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By Susanne Talbert (art_n_garden)
Understanding koi varieties can sometimes be difficult. There are so many different variables of color and markings, and on top of that these variables can be combined to create distinct koi varieties. For the purposes of this article, we will treat the koi types in their most basic form for ease of understanding.
Koi is the shortened version of nishikigoi, the Japanese word for Cyprinus carpio which is bred and kept in water gardens around the world. The easiest way to identify a koi is by looking for 2 sets of barbels near the koi's mouth which look like whiskers. You can also identify the variety of koi by the color formation.
Main koi color and scale variations When you read about koi, their colors will be identified by their Japanese names. It can be very confusing unless you know what each word means and how it is used. As body color or color shapes, the four main colors are referred to as the following:
Koi Varieties
Gin Rin (Geen-Reen) Gin Rin refers to any koi with a shimmery appearance to their scales; stemming from Gin meaning silver or metallic and Rin meaning shiny scales. Any koi variety can have Gin Rin scales, such as the Gin Rin Kohaku below.
Doitsu (DOYT-zoo) Doitsu refers to koi with large scales down their back and no other scales on their body. This feature was bred into Japanese koi from German carp. Any type of koi can have Doitsu scales, such as a Doitsu Kohaku. In the photo below, you can see the large "zipper" scales down the koi's back and the fish is otherwise scale-less.
Long Fin Koi Long fin koi, also known as butterfly koi and formerly dragon carp, are an interesting addition to koi breeding and hobby keeping. Their long flowing fins are striking in the water garden and add a whole new dimension to hobby koi keeping. With recent advances in their color breeding, long fin koi are available in a variety of color types such as Kohaku, Showa, and Bekko. If you want to read more about how long fin koi came into popularity this link has an interesting firsthand breeder's account. For an excellent illustration on different koi types, check this link.
Can you pick out all the koi varieties in this video?
Koi typing has a massive amount of gray area especially in the hobby portion of the field. Sometimes it is nearly impossible to identify a non-show quality fish, which most water gardeners have, in a specific category. Of course that doesn't make these fish any less valuable or beautiful in the home water garden. Mutts are just as beautiful to water gardeners!
So long as you enjoy your koi, it doesn't matter what they look like or which category they fall under. Enjoy your koi and your water garden this season!
:::::: Photo credits: Photo of hand fed koi and BeaHive's water garden: Bernadette Ducasse Gin Rin Kohaku and Showa: DG member and koi breeder Laserkoi Tancho: DG member themir Kohaku: Ian John of backyardpuddle.com Bekko, Asagi, Shusui, Hi Bekko, and Platinum Ogon: Free use images from Wikipedia Commons All other images belong to the author Sources: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/a.antonio/antoniokoi_007.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddeo1ckdS6o
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