Koi

Koi

Koi Variety

Koi, or Nishikigoi, are the national fish of Japan. “Nishiki” describes a colorful fish in Japanese, and “Goiro Koi” means carp, so Nishikigoi can be translated as “colorful carp.”

Koi are thought to originate in the Middle Eastern region now known as Iran from a species of fish called Magoi, the common carp. Over a thousand years ago, Magoi were widely traded as a staple food source, exported to Japan, China, and Western Europe.

Koi were first bred in Japan in the 1820’s, initially in the town of Ojiya, of the Niigata prefecture. While they were still being bred for food, these brown fish occasionally produced red and blue mutations. Through selective breeding, the red and white variety was eventually perfected – recognizable as the modern ornamental Koi – in 1870.

More than a 100 color varieties have been bred from this single species of fish, including a glossy-scaled variety in Germany now known as the “mirror” or “German” carp.

The ideal set up for Koi is a pond of at least 1000 gallons with a fine gravel substrate, rocks and hearty plants. They like to eat the roots of plants and will dig to get to them, so provide large rocks around the base of the plants to protect them. Adequate filtration should be provided in order to maintain proper water conditions.

Koi can live over 200 years, but the typical lifespan is 25 to 35 years.

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