When I was first introduced to Koi; I thought they were goldfish. I didn’t know anything about them except that they were pretty and expensive.  I was immediately drawn to the Kohaku because of its color (white koi with red markings).  As time passed, I realized that I also like the Shiro Utsuri (a jet black fish with white markings) too.

I used to think people were crazy to pay five hundred dollars or even a thousand dollar for a Koi.  However after watching two great videos “Koi: the living jewels” and “Hiroshima Dreaming: a journey to the koi farms of southern Japan”, I now understand why.

Koi are unique.  They can bring joy to their owners or breeders as well as a sense of pride. Koi can live for a very long time if they are properly cared for and can grow up to thirty-six inches.  I can’t say that I’m a Koi lover but I certainly do appreciate their beauty and distinctiveness.  I would not mind being able to afford a show quality Koi someday.

There are many varieties of Koi and everybody has their favorites.  But being able to recognize certain criteria can determine whether you are getting a good Koi or an exceptional one. 

Many times at koi shows, I would hear other Koi hobbyist go on and on about why one koi was better than another.  I would listen and look at the koi in question to see if I could see what they were seeing but I could not. Now after being exposed to many Koi from different breeders, dealers and keepers at different Koi shows all over the state, I could.   

For some veteran hobbyist, its the size of the Koi that rate the highest in their book while for others its a Koi's pattern.  For me, it's the snow white skin and the density of the colors (whether it be red, black or orange) on the Koi.

For more information on koi, please visit Koi Stop at http://www.koistop.com.