(My pond) KOI KORNER

This post is for those special indivuals, who get lost in translation. When staring at pond with Koi in them they are having an outer body experience. Their the quiet ones, their the ones who give thier fish a name, their the ones who feed Koi by hand, their the ones who speak in thier own language which sound like Japanese codes, their the ones who will toil to no end over thier ponds, their the ones who belong to secret societies that meet in the evening on the third Wednesday of every month. They are the fish snobs.

MY CONNECTION (Once upon a time )

About four years ago, I was looking for a new hobby. Well I came up with an idea to build a pond. A pond?! Yes a pond; why on earth a pond. The infamous they; say everybody gets a calling of some sort. Well...this one appeared to be one of mine.
A dear friend gave me a gift certificate for my birthday to Wal-mart one year. Speaking of infamous. First I thought of buying some more plants for my garden. Well I couldn't see anymore room for new plants. I saw on the the retail shelf a pond kit. Cool beans I thought. So I bought home it was very basic, and before I could say this is crazy. I had roped off a circle and I was digging a deep hole in backyard, about three feet deep to be exact. I had dug up tons of stones from my yard when I did my initial landscaping in my backyard. So rocks were no issue, I had more rocks than I care to count. The hole was dug, the lining laid, that was challenging the pump was running.

Wha-lah; right? N0t exactly. I still had no clue on what mystical path I was going down. The next day I come home from a day at work, I go to my backyard to look at this water crater of wonder.

Let me introduce to Cayenne, my dear canine companion. During my eight hours away at my other home, my job. My four legged friend, must have thought that the Alpha of the house meaning me; builted him a pool to jump into. So he took the liberty to go swimming and pull the pump out of the pond, and chew up the ornament head.

Not a big deal! I kind of expected this behavior from him after most men were dogs in their formal life so a dog is a dog. So I put a new ornament head back on the pump and resubmerged it. I called myself dog proofing it by putting rocks around it. The following day I pull in my driveway and click on the remote to open the garage door. It wouldn't open. So I went through the front door into the house into the garage. The circuit had blown. Odd I thought as went in the back yard to check the crater, the dog pool, the new error on my life. This time Cayenne went in for another dunk. Found a way to remove the rocks so he could get to this fancy water spitting dog toy, tugged at the pump.
When it didn't budge, he must have decided to bite into the electrical wire that challenged him. Well you can inmagine the jolt that must have gone through his body when the cord hit the water. Good thing for circuit breakers, other wise he would have a been a well cooked hot dog. He learned his lesson well. Because he never repeated that exercise again. Why scold a dog whos coat now resembles a Afro from electrical shock. As the years have gone by, my has gotton bigger, and more fancier. I attend Koi festivals and auctions annually. Yes; call me a fish snob and I'll smile. I pond's plumbling isnt high price but it works good enough. I have had lost, from predators and not monitoring my essentials. PH, and Nitrites and Nitrates. You make mistakes along the way. I live in Western Washington and we have some good Koi breeders in the Seatle area. Pan Intercorp, Moore Haven to name a couple.



ORIGINS


They are believed to have originated from Eastern Asia, Aral, Black and Caspian Seas. Earliest records of Koi have been found in China and have been widely spread in Korea and Japan. The ornamental cultivation of carp flourished under the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Korean Silla Dynasty, and Japanese Edo Period. They are very closely related to goldfish and, in fact, the style of breeding and ornamentation has become very similar, probably through the efforts of Japanese breeders to emulate goldfish.



