කෝයි කාප්

Her name comes from Japanese and simply means “carp”. They are dabbed, striped or mackerel in bright colors – no two Koi are alike.

ලක්ෂණ

What do koi carp look like?

Even if they look so different, koi carp can be recognized at first glance: They are usually white, orange, yellow, or black in color and have a wide variety of patterns that only develop with age. Some are white with just a bright orange-red spot on their head, others are black with yellow or red markings, still, others have lots of orange-red spots, and some are white and black spotted like a Dalmatian dog. The ancestors of the koi are carp, as they are found in ponds and ponds. However, koi are much slimmer than carp and more like large goldfish.

But they can be easily distinguished from goldfish: They have two pairs of barbels on their upper and lower lips – these are long threads that are used for touch and smell. The goldfish lack these beard threads. In addition, koi are much larger than goldfish: They grow up to a meter long, most measure about 70 centimeters.

Where do koi carp live?

Koi are descended from carp. They are believed to have originally made their home in the lakes and rivers of Iran and were introduced to the Mediterranean, central and northern Europe, and throughout Asia thousands of years ago. Today there are carp as farmed fish all over the world. Carp live in ponds and lakes, as well as in slow-moving waters. Koi kept as ornamental fish need a fairly large pond with very clean, filtered water.

What types of koi carp are there?

Today we know about 100 different breeding forms of Koi, which are constantly being crossed with each other so that new forms are constantly being created.

They all have Japanese names: The Ai-groom is white with red spots and dark, web-like markings. The tancho is white with a single red spot on the head, the surimono is black with white, red, or yellow markings, and the back is white, yellow, or red with black markings. Some koi – such as the Ogon – are even metallic in color, others have golden or silvery shimmering scales.

How old do koi carp get?

Koi carp can live up to 60 years.

හැසිරෙනවා

How do koi carp live?

In the past, only the Emperor of Japan was allowed to keep koi carp. But by the time these fish got to Japan, they had come a long way. The Chinese bred colored carp 2,500 years ago, but they were monochromatic and not patterned.

Eventually, the Chinese brought koi carp to Japan. There the Koi gradually began their journey from being a food fish to becoming a luxury carp: At first, they were kept in the irrigation ponds of the rice fields and were simply used as food fish, but Koi have been bred in Japan since around 1820 as valuable ornamental fish.

But how did the inconspicuous, brown-grey carp become the brightly colored koi? They are the result of changes in the genetic material, so-called mutations.

Suddenly there were red, white, and light yellow fish, and eventually, fish breeders began to crossbreed the different colored koi and breed such patterned animals. When carp without the typical fish scales (the so-called leather carp) and carp with large, shiny scales on their backs (the so-called mirror carp) also developed in Europe through mutation at the end of the 18th century, they were also brought to Japan and crossed with the koi.

Like common carp, koi swim around in the water during the day looking for food. In the winter they hibernate. They dive all the way to the bottom of the pond and their body temperature drops. This is how they sleep through the cold season.

How do koi carp reproduce?

Koi do not give offspring easily. They only breed when they are really comfortable. Only then do they spawn in May or early June. The male nudges the female on the side to encourage her to lay eggs. This usually happens in the early morning hours.

A female koi that weighs four to five kilograms lays about 400,000 to 500,000 eggs. The breeders take these eggs out of the water and look after them in special tanks until the little fish hatch four days later. Not all small Koi are as beautifully colored and patterned as their parents. Only the most beautiful of them are raised and used again for breeding.