KOI IDENTIFICATION: Koi fish, often referred to as Nishikigoi, are the product of hundreds of years of select breeding between common Asian and German carp. Koi fish come in a variety of colors ranging from pure white to yellow, orange, red, blue, black, even green! Their patterns and color combinations are unique to each individual koi fish. The most popular koi are typically a combination of red, black, and white. Some koi come with long fins (Butterfly Koi) or can be breed without scales (Doitsu Koi). Ponds whose koi breeds are well represented and balanced in numbers really show well. Everyone has their own particular favorites, what's yours? At North County Ponds, we enjoy viewing and caring for all types of Japanese koi.
ASAGI (Ah-Sog-Ee)
Asagi are fully scaled, nonmetallic fish with a long history. Some pond owners see them as unrefined, dull, and not proper koi at all. Certainly they are an acquired taste, far removed from the brilliantly tri colored modern Showa or the flashy koi grouped in Hikariutsuri. But their quiet elegance serves as a counterpart to their more exotic pond mates and they also have the potential to grow very large. Probably the most common of the Japanese koi. Ideally, the back of an Asagi should be evenly covered in scales that are pale blue at the spot where they enter the skin, but are a darker blue as they grow out. The sharper the definition between these two shades, the more impressive the koi will look.
SHUSUI (Shoo-Soo-Ee)
Shusui means “autumn water” in Japanese. At first sight, these mirror-scaled koi seem to have little in common with Asagi, but Shusui are actually the product of crossing Asagi with a German mirror carp in 1910 by Yoshigoro Akiyama, resulting in the very first Doitsu scaled koi breed. The color distribution is essentially the same as in the Asagi, but because there are no normal scales to give an overall reticulated effect, the smooth, sky-blue back is instead highlighted by the Doitsu scalation. In good examples, these armored scales form a regular pattern on the shoulders of the koi and then run in two lines on either side of the dorsal fin, returning to a single line towards the tail.
GOROMO (Go-Row-Mo)
This is a white koi with the hi pattern similar to Kohaku, but each red scale is edged in black or dark blue, reminiscent of their Asagi ancestry. Good Ai Goromo are judged much like good Kohaku, with all the qualities expected of that variety: snow-white skin, deep crimson hi, and an interesting traditional or modern pattern. The dark lining along the scales appears only faintly when the koi is young and may take years to come out fully. Too much sumi early in life is an indication that this color will eventually overwhelm the koi. But in mature koi, the sumi should be evenly distributed over all patches of hi, with the exception of the head.
GOSHIKI (Go-She-Key)
This is probably the most diverse koi variety known. Goshiki, meaning "five colored" in Japanese, are said to be five-colored koi, although sometimes you'd be hard pressed to pick out the red, black, white, light blue, and dark blue color tones that are said to be available. Even further, a sixth color - purple - is formed when black and blue overlay one another. Goshiki have strong Asagi lineage, which lends a reticulation to some or all of the scales. Gin-Rin Goshiki and Doitsu Goshiki add even more complexity to an already fathomless variety.
KAWARIMONO (Kah-Wa-Ree-Moe-No)
Kawarimono is a broad classification used for a wide variety of non metallic koi that don't fit into other classes. Some examples are breeds of their own, while others display "one-of-a-kind" color and patterning. Furthermore, certain koi are placed in Kawarimono because they deviate so much from the judging criteria applied to what would typically be their own variety. For instance, the Kanoko Kohaku, which displays a dappled hi pattern, is benched Kawarimono because it would never be able to compete with conventionally marked Kohaku.
 
If your pond is new or old, large or small, North County Ponds is trained in a variety of pond care services including regular pond maintenance, on-call pond services, pond clean-outs, complete filter system installs, pond water treatments, system cleanings, pond sealing, koi medicating, koi and fish care, algae control, aquatic plant care, and all other aspects of pond and lake management. Call North County Ponds at 760-710-1632 for questions, pricing info, or to schedule a free pond consultation.
 
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