HISTORY


While a 4th century Chinese book of the Western Jin Dynasty mentions carp with various colors, koi breeding first became popular in the 19th century in the Niigata prefecture of Japan. Farmers working the rice fields would notice that some carp were more brightly colored than others, capture them, and raise them. By the 20th century, a number of color patterns had been established, most notably the red-and-white Kohaku. The outside world did not become aware of the degree of development until 1914, when the Niigata koi were exhibited in the annual exposition in Tokyo. At that point, interest in koi exploded throughout Japan. The hobby of keeping koi spread worldwide after plastic bags and shipping of koi became both fast and safe for the fish. These factors enabled koi to be shipped worldwide with low mortality rates. Koi are now commonly sold in most pet stores, with higher-quality fish available from specialist dealers.
Koi varieties are distinguished by coloration, patterning, and scalation. Ghost koi, developed in the 1980s are metallic hybrids of wild carp and Ogon koi and are not considered true Nishikigoi. Butterfly koi, Longfin koi, or Dragon Carp were also developed in the 1980s and are notable for their long and flowing fins. They are actually hybrids with Asian carp and, like Ghost koi, are not considered true Nishikigoi.

VARIETIES

Koi have many different colors. Some of the major colors are white, black, red, yellow, blue, and cream.
While possible variations are limitless, breeders have identified and named a number of specific categories. The most popular category is Gosanke. The Gosanke category is made up of the Kohaku, Taisho Sanshoku, and Showa Sanshoku varieties. The Japanese breeders have many generations of knowledge and experience when it comes to breeding and raising Nishikigoi. They know which ones will be worth hundreds of dollars and which ones will be worth thousands of dollars.
The major named varieties include:
Kohaku - a white-skinned Koi, with a red pattern
Taisho Sanshoku (Sanke) - a white-skinned Koi with a red and black pattern
Showa Sanshoku (Showa) - a black-skinned Koi with a red and white pattern
Tancho - Any koi with the only red being in a circle on its forehead. The fish can be a Tancho Showa, Tancho Sanke, or even Tancho Goshiki
Asagi - a Koi with light blue scales on its top and red scales on its bottom
Shusui - the partially scaled version of an Asagi
Bekko - a white, red, or yellow-skinned Koi with a black pattern
Utsurimono - a black Koi with a red, white, or yellow pattern
Goshiki - a mostly black Koi with red, white, brown, and blue accents
Ogon - a Koi that is one solid color, can be regular or metallic; known colors - red, orange, platinum, yellow and cream
Kin Gin Rin - a Koi with shiny scales. The name translates into English as "Gold Silver Scales" There are also Gin Rin versions of almost any other type of koi.
Kawarimono (kawarigoi) - Miscellaneous types of Koi
Doitsu-goi - German Carp
Koromo - Koi with areas of blue-edged scales aligned neatly
Hikari-Moyomono - Koi with coloured patterns over a metallic base, and koi in two metallic colours
Ghost koi - "Hybrid" of Ogon and wild carp. Not Nishikigoi.
Butterfly koi - Long-finned version of all others. Not Nishikigoi













KEEPING THEM

The common carp is a hardy fish, and koi retain that durability. Koi are cold-water fish, so it's advisable to have a meter or more of depth in areas of the world that become warm during the summer. In areas that get harsh winters, it is a good idea to have a pond that is a minimum of 1.5 meters (4 1/2 feet) deep so that it won't freeze solid. It is also a good idea to keep a space open with a bubbler and a horse trough heater.

Traditional Japanese garden with koi.
Koi's bright colors put them at a severe disadvantage against predators; a white-skinned Kohaku is a visual dinner bell against the dark green of a pond. Herons, kingfishers, raccoons, cats, foxes, and badgers are all capable of emptying a pond of its fish. A well-designed outdoor pond will have areas too deep for herons to stand in, overhangs high enough above the water that mammals can't reach in, and shade trees overhead to block the view of aerial passers-by. It may prove necessary to string nets or wires above the surface. The pond should include a pump and filtration system to keep the water clear.
Koi are an omnivorous fish and will often eat a wide variety of foods, including peas, lettuce, and watermelon.[1] Koi food is designed not only to be nutritionally balanced, but also to float so as to encourage them to come to the surface. When they are eating, it is possible to check them for parasites and ulcers. Koi will recognize the person feeding them and gather around at dinnertime. They can even be trained to take the food from one's hand. In the winter their digestive system slows nearly to a halt, and they eat very little, perhaps no more than nibbles of algae from the bottom. Their appetite will not come back until the water warms up in the spring. When the temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 °C), feeding, particularly with protein, should be halted or the food can go rancid in their stomach causing sickness.
If kept properly, koi can live about 30–40 years. Some have reportedly lived up to 200 years


SO YOU WANT TO CREATE A KOI POND DO YOU?

