Aquatic Gardens Ponds, Streams, Waterfalls & Fountains: Volume 1. Design & Construction Volume 2. Maintenance, Stocking, Examples V. 1 Print and eBook on Amazon V. 2 Print and eBook on Amazon   by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Grand Champion- Non Gosanke     5/26/12 Bob Its the same fish that won last year's Non Gosanke Grand Champion Trophy. The owner of the fish Mr. Chang Cheng Ann was kind enough to let me take photos of his prized Koi without the net over the pen. I asked him if he was going to enter next year's show to try for a triple crown. He said he might not want to risk it. The fish might die due to drastic changes in water quality. Right after he finished his sentence, someone was trying frantically to resuscitate his Koi in the next pen Perry <Ahh, very nice. B>

Koi/Goldfish Hybrid... Orfes   9/2/06 Hello, I have a 500-600 gallon pond in my backyard and was buying fish for it from my local Koi Farm, a home run operation with much experience and many giant Koi in even more unusually giant ponds. I decided that my pond was not deep enough to be ideal for Koi, (only 2 feet at deepest) so I would buy large comet goldfish instead. <Okay> At the Koi farm they had a very dark grey-black school of fish, about 3-4 inches in length, with silvery undersides.  According to the koi farm owners, they are a Koi Goldfish hybrid, and the owners did not know how large they would grow. <About two feet maximum... much more likely about eight-ten inches in your system> The farm was giving them away for free, and as they are in good health and very natural, nice looking fish (i prefer them to bright unnatural colored fish), I bought two, along with three similar sized comet goldfish. I then researched Koi Goldfish hybrids on the internet. The only information that I could find about them is that they are apparently sterile (fine by me, I do not intend to breed them) but are colored much like wild carp. <Most often, yes... though can be golden... other colors> I do not have experience of wild carp, but the color is definitely a greyish black, and could change as they mature (I only got them yesterday). They also seemed to school much more actively  and disciplined than the goldfish and koi at the farm. I was wondering if you have had any experience of hybrids such as these, and how large they potentially might grow. <Mmm, could be that these are crosses... might be that they're other variety of Nishikigoi/common carp (Chagoi...) Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/koivarieties.htm and the link at bottom. Bob Fenner> What kind of (koi?) I was wanting to know what the difference is between Chagoi, saragoi, and common carp? I have about ten brownish (koi?) some with golden bellies, some   with bluish silver scales on the sides. I am trying to figure out exactly what there name/type are. I can send a photo if that will help. Thank you for any help on this! <Mmm... well, all Nishikigoi/koi are the same species as the common carp (Cyprinus carpio)... Chagoi (brown to olive drab all over) are very close to the wild type... and are favored by some folk (me included) as a great pet to have with more fancy varieties in a collection. Soragoi/Saragoi are more shiny/metallic grey and are popular as well... to have one to a pond... though not spectacular in their own right. Here is a very good site for such a discussion: http://www.ponddoc.com/WhatsUpDoc/Koi/NEEsheegoi.htm Bob Fenner>

I think I have a true blue koi   6/4/06 good morning,    I am Hope and I am from Virginia, <I'm Bob in S. Cal.> last year my neighbor gave to me a very large Koi female, and a medium male... my female she said was black... but in my water  she looks a deep bluish, however when she spawned and the babies hatched they are a mid day sky blue with a darker blue running down the dorsal. right now each of these are 1 year old, a few have orange fins and a speck or two of either orange or red, <Hard to rid this in Shusuis, Asagis...> although most are solid blues.. some have yellow heads and fins... but on the ones that are blue, they have a metallic ring on the heads and it is turning almost  teal green... they are absolutely beautiful this year, however last year I was angry that I had them since they overtook my pond , I have a 45000 in ground old pool that I turned into my pond, ( I was trying to raise blue gills and catfish but now I have koi) <You understand why folks (particularly fisherfolk) are adamant about disallowing carp (same species, Cyprinus carpio) into lakes, ponds...> I can try to picture these if you would like... please help me to figure out what type of koi these are Hope Brickey <Please insert the terms above and read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/koivarieties.htm and the linked file... Bob Fenner>

