Koi scientific name: Cryprinus carpiod in biology belongs to the carp family (Cyprinidae), the carp family is the largest of all fish species in a family, more than 1400 species of fish.
Koi is a high-grade ornamental fish that is popular in the world today, and is known as the "living jewel in the water" and the "swimming work of art". Because it is easy to breed and raise, with a more varied diet, usually the general culture of the water quality requirements are not high, so it is welcomed by the people.
Koi, originating in Central Asia, and then spread to China, in ancient China, the court technician in accordance with the cultivation of goldfish, crucian carp, screened out in line with the public aesthetic varieties, modern imported into Japan, and in Japan to flourish. Many excellent varieties were bred in Japan, and for this reason, many koi are named with Japanese names. It is the national fish of Japan and is known as the "living gem in the water" and the "king of ornamental fish". Koi are beautiful, colorful, varied, and have a majestic swimming posture, which is of high ornamental and breeding value. Its body length up to 1-1.5 meters, life expectancy is also extremely long, can live 60-70 years (rumor has it that there are 200-year-old koi), meaning auspicious, rumored to be able to bring good luck to the owner, is highly favored feng shui fish and ornamental pets.
Koi are gentle, like to swim in groups, easy to feed, adaptable to the water temperature. Can live in 5-30 ℃ water temperature environment, the growth of water temperature of 21-27 ℃. Omnivorous. Koi are large individuals, up to 1 meter in length, weighing more than 10 kilograms. Sexual maturity is 2-3 years old. They have a long life span, averaging about 70 years. Spawning in April - May each year.
The origin of koi
The ancestor of koi is our common edible carp, the origin of the carp is Central Asia, and then spread to China, and flourished in Japan. Koi has more than 1,000 years of breeding history, and there are more than 100 species of koi, koi varieties of koi between the physical shape of the difference is not large, mainly based on the body of the different colors and the shape of the color spot to classify. It has a variety of colors such as red, white, yellow, blue, purple, black, gold, silver, etc., and the patches on the body are hardly ever exactly the same.
Why is Japanese koi now worth more than gold? The reason is because of the economic support, Taiwan Lan City is only how big? But it supports the value of all the rare varieties on the market, but Taiwan's economy is in recession, the orchid market should be down, even the resistance is not, the most expensive day Peng peony from 6 million / seedling fell to 100,000 / pot. What about the many orchid growers in the world? Why can't they support it? So we can foresee the future of koi. It was once the pride of heaven that the court could only specialize in raising, and then it inevitably became a consumer product for the masses.
Colorful koi
During the Bunsei era (1804-1829), twenty villages in Niigata Prefecture, such as Yamakushi and Uonuma villages near Naka-ku (now part of Kochiya City), breeders sifted and improved mutated carp, and bred light yellow and Besshitsu, which have reticulation markings. In the Tenpo era (1830), red and white carp with a red broken pattern on a white background were bred. In the sixth year of the Taisho period (1917), Kunizo Hiroi bred the real and original red and white carp, and later on the red and white qualities of the red and white carp were improved by Asazo Takano and Taroichi Hoshino, and later on Tomoemon Hoshino bred the Tomoemon line and the Makijiro line in the fifteenth year of the Showa period (1940); Takeshihei Sato bred the Takeshiheitai line in the twenty-seventh year of the Showa period (1952); and Sueki Sukiyuki Hiroi bred the Takeshiheitai line in the twenty-seventh year of the Showa period (1952). In 1952, Takeshiro Sato produced the Takehira-Ta line, and in 1941, Sakunori Hiroi produced the Yagozaemon line.
However, these were all primitive species with very pale red color. Nowadays, the most famous red and white koi are the Sensuke line, the Manzo line, and the Dainichi line, which were bred by Sakutaro Tsunasaku in 1954, Chotaro Kawakami in 1960, and Hironobo Mano in 1970. After many years of breeding and selection by Japanese breeders, koi developed to its heyday and became the national fish of Japan, and has been used as a goodwill emissary in diplomatic exchanges and civil exchanges, expanding to all parts of the world. Every year from October to December, Koi enthusiasts from all over the world go to this place to buy their favorite Koi and to see the birthplace of the world-famous "Japanese Koi".
Koi is also known as the "God fish" in Japan, symbolizing good luck and happiness. Japanese people regard koi as a work of art, there is water "living jewels" of the beauty of the name, and cultivated a yellow spot, Taisho three-color, Showa three-color and other valuable varieties with high ornamental value. In addition to food, carp can also be used as medicine to treat diseases, with the effect of opening the spleen and stomach, facilitating urination, eliminating edema, relieving cough and asthma, and sending out breast milk; the meat can treat portal cirrhosis of the liver, chronic nephritis, cough, asthma, lack of milk in labor, women's menstrual disorders or haematochezia, etc.; the blood can cure crookedness of the mouth and eyes; the bile can cure the red-eye pain, swelling and suppurative otitis media. Japanese people are often in their own garden pond Koi.
The development of koi
Since ancient times in China, there is also the saying that "carp jumps over the dragon gate", which is a metaphor for a person's rapid rise to success and official fortune. Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao believe in water as wealth, and it has become a fashion to raise carp in the garden or balcony.
