At first there was an ancient carp, a magician, dark and uninteresting, a vital link in the food chain in China, however, it was intended to be the forerunner of the magnificent “living jewels” that we enjoy today.
The accelerated transition to the beginning of the 20th century, when the colorful potential of these fish was discovered by the Japanese, more accidentally than by design, and manipulated them in exquisite designs now recognized by Nishikigo, which literally means “Brocaded Koi”.
Divorced for their artistic brilliance, modern day Koi come in a variety of colors, patterns and varying degrees of brilliance, making them exciting additions to the pond from the home garden. Well cherished for their ability to instill calm and inspire a sense of inner peace, Koi also love their abundant and diverse personalities. Without being particularly shy, they are usually very happy that they are being fed by hand, and they will still come to the surface to greet you when they are settled.
The ever-increasing range of Koi colors was once limited to red, black, white, orange, and yellow, but now includes shades of indigo, blue, gray, green, and cream.
For a beginner who absolutely appreciates Koi, you need to start with a basic understanding of the Japanese nomenclature to describe the practice of color, labeling, shape, scalability and brilliance.
For a start, this may be a bit crowded, but not so long ago, when the method underlying naming becomes easily understandable.
Starting with colors, it is always important to note that there are often two or more Japanese words of the same color, simply because one refers to the color of the base color, and the other to the color marking on top. For example, the Japanese word “red” may be “Hello”, meaning red marks on top of another color, or it may be “Aka”, which means continuous red skin. The name of the classification is determined by the combination of the corresponding descriptors.
Dictionary of Japanese Identification Words:
Ai - blue or indigo color
Aigoromo - blue or indigo color Goromo Koi
Ai Showa - Blue or Indigo Showa Koi
Aka - Red - considering only the base color of the fish
Asagi - Blue, referring to koi with a bluish body and red marks on the underside, pectoral fins and cheeks
Bekko - solid base color of red (aka), yellow (ki) or white (syro) with black marks (sumi)
Beni - Dark Red
Budo - the color of grapes
Cha Color - Brown
Chagoi - a brown variety of Koi marked its magnificent growth.
Doitsu - German carp - unscaled, called Leather Carp; or having a line of large scales along the side and dorsal lines called Mirror Carp
Fukurin - The area around the scales of metallic koi, which exhibits more brilliance than other areas.
Gin - Silver (metallic white)
GinRin - Pearl Reflective Scales
Goke - fish scale
Gosanka is a group of three main koi varieties - Kohaku, Sanok and Seva
Goshiki - Japanese means “five colors”. Refers to koi with a white base color, black and blue, overlaid with red marks.
Gotensakura - Kohaku variety of koi with an abundance of red spots
Hageshiro - predominantly black with a head and a muzzle, dressed with white or brown
Hagoroma - Aigorormo Special Variety
Gadzhiro - mostly black with tail and fins in white
Hariwake - White, metallic coy with gold or yellow marking
Hi - Red - refers only to the colored spots of the fish
Hikari - shiny or metallic
Hikari Moyo - Metallic with platinum and red or yellow
Hikari Utsuri - Tricolor Metal Coy with Black Marks - Metal versions of Sue and Utsuri
Hikari Mooji - one-color metallic koi, including Ogon and Matsuba
Inazuma - the “Lightning” pattern, most associated with Kohaku diversity
Kabuto - Japanese meaning "helmet". Refers to Koi with a different head color
Karas - the Japanese meaning of "Crow" - the old variety with black fins and black body
Kawarimono is a term applied to Koi that cannot be classified into standard types.
Ki - Yellow - refers only to the main color of the fish
Kin - Gold (metallic yellow)
Kin Rin - Pearl Reflective Scale
Kiwa - the edge of the patch or labeling
Kuchibeni - Lipstick
Matsuba - the term for scales with a pine thorn or a grid
Midori - green
Mono - type
Moyo - Picture Type
Muji - Monochrome
Nezu - gray color
Orange - orange color
Rin - Brilliant Scale
Shiro - White - refers only to the base color of the fish
Sumy - black - refers only to the colored spots of the fish
Tancho is the only strong red spot on the head.
Yamabuki - a pale yellow form of Ogoni metal koi
Interesting facts about Koi colors
If there is a color in the list of favorite attributes, it is important to assess the quality of the Koi color when choosing. Not only is the color brightness aesthetic choice, more importantly, it is an indicator of Koi's health status. I am red or orange - nothing but brilliant, if black is dull, or if the white color is not “snowy”, then this may indicate poor health. This can be the result of poor nutrition or poor water quality.
Some varieties of Coy actually change color due to temperature changes, rather than poor health. Matsukavabek is one of such breeds.
Koi Color can be improved with dietary supplements. Products with a high concentration of carotenoid pigments are very useful, and nutritional supplements such as spirulina (green algae), shrimp, plankton, daphnia and calendula are ideal. Carotene affects red pigmentation, but if used in excess, it can spoil Koi colors.
From time to time, Coy colors may be less magnificent because they have not yet reached their full potential. Young koi will regularly look a bit dull in early development, since the initial focus is to improve the shape and shape of the body instead of improving color. At a certain point in their maturity, the colors will begin to be more active.
Koi colors can also be improved by providing quality living conditions. Waters abundant in green phytoplankton can help develop strong yellow and red colors. Black color can be enriched with solid water with a pH of 7.5-8.5. However, be careful - a change in pH and water hardness can lead to toxic levels of ammonia and nitrite.
