A Brief History of Koi
Koi, or Nishikigoi (Cyprinus carpio), are descendents of
the common carp. In nature they are brown, but through selective
breeding by the Japanese, numerous colors and patterns were developed.
In the 17th century Chinese rice farmers began keeping carp in their
rice paddies. This practice found  its
way to Japan. The Japanese rice farmers begin to notice slight color
variations in a few of the carp and bred these "mutants"
into what eventually became what we now know as koi.
It wasn't until early in the 20th century that koi left Japan
and were raised in Europe and eventually North America.
Koi normally attain lengths of approximately 2 to 3 feet and
weight up to 35 lbs. Because of their large size, they should
only be kept in large ponds of at least 1000 gallons. Koi need
very good water quality to remain healthy. Sophisticated filtration
systems should be used to maintain this water.
Koi that have been well cared for have a life expectancy of
around 50-70 years and have been known to live to be over 200
years old.
Read more about Koi...
|
Products
