy. Water (obvious) oxygen and adequate depth. A well designed pond will provide these necessary elements with very little effort on your part. Water is provided by you and the environment (rain). Oxygen is also provided by you, by installing an adequate filtration system ( I will elaborate on this in future blog posts) to keep the oxygen exchange at the surface of the pond active, through the use of water falls and streams. The depth of the pond is also determined by you or your pond builder, don't skimp on this as koi are susceptible to rapid fluctuations in water temperature. These fluctuations can stress the fish and lead to disease and death.

Many home owners build their own ponds for keeping koi and do it very successfully. If you want a pond in your environment and don't feel you have the skills or time to take on this type of project contact me and I will gladly quote your project for free.

Koi are amazing fish and will give you hours of beautiful time spent in your yard watching and feeding them. These fish are easily trained to feed from your hand and each fish has a personality you will get to know by interacting with them. I highly recommend this rewarding hobby and keep several koi myself. The fish are long lived and grow quite quickly. They are a joy to all who see them...So take the plunge and invest a little time and sweat equity and you will be rewarded with a tranquil environment to enjoy year round.

Doug Coe
Dreamscape Water Gardens