What makes koi valuable

The saturation of color, its consistency and how well the colors are separated determine the quality of the color. Without good color, the pattern of the fish is not as appealing and the value of the fish is lessened. The skin should be free from any blemish and be lustrous. Black markings should be dark and defined, as if they were painted with a fine brush. Reds should be opaque without orange.

White areas should be pure silky and free from speckles. The edges of the colors should be crisp and not show fading. Colors that bleed together are not desired in most koi. On certain varieties of koi, such as Kohaku, the edges of the red coloration come under high scrutiny by show judges. Koi patterns are rich and varied.

Judges and breeders look for fish with sharp, distinct pattern edges. The symmetry of the head, shoulders, mid-section, tail, and pectoral fins are taken into account, as well as the integrity of the eyes and mouth. An ideal koi has an absolutely straight line from the snout to the tail. The proper proportion should be maintained between the body, head, and the fins. The head should be smooth, with no pits or indentations. Overall size is also important, the larger the better.

Anything strike you as special about this fish here? Well, it's worth 1. It won grand champion at the All Japan Koi Show in , and is the most expensive koi fish ever sold. Koi may just look like an oversized goldfish, but they're not even remotely related. Koi are actually a type of carp, and today they're some of the most expensive pet fish in the world. But why?

Koi were originally raised in Japan in the s when rice farmers first began breeding them for their distinct colors and patterns, similar to how we breed dogs for their specific traits. And just like prized dog breeds, Japanese people take koi breeding very seriously. There are regular competitions to name the top koi. Judges and buyers pay attention to how healthy its skin looks, its size and body shape, and how gracefully the fish moves in the water.

But the most important trait of all is the koi's coloring. The best koi have a good balance of colors and patterns according to their variety. For example, there are koi with light blue spots, ones with large red patches on their backs, or all-metallic gold. But the most winning fish often just boil down to these three varieties.

They're often the most valuable. They dominate the shows, winning nearly every major category each year. And the better-looking the fish, the more a buyer is willing to pay.

Yvo: Yeah, it depends. When Koi fry is about 1 inch in size, they are sorted by the breeder. A fry is only selected when the breeder notices some good indication of color and pattern. From the barth of a Koi fry to its adult age, it needs quality food to grow big. Quality food is also necessary for good color. The breeders use quality food ingredients in the proper amount for the Koi diet which helps them gain weight.

But the growth of Koi fish greatly dependent on natural food. As Koi fish are omnivorous, they feed on both plant and animal organisms. Therefore, the pond should have enough supply of both of these for the Koi. Selected youth Koi fish are transferred to the large natural pond and the population is kept very low.

This ensures a peaceful growth environment and enough natural food for all the Koi. Supplementary food is also given. A Koi breeder may compromise for the price of his Koi, but never for the biosecurity of his farm.

The hatchery maintains a very strong bio-security protocol and this costs money. The same goes for the ponds. Most of the cases, these ponds are in remote places where there is a very low chance of getting contaminated with pathogens.

Almost every quality Koi fish is from japan.