Word to the wise its alott of work to get a new stocked pond just right.

A Koi pond is an enclosed, recirculating, freshwater system for keeping Koi (Japanese fancy carp).
This subject area has been the hardest to describe. I am not trying to offend anyone. But, before we go any further, it is important to note that when I refer to a pond it is considering a "pond for Koi." Please do not confuse a Koi pond referred to here with a "natural garden pond," a waterlily pond, or a small water accent in the garden. There is nothing wrong with any of the these. It just that here, the purpose of a pond is to provide a healthy home for Koi. Koi can live in the others, but not in the numbers that necessitate a Koi pond.
A Koi pond should serve two main functions;
One is to provide a healthy home for your Koi.
The other is to provide "clear-water" so that you, the owner, can enjoy your Koi. Neither of the above is dependent on the other. You can have healthy and happy Koi in a "pea-soup" green pond, or you can have diseased and dying Koi in green water. Having "crystal-clear" water is not an indication of a healthy pond. Water is an excellent solvent. It is possible to have unhealthy, toxic, crystal-clear water. In fact, you might have pond water so unhealthy that even algae would not grow in it!
In addition, most Koi ponds are an attractive addition to the garden!
The way we achieve the above two functions is mainly through "biological filtration" as opposed to using "mechanical" filtration and/or "chemicals."
Swimming Pool Filters.
One of the reasons swimming pool filter systems do not work very well on Koi ponds is that they are designed for mechanical and chemical filtration of water. Swimming pool filter systems rely on a pump that is operated for a set time each day. Pumps used for biological filters are required to run 24 hours a day. Most people who purchase swimming pool pumps for Koi ponds are "shocked" at the increase in their monthly electrical bills.
Commercially Available Bio-filters.
Let me warn you about some commercial biological filters available through nurseries, water garden supply, and catalog sales. The manufacturer, like most companies, are in business because there is a demand for the product. Some product descriptions, as advertised, may seem like the solution. But seriously, who would you rather trust? The claim of a manufacturer or somebody who lives near you with a successful fish pond. I feel that your "best" source for information on proper filtration is from a person, in your area, who has successfully kept fish healthy in their own pond for several years. The best place to locate people like that is through a Koi club in your area and if the fails, read, read, and read again. Ask the same questions over agian at different retailers. Its rare that you get the same answer twice in a row.

Koi club people are some knowledgable people, a little strange in a good way but they know their stuff. I'm convinced some them were hippies in their hay days.

The advantage of Koi clubs is that most clubs provide you with the opportunity to visit several private Koi ponds. By visiting and asking questions, you should be exposed to several ways to achieve biological filtration. There is not just "one way" to achieve a healthy pond. Hopefully by visiting several ponds you can "borrow" ideas and avoid the mistakes made by others.

Design Considerations for a Koi Pond.

500 gallons or larger. "The bigger, the better."

24 inches or deeper. Deeper is better. Does not take up any more space or proportionally more filtration.

Straight or near vertical walls. Protection from predators and more pond volume.
One or more bottom drains.

A bottom that slopes towards the drains and away from water falls or incoming water.

Some form of surface skimmer. The pool and spa skimmers with a "weir" work best.
A biological filtration system.


