Koi Longevity
One famous scarlet Koi, named "Hanako" (c. 1751 – July 7, 1977) was owned by several different individuals, the last of whom was Dr. Komei Koshihara. Hanako was supposedly 226 years old upon her death, based on examining one of her scales in 1966 and her age was confirmed- she was at least 200 + years old.
Koi History/
Koi History-Wikipedia Carp is a large group of fish originally found in Central Europe and Asia. Various carp species were originally domesticated in East Asia, where they were used as food fish. The ability of carp to survive and adapt too many climates and water conditions allowed the domesticated species to be propagated to many new locations including Japan.
Natural color mutations of these carp would have occurred across all populations. Carp were first bred for color mutations in China more than a thousand years ago, where selective breeding of the Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio) led to the development of the goldfish.]
Koi Lineage
The common carp was aquacultured as a food fish as at least as far back as the 5th century in China. The common carp was also known to have been aquacultured in Europe by the Roman Empire, which could have spanned a time period of 27 BC to 400 AD. Common carp were first bred for color in Japan in the 1820s, initially in the town of Ojiya in the Niigata prefecture on the north eastern coast of Honshu island.
By the 20th century-number of color patterns had been established, most notably the red-and-white Kohaku. The outside world was not aware of the development of color variations in Koi until 1914, when the Niigata Koi was exhibited in the annual exposition in Tokyo; at that point, interest in
Koi exploded throughout Japan.
The hobby of keeping Koi eventually spread worldwide. Koi are now commonly sold in most pet stores, with higher-quality fish available from specialist dealers.
Extensive hybridization between different populations has muddled the historical zoogeography of the common carp. However, scientific consensus is that there are at least two subspecies of the common carp, one from Western Eurasia (Cyprinus carpio carpio) and another from East Asia (Cyprinus carpio haematopterus). One recent study on the mitochondrial DNA of various common carp indicates Koi are of the East Asian subspecies.
However another recent study on the mitochondrial DNA of Koi has found Koi are descended from multiple lineages of common carp from both Western Eurasian and East Asian varieties.
This could be the result of Koi being bred from a mix of East Asian and Western Eurasian carp varieties, or Koi being bred exclusively from East Asian varieties and being subsequently hybridized with Western Eurasian varieties (the butterfly Koi is one known product of such a cross). Which is true has not been resolved.
Koi Breeding -Koi Outdoor Koi Pond
Like most fish, koi reproduce through spawning in which a female lays a vast number of eggs and one or more males fertilize them. Nurturing the resulting offspring (referred to as "fry") is a tricky and tedious job, usually done only by professionals.
Although a Koi breeder may carefully select the parents they wish based on their desired characteristics, the resulting fry will nonetheless exhibit a wide range of color and quality.
Koi will produce thousands of offspring from a single spawning. However, unlike cattle, purebred dogs, or more relevantly, goldfish, the large majority of these offspring, even from the best champion-grade Koi, will not be acceptable as nishikigoi (they have no interesting colors) or may even be genetically defective. These unacceptable offspring are culled at various stages of development based on the breeder's expert eye and closely guarded trade techniques.
Culled fry are usually destroyed or used as feeder fish (mostly used for feeding arowana due to the belief it will enhance its color), while older culls, within their first year between 3" to 6" long (also called "Tosai"), are often sold as lower-grade 'pond-quality' koi.
The semi-randomized result of the Koi’s reproductive process has both advantages and disadvantages for the breeder. While it requires diligent oversight to narrow down the favorable result that the breeder wants, it also makes possible the development of new varieties of Koi within relatively few generations.
Koi and Comet Goldfish Can and Do Interbreed
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| Comet Goldfish |
It’s often asked if Koi and Comet goldfish can breed, and indeed they can. We don’t think it is intentional, but instead the accidental fertilization of one species’ roe by the other species’ milt.
We don’t know if it can go both ways, e.g.: Koi egg x Comet milt versus Koi milt x Comet egg. The offspring are huge and usually they occur in a solemn brown color and simply outgrow their siblings. Others are a homogenous
Grey color.
They are incredibly hardy. One year when I killed the whole pond with Potassium (Permanganate), the water cleared weeks later and there were two of these hybrids huddled at the bottom, waiting for food.
Hybrids are reported to be sterile and this is borne out (only) anecdotally by the absence of fry from these hybrids over several years. How can you tell a Hybrid’s from a real Comet or a real Koi? The hybrid has no barbells but is built like and sized like a Koi/by Doc Johnson, koivet.com
Koi Winter
In the winter, Koi digestive system slows nearly to a halt, and Koi eat very little, perhaps no more than nibbles of algae from the bottom. Care should be taken by hobbyists that proper oxygenation and off-gassing occurs over the winter months in small water ponds so you’re Koi do not perish.
Koi appetite will not come back until the water becomes warm in the spring. When the temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 °C) feeding, particularly with protein, is halted or the food can go rancid in their stomach, causing sickness or even death.
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