In this part . . .
Chapter 1
Going “Koi Kichi” — Crazy for Koi
In This Chapter
Discovering koi: More than just a pretty fish
Seeking your own level of koi enjoyment
Grasping the basics of a koi pond
Sneaking a peak at the routine
Taking care: A positive approach to your koi’s health
Rallying with a club: All for one, one for all
Introducing activities to grow a koi obsession
G etting started with koi may seem to take a lot of effort. So what’s to love about them — they’re just fish, right? Sure, like a diamond’s just a lump of carbon or a Beatles’ song is just a collection of musical notes. Koi are the ultimate in fish, combining size, beauty, and grace in one plump package (or rather several plump packages because koi don’t like to live alone). Because their ponds are designed to literally complement the fish, the ponds add to the aesthetics of koi ownership. When you watch koi slowly wheel around in their pond, you’re observing creatures who occupy another world, one without strife, argument, crowded roads, or any of the other dubious benefits of civilization.
But you didn’t pick up this book to figure out our philosophy of koi-keeping, although you’ll probably find it sprinkled in here and there. You wanted to know what koi are, what it takes to keep them, and what makes seemingly normal people get crazy about them.
Your questions have you headed in the right direction and you’re in the right place. This is the book that tells you how to get started with koi, how to keep them alive and healthy, what to feed them, and how to distinguish the different varieties.
Appreciating the Beauty of Koi: The Underground Fad
Koi can help bring beauty and serenity into your life, and you can enjoy them for those reasons alone. Watching your koi gracefully turn in the seemingly bottomless waters before they come to the surface to nibble food from your fingers can be a calming end to a hectic day.
But koi have another level of appreciation and it’s based on their classification. Many koi have been selectively bred to exhibit a particular color or pattern. Depending on the criteria you select, koi come in about 13 varieties. Each color or pattern has a Japanese name, which is where the koi terms you may have heard come into play. With the help of Chapter 2, you’ll be able to recognize the basic koi colors.
Koi also have Japanese names for the subcategories of skin type and markings, but, alas, that discussion’s beyond the scope of this book. (We wanted you to have something to look forward to on your first trip to Japan, the koi-keeper’s Mecca!)
Just like purebred dogs, koi have various levels of quality, with some Kohakus, for example, being better than other Kohakus. You can always read about a good breed, but going to a koi show to watch the judges evaluate the fish is a lot more fun. In Chapter 16 we provide some pointers on what you can expect from these koi shows and reasons why you should go even if you’re not entering the competition.
Of course, lots of koi don’t fit into specific categories; these mixed strains, whose parents were of two different color- or scale-types, are still gorgeous but don’t match the standard classifications. Although you aren’t able to show these koi in a competition, they add lots of color and interest to your pond. We include a color-photo section in this book so you can see the myriad colors of koi that just may leave you starry-eyed.
The Three Types of Koi-Keepers
Koi-keeping often becomes quite a social pastime, although not necessarily so. If you do interact with other enthusiasts, it may help to know what you have to look forward to (and where you may be heading as well!).
The koi market has three levels of koi-keepers:
The koi kichi (koi crazy) bunch: These folks buy very expensive koi, so it follows that they know a lot about koi and how to keep them. These individuals feel the best koi are
nishikigoi (koi from Japan) and they’re able to pay the price. Not surprisingly, this is the smallest of the three groups.
The competitive sort who set koi-keeping boundaries: The second level of koi fanciers are those who enjoy koi, exhibit them in competitions, and form the backbone of koi clubs. They buy good koi no matter where the koi hails from (although all things being equal, they, too, prefer Japanese koi).
The casual hobbyists: The third group is by far the largest. These hobbyists want good-looking fish that get big and do well in a pond. They want fish with
bling (which explains why metallic koi are so popular in the United States!). Some of these individuals eventually join the competitive middle group, and some even move into the upper echelon of the koi kichi group. But as casual hobbyists, they furnish most of the money that runs the koi industry, and they’re happy with koi from Israel, Hawaii, South America — basically anywhere.
Knowing the Essentials for Any Koi-Keeper
Before we really get started, we want to point out some essentials concerning these fascinating fish and what goes into keeping them.
The winner for “Most Obvious”: Koi
Koi do get big (24 inches or more) and they need a good-sized pond, but you can have just as much fun with a $10 koi as one that costs $...
