Did you know that koi fish are actually a type of carp? These beautiful fish are found in Japan and China, and they come in a variety of colors including orange, yellow, white, black, and blue. Koi fish can grow up to 3 feet long and weigh up to 100 pounds! In this blog post, we will discuss some fun facts about koi fish. We will also provide tips on how to care for these amazing creatures.
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14 Fun Koi Fish Facts
Without further ado, here are some koi fish facts.
Koi were originally introduced to Japan as a source of food.
However, koi were found to taste bad so they were discarded into rivers and lakes.
The koi that survived began to breed and the koi fish we see today were born.
Koi descended from Carp.
Carp are a type of fish that can be found all over the world.
The word koi actually comes from the Japanese word “Nishikigoi”, which means “brocaded carp”.
Farmers developed the koi
Farmers developed the breed by selecting koi fish that had desirable traits, such as bright colors.
Koi are considered lucky
In Japan, koi are a symbol of good luck and fortune. They can be found swimming freely in many rivers and lakes throughout the country. Koi fish have been known to jump out of ponds if they feel threatened by predators like raccoons or herons who might try eat them up!
Koi are omnivores
Koi are omnivorous, which means they will eat almost anything.
They mostly feed on algae, plants and other koi fish that have died in the water. They also love insects like mosquito larvae!
Koi also enjoy eating krill (tiny crustaceans) and worms when there isn’t enough food available to them in their habitat.
Koi and Goldfish are related
Goldfish and koi fish are distant relatives, both deriving from carp. Goldfish, however, came before koi fish.
There are many koi fish varieties
Koi fish come in a variety of colors and patterns. There are over 100 different koi varieties, including red koi (aka shubunkin), black kohaku koi and white kohaku koi.
Certain types of Koi are some of the most expensive fish ever sold
Do you know what the most expensive type of koi is? It’s called “Kohaku Koi”. The aptly named S Legend sold for over $2 million dollars!
Koi can grow really large
In late 2007, a huge koi named Big Girl was in the limelight for being the world’s biggest koi fish. Big Girl weighed 90 pounds (40.8 kg) and was 4 feet (1.2 m) long, making her the world’s biggest koi fish!
Koi fish can get sunburned
Just like humans, koi fish can get sunburned. If a koi fish is overexposed to the sun, it will develop red patches on its skin.
Koi like company, particularly that of other koi
Koi are very social, so they do best when kept in groups of their own kind. They don’t always get on with other fish, so be careful what you keep with them.
Koi can live a very long time
The oldest koi in the United States was named Hanako. She lived for an incredible 226 years before passing away peacefully at her home in California.
Koi lay eggs
Koi are egg-layers, which means they lay eggs to reproduce. In fact they have been known to lay as many as 50,000 eggs in one season.
Koi are intelligent
Koi are intelligent fish and can be trained to do tricks like coming to the surface for food.
Summary
So there you have it! Some interesting koi fish facts that you may not have known before. Now that you know a bit more about these fascinating creatures, hopefully you will be inspired to care for them in your own pond or aquarium. If you need any advice on how to get started, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We would love to help!
