“We Bring Water to Life”

Waterfall Design Center

Last Updated: June 14, 2011

Let Outdoor Living Designer Dennis Sukut create the spectacular sanctuary and waterfall of your dreams!

Selecting Koi

Japanese art of water gardening and keeping Koi for pets, is a hobby that has been gathering momentum for the past 30-40 years.  Viewing a pond and its Koi inhabitants can be very easy on the eye and restful to the mind. Small wonder the Japanese value it so highly, for it beckons you to sit awhile and let your thoughts drift to far-off places of tranquility and beauty.  The Koi companions in this oasis are long-lived, hardy, peace-loving, friendly and become pet fish like no other.  They can be tamed to eat out of your hand and will put on an exhibition of color and welcoming excitement when they see you walking towards them.   So what does a hobbyist need to know before choosing a new pet Koi for their pond?  The answer to that question starts with the hobbyist considering two points. First, what is the yard location of the pond is it in a shady or sunny place?  Second, will the Koi be a family pet, a contestant in a Koi show or both?  The high quality requirements seen in a Koi for show can make for very expensive Koi. However, we can use of standards show judges use to make a decision about Koi quality.  According to Tack Kuroki, Chairman of Zenn Nippon Airinki, “there are excellent, good, ordinary, and bad Koi””.  Excellent Koi have no flaws, only perfection. This is a rare Koi. Good Koi have both good and bad points. Most prize Koi have this. Ordinary Koi have neither good nor bad points. Bad Koi have only flaws.  The question begging now is what are, flaws, perfection, good and bad points when determining Koi quality.  I will use the general critical requirements that a Koi Show Judge will use to determine Koi quality.

     General critical requirements include:  1.) head, body, fin shape/confirmation  2.) color  3.) pattern style  4.) elegance and, 5.) imposing appearance.   I will briefly discuss each requirement, hoping to leave you with a basic skill for choosing a Koi that will best fit your Koi keeping hobby style.       

     Starting with the confirmation, consider the shape and size of the head and fins as they relate to the body.  The balance between head, fins and body is important so that it isn’t distracting from appreciating the rest of the Koi.  Fins that are too small for the body size, heads that are pointed, short or any combination of undesirable shapes, may take away from the Koi overall appearance.     

       Second to consider is the color of the Koi.  There are three basic colors, white with color patterns, black with color patterns or single colored Koi.  The single colored Koi have no patterns, but are simply a solid single color. The varieties can be white, yellow, and orange, just to name a few. They offer beautiful simplicity to the eye.  The white Koi with color patterns will not have black pattern below the mid line of the body or on its head.  These Koi are easier to see if the pond is in a shady location.  The black Koi do have black pattern below the body mid line and on their head.  A reason to keep this in your mind has to do with pattern growth predictability.  I once asked a Japanese Koi farmer if he could predict how a Koi was going to “finish out” by looking at a photo of a Koi. First he commented “only God knows how a Koi will finish out”.  He then he gave the following advice.  Decide if the Koi is black or white, whatever color it is, that color will surely grow with the Koi.  So for example, if you are considering a 5 inch red and white Koi, then the white will grow and there is a chance the red will stay the same size no matter what length the Koi becomes.  You could end up with a big white Koi with red freckles.

     That leads us to the third criteria pattern style.  The pattern most appealing is one that has harmony with the body size and is interesting.  As I mentioned before, a hobbyist can bring home a new pretty 5 inch red and white Koi, with a wonderful red pattern in one, two or more places on its back.  Two years later, that same pretty Koi is a huge white whale with a small red dot on its back, and probably not as appealing to view.  There are ways of assessing a Koi to decide whether or not that red spot is “finished” or if it might “grow” with the Koi.   Keep in mind, part of the joy of Koi is watching them change over the years. 

     The fourth criteria to remember as you are judging which Koi is going to be your next prized pet, is elegance.  Watch how the Koi is swimming. Is the Koi graceful, swimming at a funny angle, are the fins out or clamped to the body as it moves across the water.  Observe for damage or genetic defects such as torn, split, deformed fins, missing eyes or fins.  What is the Koi attitude?  Is it swimming with the “crowd”?

Will it swim towards you or stay far away as possible from you?  This can be an indicator of a health problem, but often this communicates if it is a “friendly” Koi, or one that will be hard to tame.

     The final critical requirement when considering your new pet is the imposing appearance of the Koi  The imposing appearance of a Koi leaves much room for individual thought, unlike the first four criteria which are measurable.  This is where the “art” of Koi keeping and choice of Koi becomes very personal.  The chosen Koi may have many flaws when measured against the four criteria previously described, but it appeals to the hobbyist.  The Japanese have a term for this occasion.  It is said a person has found a Koi that is “pleasing to the eye”. To be sure, this has much value to the hobbyist, if not more than all the other criteria lumped together.  One of my favorite Koi is an ochiba shuguri (autumn leaf) female with too big of a belly, and too small of pectoral fins.  She swims sideways, like she is banking around a corner at 90 mph, but she has a clean head, a lovely pattern and beautiful glitter scales, all that can only be appreciated during the fall/winter months, but she eats out of my hand.  Need I say more?

     As a final note, once a hobbyist has made a choice which Koi has the most appeal to them, the next question I’m often asked is “what gender is this Koi???”  Adult females will often have a “box car” look to their bodies with a sudden narrowing just before the tail.  Adult male bodies will be more streamlined or torpedo shaped.  This can be seen when viewing from above or at a side angle.  I have seen “skinny” females and “well fed” males which made it difficult to discern a difference between genders.   Another way to separate the genders is to feel the front edge of the pectoral fin along the leading ray.  During spring and early summer the males larger than 3-4 inches long will develop bumps called tubercles, while the females will feel smooth. Sometimes the bumps can be felt on the gill plate.  Only the largest of male Koi will have these tubercles year round.

     I hope you are more enriched about Koi and have many years of enjoying the beautiful tranquility of your pond and pet Koi have a nice day,

~Dee Dee.

Call me if you have any questions.

References:

1)      Takeo Kuroki: Modern Nishikigoi Basic Varieties and Unique Koi: 1987

2)      Associated Koi Clubs of America: Practical Koi Keeping :Volumes 1,2,and 3

3)      Erik L. Johnson, DVM; From the Pages of MAKC News: Volume 1

4)      Peter Waddington; Koi Kichi:1995

Back