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Why Koi?
Koi fish are a great hobby. They also help you to relax
and relieve stress. Koi are particularly fun to watch eat. Although Koi will
eat many natural food sources such as algae and other natural pond
residents, the greatest pleasure for many Koi keepers is in hand feeding
them. They will even eat lettuce and watermellon!
Water gardeners have been known to stock their ponds with
many different kinds of fish. My husband's first thought was to stock it
with bass to be sure he would catch some this spring. My first thought was
-- this would be the end of "you shoulda seen the one that got away".
You'll see everything from bass to blue gill, goldfish, trout, catfish, salmon,
tadpoles and carp.
By far the most popular fish of water gardening is the beautiful,
colorful and friendly Koi. These carefully cultivated carp-like conundrums
from the land of the rising sun have captivated the imagination of pond owners
and their visitors worldwide.
This article will help you explore the magical attraction
these swimming jewels have created in their admirers. With genealogy
that's deeply imbedded in Japanese culture and history, Koi are considered
water gardening royalty but they actually have blue-collar
roots.
Koi are really a fancy variety of the common bottom feeding
carp. They are most comfortable using their famous whiskers for rooting
around the rocks and rubble of their natural environment. As a member of
the carp family, they are very hardy and not nearly as difficult to raise,
as some would have you believe.
Koi are an integral part of Japanese culture similar to
having cats and dogs in America. But, most Koi outlive their owners and
are often passed down from one generation to another. In one pond,
scientists from a local university tested the scales (the same trick used
to tell the age of trees) and found that the oldest fish was 226 years old
and two of his chums (pardon the pun) were 180 and 156
respectively.
According to historical accounts, Koi breeding in Japan
dates back to the 17th century in the village of Yamakoshi where they were
bred as a protein supplement to rice. Several hundred years ago, in the
mountains of Niigata, a farmer noticed a red carp swimming among the black
carp they raised for food. Years of selective breeding have created hundreds
of unique varieties of Koi that we enjoy today. Out of the frying pan into
the status of national fish of Japan.
The Tancho Koi, which sports a large red circle on its head,
is known as the symbol of the rising sun on the Japanese flag. For that reason,
Tancho is the most coveted Koi in and out of Japan. Breeders from Israel
and the US always procure their inventory from Japan in order to claim Japanese
heritage. Today Koi are bred in every country and considered to be
the most popular fresh-water ornamental pond fish and are often referred
to as being "living jewels" or "swimming flowers".
Most water gardeners, are not as interested in showing Koi
as they are in enjoying them so here are a few facts that may make your
Koi watching less expensive and more interesting and fun.
The most common Koi found here in American water gardens
fall into three general categories.
1) Pond raised - first most common and least expensive.
2) Ornamental quality - second most common and more
expensive.
3) Show quality - competition breed and quite expensive.
Pond quality Koi are available from local pet stores, online,
or from local breeders. They have mixed bloodlines, have no papers and are
not suitable for competition. But they are very inexpensive and every
bit as friendly, beautiful and enjoyable as their more expensive counterparts.
Ornamental quality Koi will have been breed from good
quality parents, have bloodlines, good conformation, and beautiful coloration.
Ornamental Koi however, have unbalanced patterns, with flaws in their
skin and coloring. Unless one of your nosy neighbors is an expert,
no one will be able to detect the imperfections.
Show quality Koi are expected to have good bloodlines, good
body conformation, shiny and unflawed skin, sharp edges and balance in
their patterns. These Koi come from show quality parents.
Most of us will stock our ponds with pond or ornamental
quality Koi but it is interesting to become familiar with the varieties
which make up 95% of Japanese Show quality Koi. The first three categories
are referred to as Gosanke (Japanese for three families) or otherwise
known as "The Big Three". The primary concern in valuing any Koi is the intensity
of their color, and the degree of contrast.
The Big Three are Kohaku, Sanke, and Showa.
Kohaku - Beautiful white Koi each with distinctively unique
red markings. No two Kohaku have the same markings, therefore there are various
sub-categories which refer to the type of red and white pattern. In
addition to intensity of color and degree of contrast the most valuable of
the Kohaku has a clearer cut and stark contrast. The Japanese have
named the crispness of the pattern's edge. It's called "kiwa"
Sanke - In the early 1900's a new variety of Koi emerged
with some unique black markings to the red and white Kohaku. This new category
was called Sanke or Sanshowku.
Showa - In the 1930's another new variety of Kohaku developed
that featured red and white markings against a jet-black base.
Hikarimujil - The forth category is the most popular in America
and is known as "light without pattern". The "light" refers to a bright
metallic sheen. They are "without pattern" meaning one color: black,
green, red, yellow, blue or gold. They are truly unique among Koi.
Kawarigoi - The fifth category, in translation means
"changing" or "different". All the varieties named and unnamed that either
have unstable characteristics, or do not fall into any other recognized
category fall into the category of Kawarigoi. Into this group, there are
literally hundreds of different examples as well as any new varieties that
may emerge. Known lovingly as mutts, some spectacular some bizarre, this
category has had many champions.
Size counts. -The most important factor in determining the
value of Koi is in its size. The bigger, the more valuable. Some Koi can
get to be a 3 feet long. It appears that depending on their age and under
optimum conditions Koi can grow almost an inch per month or faster.
Conformation - The next most important factor is shape. The
most valuable shape is "torpedo-like".
Skin, color intensity and clarity are also very important
in evaluating the value of Koi. There should be no flaws or blemishes in
the skin; next intensity, balance and clarity of color pattern will be
judged. The more intense, balanced and clear the colors are the higher the
value.
A final word on breeders. Koi Farming is a culling and sorting
process, which separates the serious breeders from the recreational
breeders. Breeding Koi are kept in dirt ponds until early spring. Then
they take them out and separate the males from the females, inject
the females with a special hormone that makes them fertile. The strip the
eggs from the females and the sperm from the males and put them into an indoor
hatchery. The fry are born in 4-7 weeks and after one more week they are
put into a "grow out" pond to grow for another 6-8 weeks. Then the
culling or sorting begins.
In the first cull they keep 25-50 % of the best quality Koi
and sell the rest at reduced prices to other hatcheries. During the next
2 months they grow to between 4 -6 inches long. The best 10-40% is
kept grown 2 more months to between 6-8 inches long. The final group
of select thoroughbreds will be cultivated for another season until
they reach 12-18 inches long and are ready for sale. Consequently,
the larger the fish, the higher the quality. The truly expensive fish
will be 12-18 inches long before being sold.
All in all, if you have a water garden you should consider
Koi. There are many colorful inexpensive Japanese Koi to be found. These
"Living Jewels" behave like family pets, they can be trained and they enjoy
being hand fed. They will bring you years of pleasure and they add
color and personality to your water garden. |
