01 September 2011

The Koi past and future

Koi, or Nishikigoi, become quickly popular in the United States. However, few know of thier origins.

The first Koi have been produced by breeding carp such as Asia and German Carp. After years of selective breeding, various mutations of color began to appear. First color patterns were recorded as early as 1805. There are now literally thousands of variations of colors available. The most popular colors found are white, silver, yellow, orange, red, black, blue and green. Combined with available models, the possibilities are almost unlimited. Each noticeable trend and color their own names, which are generally as unique as the color, they are referring too. The favorite types vary by country and location.

Koi are raised for purchase in countries such as the Japan, Singapore, Israel and in warmer States like Nevada and California. Koi can be bought at most pet stores. If they do not share stock, generally that they can be ordered. Koi command has its advantages and disadvantages. You have more options when ordering Koi, since you do not have to choose the share stock, but the disadvantage lies in the fact that you cannot select specific Koi.

Koi, unlike most other fish, will continue to grow until they reach their size dictated from races, regardless of the environment that they are in. Baby Koi are as small as 3 inches. Jumbo Koi were even know to reach lengths of three feet or more. Most often found size is about two feet in length.

Koi are omnivorous fish, which means that they will eat meat and plants. This means that their diet is very versatile. Koi eat everything that you put in the pond with them, no matter if it's good for them or not. Since Koi do not have a sense of what is bad and good for them, as their owner you need to control their diet. Another potential problem is on food treats. Yet once, Koi do not have the knowledge to know when to stop eating and weight issues can come from overfeeding no nutritional food. Healthy treats for Koi are what they are naturally in ponds, such as earthworms and tadpoles, but it will not affect feed the Koi treats such as lettuce, bread, fruits and vegetables. You must pay particular attention to certain foods, such as corn, beans and grapes, because they contain an outer envelope, which cannot be digested properly if swallowed by Koi. If you must feed this type of your Koi Food, be sure to completely remove the outer envelopes before giving to your Koi.

Koi are no-aggressive fish. This means that they are not suitable for living with other fish such as Goldfish or comets. The only question that you may find is smaller, less able to fish can suffer from lack of food, such as Koi are fast eaters. Koi are so mellow that they have even been known to be trained to eat their owners hand. Koi have no teeth, so you will not get bit if you decide to try to feed your Koi in your hand.

Koi have been known to live up to 30 years under the right conditions, so if you want to buy Koi, you must account for this. The record for the oldest Koi is held by a Japanese Koi, which had 233 years when he died.