Real Butterfly Koi Fish

Did you know that reference was made to koi colors as far back as 316 AD in the Western Chin Dynasty? That's how long these wonderfully colorful fish have been written about... it's quite amazing really!

Right back then the colors of koi that were documented included black, blue, white and red... so koi colors are actually nothing new - it's just that they have been perfected through the art of selective genetic breeding.

Real Butterfly Koi Fish

Real Butterfly Koi Fish

But it wasn't till the 17th century that real koi breeding began in the Japanese region of Niigata Prefecture, and it was the Japanese who took the time to master the art of selective breeding. Through careful trial and error, they became the master's of selective koi breeding and they still lead the world today.

So if you seriously want to gain a firm understanding about koi fish, the different types and their variety of colors then you really need to learn some of the Japanese terminology to get a grip on the real meaning of things.

Real Butterfly Koi Fish

Real Butterfly Koi Fish

Some of these terms will be explained further into this article, but for now let's look at a bit more of the koi fish history.

So... going back to 17th century Niigata Prefecture ... it was here that farmers started to notice that occasionally the grey carp fish would have offspring with different colors and markings. This prompted them to study the fish and their findings revealed a good number of koi with distinct and colorful patterns which they then proceeded to cultivate even further until the 19th century.

By the 19th century there were a vast number of koi breeders in Japan and now there were also many new koi color varieties emerging. Koi had become incredibly popular and were affectionately known as "the fish of nobility" but they were still only really known within the Niigata region of Japan.

Real Butterfly Koi Fish

Real Butterfly Koi Fish

Big Fish

Probably the biggest factor that determines the size of fish that a river can hold though is the food supply. Big fish have big appetites and need an ever increasing quantity of food to maintain and even increase their bulk. A given volume of water can only produce so much food.

Of course, not all bodies of water are able to produce the same supply for a given volume of water. Rocky mountain streams provide very little in comparison to lowland swamps. The fast flowing water and lack of anchorage means that few plants can take hold and, because of this, there is little food up through the food chain. Mountain streams are also colder places and that affects growth rates too.

Big Fish

Big Fish

Many species adopt a more predatory diet as they become larger simply because the value of this food supply is more in line with their needs. The Taimen of Mongolia is the world's largest Salmonid species. When young they live mostly on insects but as they get bigger (and they regularly get to be more than one metre long) they turn to a predatory diet consisting of fish, rodents, amphibians and even birds.

Big Fish

Big Fish

Big Fish

An alternative to the predatory diet is the scavenger's diet. Many big fish around the world get to be the size they are because their particular habitat has a plentiful supply of some form of waste. The Goonch of India have become infamous after reports that they have been feeding on the remains of cremations from riverside Ghats. Goonch are a kind of catfish and are bottom feeders so it is likely that they would find any decomposing flesh in their territory whatever the source. We needn't take the choice personally. This is hardly the same as a rogue man-eating tiger.

Big Fish

Big Fish

Big Fish

Big Fish

Big Fish

Big Fish

Real Butterfly Koi Fish

Did you know that reference was made to koi colors as far back as 316 AD in the Western Chin Dynasty? That's how long these wonderfully colorful fish have been written about... it's quite amazing really!

Right back then the colors of koi that were documented included black, blue, white and red... so koi colors are actually nothing new - it's just that they have been perfected through the art of selective genetic breeding.

Real Butterfly Koi Fish

Real Butterfly Koi Fish

But it wasn't till the 17th century that real koi breeding began in the Japanese region of Niigata Prefecture, and it was the Japanese who took the time to master the art of selective breeding. Through careful trial and error, they became the master's of selective koi breeding and they still lead the world today.

So if you seriously want to gain a firm understanding about koi fish, the different types and their variety of colors then you really need to learn some of the Japanese terminology to get a grip on the real meaning of things.

Real Butterfly Koi Fish

Real Butterfly Koi Fish

Some of these terms will be explained further into this article, but for now let's look at a bit more of the koi fish history.

So... going back to 17th century Niigata Prefecture ... it was here that farmers started to notice that occasionally the grey carp fish would have offspring with different colors and markings. This prompted them to study the fish and their findings revealed a good number of koi with distinct and colorful patterns which they then proceeded to cultivate even further until the 19th century.

By the 19th century there were a vast number of koi breeders in Japan and now there were also many new koi color varieties emerging. Koi had become incredibly popular and were affectionately known as "the fish of nobility" but they were still only really known within the Niigata region of Japan.

Real Butterfly Koi Fish

Real Butterfly Koi Fish

Big Fish

Probably the biggest factor that determines the size of fish that a river can hold though is the food supply. Big fish have big appetites and need an ever increasing quantity of food to maintain and even increase their bulk. A given volume of water can only produce so much food.

Of course, not all bodies of water are able to produce the same supply for a given volume of water. Rocky mountain streams provide very little in comparison to lowland swamps. The fast flowing water and lack of anchorage means that few plants can take hold and, because of this, there is little food up through the food chain. Mountain streams are also colder places and that affects growth rates too.

Big Fish

Big Fish

Many species adopt a more predatory diet as they become larger simply because the value of this food supply is more in line with their needs. The Taimen of Mongolia is the world's largest Salmonid species. When young they live mostly on insects but as they get bigger (and they regularly get to be more than one metre long) they turn to a predatory diet consisting of fish, rodents, amphibians and even birds.

Big Fish

Big Fish

Big Fish

An alternative to the predatory diet is the scavenger's diet. Many big fish around the world get to be the size they are because their particular habitat has a plentiful supply of some form of waste. The Goonch of India have become infamous after reports that they have been feeding on the remains of cremations from riverside Ghats. Goonch are a kind of catfish and are bottom feeders so it is likely that they would find any decomposing flesh in their territory whatever the source. We needn't take the choice personally. This is hardly the same as a rogue man-eating tiger.

Big Fish

Big Fish

Big Fish

Big Fish

Big Fish

Big Fish