Koi Carp

The quiet beauty of clear water and green vegetation together with calming music in the background help you unwind and forget about life’s problems. Koi fish are a great pond fish, as they are very beautiful and entertaining, but also easy to keep. Your guests will be enchanted with their size and rich diversity of colors and feeding time is a great time to watch them as they huddle together to gobble their food.

Koi carp are grown for ornamental reasons and have swam in and glided over ornamental ponds for thousands of years. They are the basis for countless tales and myths and have captivated the interest of fish keepers all over the world.

In this article I will discuss some of the basics to keeping and raising Japanese koi carp. If you are new to this captivating hobby I suggest that you increase your knowledge on caring for koi fish before you spend money on building your pond and buying expensive fish. Koi should be considered as an investment and by thoroughly doing your homework will ensure that they live long and healthy lives. I’ve displayed two affordable books on raising koi carp at the bottom of this article. They are my recommendation for quality information on all aspects of keeping these stunning fish.

Japanese koi are variations of carp, which are well-known for being incredibly hardy fish. Most koi carp will thrive in cold-water environments, though cannot tolerate extended periods of very cold water temperatures. Japanese Koi are omnivorous, they eat a variety of animal and plant foods (Koi Fish Food). They can live for a number of years, but their usual life span is 25 to 35 years and they can grow up to 36 inches in length.

The breeding of koi carp fish first became popular among rice farmers of Japan. Through countless years of selective breeding they have produced many stunning colourful specimens that you see today. There are many different colors, with the major colors being black, white, red, yellow and cream, as well as short and long finned varieties. Japanese koi have become big business in Japan and individual unique specimens can sell for many thousands of dollars.

Koi Carp Health

 Losing your koi fish can be expensive and very disheartening. Fish could be lost through predation, jumping out of the pond and build up of toxins in their water. All these hazards can be eliminated by carefully planning your pond design and by educating yourself on keeping koi carp.

Fish can get parasites and have infections that cause sores or fin and gill rot if kept in poor water conditions, especially if their fins are damaged in some manner. Treatment is by medicated food, medication in the pond, or in serious cases by injectable antibiotics.

Fish with skin lesions characteristic of pox should be isolated without delay to limit spread of the disease. Make sure that the fish is eating and provide an environment that is as low in stress as possible by maintaining good water quality.

Carp pox disease (cyprinid herpesvirus-1 or CyHV-1) is caused by Herpesvirus cyprini that has wide geographic distribution and affects common carp and koi. Carp pox typically causes smooth raised growths or wart-like masses on the skin and fins of older fish. It can also be associated with high mortality in fry less than two months of age.  

Carp live in running water which has a different ecological balance from a still pond. For this reason it is important to pay attention to the koi pond environment and ensure your koi pond filter is working properly at all times in order to prevent illness.

Sexing Koi

Female koi carp tend to have more of a crisp ivory Shiro, meaning: white, on the nose especially in sexually mature Koi. Often times you will see large male Koi fish with a dull yellow or muddy white color in the head or nose while a female Koi fish of the same age, variety and size has a stunning white nose. With the lead up to spawning, female koi will be fat with eggs and male koi fish will be seen chasing them in their bid to fertilize their eggs.

Keeping Informed!

Koi keeping methods are constantly evolving, so it is your responsibility to sift through all the information that is made available from books and the internet and make informed decisions as to what approach is best for your pond and your koi.

Koi keeping is not a once off short term hobby. It is an engaging hobby that spans many years and it can be an expensive frustrating one if you don't start off properly. Koi keeping in itself is an art form, consider an investment in the recommended books displayed on this page to expand your knowledge. A degree of skill and expertise is required to maintain optimum conditions and prevent diseases.

If you are interested in purchasing some koi from a very reputable breeder, visit our online live koi fish for sale catalogue. You will be amazed at the stunning fish on offer!

Here are my recommended Koi Fish Reference Guides. They have been written by experience koi carp breeders with a tremendous knowledge of the fish and their requirements. Click the book images below to visit their sales pages and discover what they have to offer.