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Koi Carp
Posted December 7, 2009
The Koi carp, also known as the Japanese carp or Nishikigoi, is an ornamental version of the common carp. Just like the Chinese developed the goldfish from wild carps, the Japanese developed the Koi.
The common carp (Cyprinus carpio) was introduced to Japan 400 to 600 years ago but Koi breeding isn’t believed to have commenced until the 1820s. This makes Koi a much younger fish than the goldfish which has been selectively bred for over a millennium.
The first place to farm ornamental Koi carp was the town of Ojiya in the Niigata prefecture on the north-eastern coast of Honshu Island. Koi was more or less unknown in the west before 1914 when Niigata koi were exhibited in the annual exposition in Tokyo. After this, Koi keeping exploded in popularity in Japan and the rest of the world eventually followed. In Japanese, the word Koi simply means carp. The proper Japanese word for this ornamental fish is instead nishikigoi.
Koi come in a long row different types and colorations. Common colours include white, black, red, yellow, blue, and cream. New Koi types are constantly being developed and the Ghost Koi and Butterfly koi was for instance not developed until the 1980s. These are by some not considered true Koi (Nishikigoi).
Koi are hardy fish suitable for garden ponds and they will accept a wide variety if different foods. They are cold water fish and do well in the 15-25 degrees C (59-77 degrees F) range. They should not be kept below 10 degrees C (50 degrees F) as their immune system more or less turns off at that point. This can cause problems for them under long cold winters.
Note that goldfish are not Koi and Koi are not goldfish. They where developed in different countries with almost a 1000 years between them.
Some of the more common types of Koi are:
Asagi (浅葱?) A koi that is light blue above and red below.
Bekko (鼈甲?) A white-, red-, or yellow-skinned koi with small black markings, so called sumi (墨?).
Doitsu-goi (ドイツ鯉?) A German mirror carp with only a single line of large mirror-like scales along the top.
Goshiki (五色?) A black koi with red, white, brown, and blue accents.
Hikari-moyomono (光模樣者?) A koi with coloured markings over a metallic base, or a koi displaying two metallic colours.
Kawarimono (変わり者?) Any Koi that does not fit into any other classification.
Kinginrin (金銀鱗?) A koi with metallic scales.
Kōhaku (紅白?) A white-skinned koi with large red markings on the top. The first type ever to be classified.
Koromo (衣?) Koi with patches of blue- or black-edged scales.
Kumonryū (九紋竜?) Kumonryu is a black fish with curling white markings.
Ochiba (落葉?) A light blue koi with yellow patches.
Ōgon (黄金?) A koi of one color only, but with metallic scales.
Shōwa Sanshoku (or Showa Sanke) (昭和三色?) A black koi with red (hi 赤) and white (shiroji 白地) markings.
Shūsui (秋翠?) A koi that has no scales, except for a single line of large mirror scales dorsally, extending from head to tail.
Taishō Sanshoku (or Taisho Sanke) (大正三色?) Very similar to the Kohaku, except for the addition of small black markings called sumi (墨?).
Tanchō (丹頂?) Any koi with a solitary red patch on its head.
Utsurimono (写り者?) A black koi with white, red, or yellow markings.
Ghost koi A hybrid of Ogon and wild carp with metallic scales.
Butterfly koi A hybrid of koi and Asian carp with long flowing fins. This type was created in the US and introduced to Japan. Many do not recognize this and the Ghost carp above as true Nishikigoi.
Koi Types
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