A Stunningly Gorgeous Carp

The Orenji Ogon Koi (Cyprinus carpio) is a member of the family Cyprinidae known as the minnow or carp family. Orenji Ogon Koi are distinguished by their bright orange color and sometimes a white margin to their fins.

Koi are a domesticated variety of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) that have been bred for color; carp have been bred in China for color mutations for over a thousand years. Modern Koi are mostly descended from Japanese lineages that started in the 19th century. The native range of Cyprinus carpio is throughout Europe and Asia, and they have since been introduced to every continent except Antarctica. Unfortunately, carp released into the wild by European, and other immigrants have created many issues with native species and habitats. Carp are generalists, but prefer slow moving water with some vegetation.

Koi are large fish that will live for at least 15 years with good care. There are reports of fish in Asia and Japan commonly living past 40 and even some reports suggesting that Koi can live much longer than that even. Because of this the best home for a Koi is a large garden pond. The pond should be sheltered to some degree as direct sunlight all day can encourage algae and also bring water temperatures up too high during the hotter months of the year. Koi need to be sheltered in the winter as well unless the pond is deep enough to provide shelter from the ice in places where it freezes. Plants can be incorporated but should be kept in some type of planter as carps constant grazing and rooting of the substrate will uproot plants that aren’t protected in some way from them. Powerful filtration and aeration are also recommended for keeping Koi.

Koi should be fed a specialized diet specifically designed for them, and only when water temperatures are high enough to support their metabolism, about 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit. Koi will graze in ponds for small invertebrates, algae, plants, and will appreciate offerings of vegetables as well. Floating pellets make a great staple for feeding Koi in ponds as its easy to see if there is any left over food when the Koi are done eating.

Well fed adult Koi will spawn on their own provided a place to lay eggs, in fact given male and female fish and reasonable temperatures, it would be difficult to stop this from happening. That being said, the young may be eaten by the Koi themselves and other pond predators, or even sucked down into pond filtration. Given a big enough pond, some good hiding spots near shore, and (obviously) male and female fish, you should start seeing more Koi in your pond over time.

The Orenji Ogon Koi brings bright, beautiful color to any pond. Ask your local fish store to order you sustainably farmed Koi from Aquatropic today!