Koi questions
- Thread starter Magiccarp
- Start date
1) Yes
2) They should be fed a more plant-based diet, but treats of krill and other meaty foods are ok on occasion.
3) What's your idea?
4) There are big differences even between different strains of US bred koi. Most koi you find at average stores and places like Wal-Mart are very low quality and not particularly nice looking fish. Ones from places that specialize in koi (garden pond suppliers, hatcheries, etc.) will normally be higher quality. Many of the Japanese ones are very selectively bred and extremely high quality, but expect to pay for the quality. An ugly little pet store koi can fetch $2-3, but at the other end of the spectrum are the beautiful Japanese varieties running tens of thousands of dollars and there is basically a continuum of quality and prices in the middle
2) They should be fed a more plant-based diet, but treats of krill and other meaty foods are ok on occasion.
3) What's your idea?
4) There are big differences even between different strains of US bred koi. Most koi you find at average stores and places like Wal-Mart are very low quality and not particularly nice looking fish. Ones from places that specialize in koi (garden pond suppliers, hatcheries, etc.) will normally be higher quality. Many of the Japanese ones are very selectively bred and extremely high quality, but expect to pay for the quality. An ugly little pet store koi can fetch $2-3, but at the other end of the spectrum are the beautiful Japanese varieties running tens of thousands of dollars and there is basically a continuum of quality and prices in the middle
^ well said. if you want japanese koi, youre gonna pay for it. but unless you plan on showing your koi, i wouldnt even bother. you can find lots of domestic-bred koi with great patterns and color that will become stunners when theyre adults.
i see no point in paying a premium price for true japanese koi only to keep them in a pond all the time. i guess its sort of bragging rights for snobs to say i paid $xx,xxx for this koi.
these are mine, all domestic-bred
i see no point in paying a premium price for true japanese koi only to keep them in a pond all the time. i guess its sort of bragging rights for snobs to say i paid $xx,xxx for this koi.
these are mine, all domestic-bred
Those are some really nice koi! I really prefer wild-type fish, but I'd really like to have a nice big koi pond someday
The hatchery where I worked sells 4 different categories of koi (and several sizes of each). There are standard, butterfly standard, select, and butterfly select (and the prices increased in that order for similarly sized fish). The butterfly ones are not a Japanese invention (and I'm with the Japanese on that one-not a fan of butterflies) so there aren't really any super high quality butterfly koi. We also got in a couple dozen larger, ver price koi each year for the real collectors that came through. Most were in the $2-75 range, but a few were in the $200-500 range.
The hatchery where I worked sells 4 different categories of koi (and several sizes of each). There are standard, butterfly standard, select, and butterfly select (and the prices increased in that order for similarly sized fish). The butterfly ones are not a Japanese invention (and I'm with the Japanese on that one-not a fan of butterflies) so there aren't really any super high quality butterfly koi. We also got in a couple dozen larger, ver price koi each year for the real collectors that came through. Most were in the $2-75 range, but a few were in the $200-500 range.
thanks man! good stuff. i dont really like butterfly koi either. i only have one in that pond that i couldnt resist when i saw him. Heres a pic.andyjs;2829388;2829388 said:
and ive been to Tse Koi in San Jose. they are a big-time importer of supreme quality japanese koi. their stock is incredible and they claim to have close to $1M in koi on hand.
they have a few MONSTER koi that are well over 3ft going for $15K+. the quality of these guys is simply amazing. but i could never spend that much on a fish. well maybe if i was filthy rich lol
i will try and post some pics of my "wal-mart koi" lol, whe it gets bigger it will sure be kool looking. its got white skin with a red reshish orange pattern along its back, deep red on the head and black spots here and there on the body and the scales look like brushed aluminum. piad $5.33 for it. i used to work at a pet shop so im kinda picky about how my fish look and where they come from.