Butterfly Koi repro. mostly   5/21/06 Hi, Bob et al.    <Leigh>   My husband and I have a large outdoor pond with 11 Butterfly Koi (2 to 5 years-10" to 15") down here in Texas. Queenie and George (I couldn't tell males from females when naming them) spawned this year, and yesterday we noticed several (about seven or eight) babies. They're only about 1 1/2" long. I'm worried that the big ones will eat the little ones. Is this a possibility? <Very unlikely. Koi/Carp don't eat their young, or small fishes... unless very small, incidental> I bought a little mesh cage to move the little ones into to get them away from the 11, but the pond is too big and they are too fast. Should I just accept the inevitable, or is there hope that these babies will not end up as breakfast? <These will likely not be eaten... will develop, grow here> I have finally come to grips with the fact that the adults ate most of the eggs...    <Yes, this is common>   Also, are there varieties of Butterfly Koi? <There are a few varieties/types, though they are all the same species (Cyprinus carpio), as are all "regular-finned" Nishikigoi/koi> Ours have very long, flowing silky fins and tails, and don't really resemble the pictures of Butterfly Koi on your site. Could we have something other than Butterfly?      Thanks!   Leigh from Houston <Mmmm, yours are probably just a bit older, nicer... Bob Fenner>

Silver Back Koi 7/28/05 I know you are a very busy man and I don't want to take up a lot of time but I have a question that was not spoken of in your article. I bought a Koi today for my father but I cant really find any information regarding the variety of the Koi. <There are many "undescribed", otherwise beautiful "varieties"... like dogs, koi are all the same species...> The Koi is snow white BUT the whole back and belly area is silver. Is there something special about the Koi or is that something common found in Koi's. <The Hikari (or metallic, shiny) properties of koi are prized... in some varieties purposely bred for, sought.> I have never seen one like that as to where my inquiry comes from. If you could find it possible to reply I would really appreciate it. Thank You Heini Falk <Mmm, the "value" of living beings is a subjective evaluation to some... I do hope you prize and enjoy this animal. Bob Fenner>

Brown Shusui? 7/17/05 I hope you can help me.  I have a three year old Butterfly Koi.  When I got him last spring he was black.  This year he has grown quite a bit and now has the markings of a Shusui but in tones of black to brown.  Is this common? <Not uncommon... koi do change color, markings> Does it have a name? <Mmm, am wondering...> All the other koi in the pond are normal beautiful koi but he stands out as a true beauty...to me anyway. Thanks for anything you can fill me in on. I can't seem to find any information on this coloring in this pattern. Suzanne Koglin Illinois <Well, this is actually how new "varieties" arise. Bob Fenner> X-files (Space fishes)... Hi Bob, <Nicole> I don't know if you guys have already seen this video, but if not, take a look at this! What do you think of it ? Is it a trick or what? http://www.koreus.com/media/poisson-tete-humaine.html <Did see this a while back... just a naturally occurring coincidence of bilateral markings on koi-carp heads that look something like a human face... Hey I saw Jesus, or was it Elvis (?) in my toast this very AM! Bob Fenner>

Why is the Kin Rin Koi so Rare? Hello, I was hoping you could tell me what makes the Kin Rin koi so rare. How much do they cost? Thank you Casey < http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/koivarieties.htm.  Good ones just rarely occur... price when small... let's say 10 cm., about forty dollars U.S. Bob Fenner> 

Distinguishing koi from any other gold fish Dear Robert I have a stocked pond. Over the past three years I have noticed new young fish appearing. These young fish are brown at first changing color over a few years. The larger fish in the pond were bought as koi. I am not a koi enthusiast and now wonder if, as they have bred so readily the fish are actually all koi. Can you tell me how to distinguish a koi please? One of the fish is approx 12" long and is light grey in color with the barbels.  <Ah! If you have just Koi (Cyprinus carpio, which is the same species as the common carp) and Goldfish (Carassius auratus...) in the system there are three possibilities of offspring. The two above and a dihybrid cross, often termed a Golden Orfe. But, considering the size of the individual you mention, this is almost certainly a Carp... and a "throw-back"... or less than attractive more natural colored individual. In culture it would likely be culled> I think it might be a ghost koi. The others are yellow, orange and mixed colors but not all the fish have barbels. I thought initially that if they did not have barbels, then they weren't koi. Is this correct? <Good question. Actually, if observed closely, you will find the Goldfish possess these barbels at the corners of their mouths as well. Bob Fenner> Carolyn

Aquatic Gardens Ponds, Streams, Waterfalls & Fountains: Volume 1. Design & Construction Volume 2. Maintenance, Stocking, Examples V. 1 Print and eBook on Amazon V. 2 Print and eBook on Amazon   by Robert (Bob) Fenner