Koi are extremely popular fish bred and cared for by hobbyists around the world. Koi is a Japanese word which means "carp" and includes the dull gray wild carp found in rivers and lakes for food, along with the brightly colored varieties. It is the vibrant koi fish that are bred for their appearance. Although the proper term for these "living jewels" is nishikigoi, most people, particularly those in the United States, refer to them simply as koi.

A Very Koi Story

The carp came from Central Europe and Asia where it was simply a food fish. It was the Chinese who started to propagate selected 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 wonderful color mutations, Japanese farmers in Niigata, a prefecture in Honshu, bred them for ornamental applications and produced a number of color designs. The first kind to be established is the kohaku, the red-and-white koi.

The Niigata koi was first exposed to the public in 1914 in the course of the annual exposition in Tokyo. The beautiful, colorful fish captivated all of Japan and many kept koi because they looked great for their water gardens. It did not take long before the entire world caught up on the hobby. Today, Niigata continues to be the home of the best koi breeders although you can buy koi from almost all pet stores. However, you have to go to specialized dealers if you prefer the higher-quality fish. Prices of koi vary based on the very koi-like quality of the fish.

Koi Attributes

You can find koi with various colors and patterns. The typical colors are white, black, red, yellow, blue and cream. Female koi are generally plump while the males are a lot more sleek with torpedo shapes. A matured koi can grow as much as 36 inches and weigh more than 17 pounds. The koi are hardy and tough, and can live for many years depending on their genetics and also living conditions. The oldest koi ever documented was "Hanako" that supposedly lived around 226 years.

The Koi are omnivores and 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 run away when disturbed, they usually know the person regularly 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 varieties of koi that are recognized by the color, pattern and also scales. There are some hybrids like the Ghost koi or the Butterfly koi that have also gained popularity but are not regarded as true Nishikigoi. One of the prominent varieties of the true Nishikigoi include the following:

- Kohaku - white koi with large red marks on top

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

- Showa Sanshoku - black koi with 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 colour of red, white or yellow with small black marks

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

- Shusui - doesn't have scales except for a single row of big mirror scales running along the dorsal area, from head to tail

Building Your Koi Pond Water Garden
If you want to keep koi, you will need to build them their habitat. It will be cruel to keep your koi fish in an aquarium because they can grow large and need ample space and depth to swim around. You need to build a koi pond water garden.

Preparing A Koi Garden
If you want to experience Mother Nature's beauty everyday right in your own backyard, you can do this by creating a koi garden. If there is already an existing pond in your property, why not add koi?

Establishing Your Customized Fish Tank - Golden Rules
When setting up your custom aquarium you need to follow some golden rules. It is extremely easy to destroy your own hard work by trying to take short cuts.

Salt Water Aquaria - Many Shapes And Sizes
Salt Water Aquariums come in a lot of different shapes and sizes. The number of fish you can keep will depend on the size of the tank that you buy.

Selected Possibilities Suitable For A Fish Tank In Your Home
Knowing where to locate your salt water tank is half the battle to providing a good home for your new fish. You do not want to put the tank too near sunlight.

How Preserving Fish Tanks In The Home Has Developed Over The Last Hundreds Of Years
When you buy your first custom fish tank you may be interested to know that centuries ago families kept these in their homes as a source of fresh fish.

Tropical Fish Guides Will Help You
Tropical fish guides will help you to distinguish from the multitude of fish on offer at your local pet store or aquarium center. There are so many different varieties to choose from and it helps to have a little bit of knowledge before you go shopping.

Custom Aquariums Need To Have The Right Location
Custom aquariums must be placed in the right location as they are not something that you will want to move on a regular basis. Even if you only buy a modest sized fish tank, once it has been filled with water it will become rather heavy.