Why are Koi so special?

 Koi, or Nishikigoi which translates to brocaded carp are large ornamental fish that are very docile animals that when kept under the right conditions will be one of the most rewarding creatures an individual can own.

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How do you breed koi?

  Koi carp are egg scatterers with slimmer, smaller males chasing the larger females before pushing them into weeds and expelling thousands of eggs and sperm together. Do nothing in a large planted pond and your koi may spawn of their own accord when the water warms in spring and summer. They eat their own eggs after spawning so wait to see if a few survive or remove the plants they spawned on and raise separately.  If you want to deliberately breed koi, separate a ripe female and two males and move them to a spawning vat containing only water, an airstone, and koi spawning brushes. On a sunny morning if the temperature is right they will spawn before the parents are placed back in the main pond and the eggs and fry are raised separately.  Professional breeders may even hand strip selected males and females, squeezing the fish’s flanks by hand and mixing eggs and sperm in a bowl. Fry can be placed in a growing pond consisting of green water and live Daphnia or raised on n...
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What is the difference between Japanese koi and domestic koi?

  While it is true that domestic koi are bred from Japanese parents and have much of the same bloodlines, they are not always the same.  First because the Japanese have about 200 years more breeding experience then we do.  Also because to breed the best koi you must start with the best parent koi.  But the absolute best koi never leave Japan so the breeders here in the US have a handicap right from the start.  They simply don't have access to the absolute best koi genetics.  However it's not fair to say all Japanese koi are better the all domestic koi.  There are low grade koi even in Japan.  What is fair is to say the very best Japanese koi are better then the very best domestic koi. But how many of you will be buying the very best koi in Japan?  Not many hobbyists these days are willing to spend more then a brand new BMW on one koi.  Most hobbyists will buy high grade and mid grade koi, koi that are still very beautiful and easily meet...
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What's the difference between Koi and Goldfish?

  Despite being two distinctly separate species many new hobbyists often get confused identifying the two, here are a few easy signs to look for. Koi have small barbels on either side of their mouth, these are absent on Goldfish. Koi reach sizes three times greater than Goldfish. Goldfish have a detached dorsal fin just before the tail, whereas on Koi it is attached to the full length of the body.
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