Ancient Chinese palaces, at least from the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, already have a record of large-scale breeding Koi. It has a history of more than 1,000 years, and goldfish and crucian carp have a history of more than 1,400 years.
The first time Japanese koi was imported into China was in 1938 (Showa 13), when Matsuoka of Tokyo, Japan, sent a batch of valuable koi to the then Emperor of the Pseudo-Manchukuo, which was the first time that Japanese koi was exported overseas. This was also the first time that Japanese koi were exported overseas. At the Universal Exposition in San Francisco in the United States in the same year, Japan specially selected and sent 100 tails of koi to be displayed at the meeting, thus openly displaying the beauty of Japanese koi to the world for the first time. People's Republic of China **** and the establishment of the country, in 1973 the Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka had a number of koi carp as a mascot presented to Premier Zhou Enlai, this batch of koi carp by the Beijing Flower and Tree Company breeding. The age of Koi breeding in Japan is about 100-200 years.
Koi farming is not only a good way to enjoy your life and beautify the environment, but also as long as you have the right appreciation and breeding methods, you can buy promising small and medium-sized koi at a low price, and after cultivation, if you can win awards at the evaluation meeting, you will be doubled in status, which not only allows you to enjoy the pleasure of breeding and playing, but also preserve the value of the value added. With the continuous improvement of Koi quality and breeding techniques, especially in the last 20 to 30 years, many Koi clubs have been established all over the world to organize various Koi tastings, which has promoted the exchange and development of Koi all over the world, and the trend of Koi breeding has been on the rise.
In Hong Kong and Guangdong, several Koi tasting events are organized every year. Koi also play a big role in the cultural exchange between countries. The largest producer of koi is Japan, which has the most mature breeding technology and equipment, and has a large number of high-quality, pure-blooded koi, so that enthusiasts from all over the world to rush. Every year they travel to Hiroshima and Niigata, the birthplace of Japanese koi, in search of Koi. In recent years, Taiwan (not strictly speaking, since most immigrants come from the mainland. The mainland has more than 1,000 years of breeding history, is not comparable to Japan in just a few hundred years), Malaysia, Singapore, Israel and other emerging areas of the rise, breeding level and product competitiveness directly to Japan, a strong impact on the Japanese dominant market pattern.
Ornamental koi really began in China and ended in Japan, and Japan has made an indelible contribution to the development of koi, but please don't refer to China as an emerging country that has only been raising koi for 10 years.
Now people collectively referred to as goldfish in 2 categories ----- goldfish and grass goldfish, all of China's ancient court left down the ornamental fish, in the vast majority of China's geographic area can be bred. Goldfish branch quite a lot, grass goldfish include Koi and Carp 2 categories.
Koi Classification
Koi varieties are divided into several strains mainly based on their color. The origin of their species is divided into Himikoi, Gekkoi and Mirror Carp.
Koi **** is divided into nine strains, about a hundred varieties. According to the distribution of color, markings and scales, it is mainly divided into 13 species types.
1. Red and white koi: the authentic koi, all pure white with red spots on the bottom, without other colors, the bottom should be snow-like pure white, red spots thick and uniform, clear boundaries. This type is divided into more than 20 varieties.
2. Taisho three-color koi: red and black spots on a white background, red spots on the head without black spots, and black stripes on the pectoral fins. This strain can be divided into more than 10 varieties.
3. Showa Tricolor Koi: Red and white patterns on a black background with black spots at the base of the pectoral fins. The head must have a large black spot. There are more than 10 varieties under this line.
The Taisho Sanshiki and Showa Sanshiki are both made up of red, white and black colors. The difference is:
The Taisho three-color is white with red and black spots; the Showa three-color is black with red and white spots.
The Taisho three colors have no black spots on the head, while the Showa three colors have black spots.
The black spots of the Taisho tricolor are in the form of rounded lumps on the upper part of the body, while those of the Showa tricolor are in the form of lines or bands on the whole body.
The pectoral fins of the Taisho tricolor are all white or have black stripes; the Showa tricolor has rounded black patches at the base of the pectoral fins.
4. Urushi: All black or white spots or all yellow markings on a black background. It can be categorized into 4 to 5 varieties.
5. Bikou: Koi with black spots on a white, red or yellow background, belonging to the Taisho Sanshou line. Subdivided into nearly ten varieties.
6. Light yellow: light blue or dark blue back, white outer edge of the scales, ruddy cheeks, abdomen and the base of each fin. There are more than 10 varieties based on color.
7. Kinko's: a species resulting from the mating of red and white or tricolor with light yellow. Subdivided into nearly 10 varieties.
8. variegated carp: including black carp, yellow carp, tea carp, green carp and so on more than 20 varieties.
9. Golden: The whole body is clear golden color, which can be divided into more than twenty varieties.
10. Patterned skin light carp: gold koi and other strains (excluding the carp) mating varieties. There are more than 10 varieties in common.
11. Light writing: the variety produced by the mating of writing koi and gold koi.
12. Gold and silver scales: Koi with gold or silver scales all over the body.
13. Danding: The fish has a round red spot on the top of its head and no red spot on its body.
Japanese koi due to the many varieties, supply and demand is fluctuating, the price difference between the different varieties is very large, and, the price of rare varieties is very high, but most of the adult fish in the range of 1,080 to 18,000 yuan a fish.