The vibrant colors and defined patterns of a koi are what attract breeders, collectors, and competitors alike to these gorgeous fish. They come in such an enormous variety, collectors take pride in finding members of specific varieties or, even more exciting, a new, exotic type of koi. While experts have used traits to categorize koi specifically, the sheer number of possibilities in appearance makes it impossible to classify every koi. This is very attractive to an enthusiasts who want a koi with a truly unique appearance.
Beauty is not the only benefit to a koi's color. A koi can tell it's owner (or potential owner) a lot about itself through the color he or she exhibits. Koi in failing health will begin to show changes in their color and even their color patterns. Poor water quality can cause a koi's once defined markings to "blend" and their color to fade or change. This is important to know and to be able to recognize in a fish you are considering purchasing and adding to your already healthy population. It is, of course, also vital in maintaining that healthy population as you can recognize an illness or infection in its earliest (and most treatable) phases.
Your fish can even tell you if he is eating well through his color. The more caratenoid pigments a koi ingests, the brighter his color may be. Commercially prepared food is often made with this in mind. Owners will also often feed their koi shrimp, certain algaes and other foods with high volumes of caratenoid pigments to enhance their color. If your koi's color is fading you may want to take a look at his diet.
Your koi can also tell you what category he or she would compete in (should you choose) and how valuable he or she might be. Familiarity with the varieties can prove helpful in determining much about a fish.
The list of koi classifications is significant. So, let's just go over a few of the more popular, basic categories:
Kohako Koi
The Kohako Koi is said to be the father of the koi as this was the first ornamental variety established. This fish is mostly white with red or orange markings (fitting as Kohako means "red and white").
Hikari Koi
Hikari koi are popular as they exhibit a very attractive trait: they appear to shine, much like a precious metal.
Ogon Koi
While they may be orange, yellow, red, gold, platinum and even cream (very rare) each Ogon koi exhibits one solid color all over his or her body.
These are just a few of the many varieties and categories of koi fish. Awareness as to which category your fish belongs to will assist you in determining its value and its well-being. For example, an Ogon koi should be exactly the same hue throughout it's body. If you have a healthy platinum ogon (or white koi as they are commonly called), you will see that it is a pure, snowy white. If your fish shows some graying or speckles you may have a problem. The same applies to the Kohako koi. The white should be pure and the markings should be deep in color and well defined.
Learning a little about koi colors [out] and keeping an eye on your fish's appearance, you'll be able to spot ailments quickly and deal accordingly. Armed with knowledge you will be able to choose koi discerningly and care for them properly.
I'm Brook Matters. My husband Thomas, and I live in California with our two children. Tom and I created http://www.ekoifishsecrets.com as a free resource for anyone interested in the hobby of caring for koi.
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