POND FILTERS

The key to successful Koi Keeping is creating a optimum environment for your fish. One of the most critical elements is a proper?pond filter.
The pond filter is of utmost importance in keeping your Koi or fish pond crystal-clear and free of chemical pollutants. Our line of? pond filters are designed to meet a wide range of needs, for both large and small fish ponds.
Mechanical pond Filtration:
Refers to the physical removal of debris from pond water by materials that trap large and small particles. Koi ponds traditionally use some form of solids separation, either passive (vortex chambers like Nexus) or mechanical (micron-screen Answer filter/static Kaldness separators).
Biological Filtration: This is where your pond filter provides a home for beneficial bacteria to grow on filter media. These bacteria remove harmful pollutants from pond water. Known as the "Biological Filter" these beneficial bacteria convert poisonous compounds such as ammonia and nitrite, into less toxic nitrate. The end by-product, nitrate, is used as a food source by aquatic plants. This continuous process is called the nitrogen cycle.
It is?important to think of your filtration in terms of a "system", where components are carefully selected and matched to provide optimum performance, ease of maintenance, and cost effectiveness (both initial and long term operating costs). These components must perform 3 basic functions;
Removal of waste products from the pond
Separation of solid waste
Conversion of soluble waste

CROWD CONTROL

Out of list of mistakes you can make owning a Koi pon. This one is probably near the top. A word to the wise. I remember starting off stocking my pond as a new hobbyist. Like all new newbies, I was mesmerized by the amazing Koi. Well like Noah, I wanted two of every kind. Well I sarted out on this buying venture. But then I remembered something from owning an aquarium. Crowd control. Too many fish and not enough filter. The number one enemy for a newbie must fight is not a microbe or an ecto-parasite or some dreaded virus; Nope you bet-cha. The greatest enemy is in the hobbyist himself. It called impulsiveness. Big the big killer! Here are some signs to let you know that you have this problem. Too many trips to the dealers during the weekend. Of course this leads to over crowding and opportunities to introduce disease into the pond. One telltale sign of the onset of this disease form is skipping the an opportunity to do a water change or clean a sump to get more fish. Poor matainance and over urges to overstock. A true sign that you are sick. Anybody who has been hanging out on Koi Korner knows that every few years they seem to come up with some new and improved media. A new shape, a new surface, different materias. NEW; NEW; NEW! You know the truth of the matter, you can never have enough filtration. Ironically these shifts to the system often result in mysterious out breaks of parasites or bacterial infections whaich can be blamed on new fish also blught while picking up the media. In truth, it is more often the disruption to the system, organic content disturbed and/ or crowding in the face of filter disruption. Bottom line it ain't brken dont fix it. Just maintain it!

The next mistake is rushing that new fish into your pond. I know first hand how frustrating this is. One if you're going to buy new fish for your outdoor pond. Depending where live wait to Spring or late Spring or even summer. Too early and the water is too cold fish can go into shock. How would you feel if I pushed you into a cold pond during winter or late fall. Beware of Pet shop Koi. Some of these muts look good, some of them dont. Some of them are healthy and most of them are not. If you're going to buy Koi, I'm not going to tell you to buy a techbook Koi or spend hundreds or thousands on them. I'm going to tell you to buy from a dealer who know Koi and they dont assume a fish is a fish. If you dont know any exclusive Koi dealers. Do your homework first. Observe the tank in the Pet shop, how healthy do these fish look. Are they kept at the right PH. Study, study, if you want to be serious about this hobby. If you dont. Oh well, who am I to preach the gospel of Koi. Go ahead and throw your money away, you earned it. Introduction; it is wise to quarantine for 24 hours to see if the Koi is healthy. Koi keeping teaches patience. Learn to live with the pace of the things. Okay the other thing bringing that bad boy home in a bag is cool right. Well if you want it to stay cool. Float that bag on the surface of your pond for atleast an 1/2 hour so that the temperture of the water in the bag will adjust to the temperture in the pond. Chances are this new comer is going to be greeted by the old resident swimmers. They'll come up and check out the new guy. Its quit humorous to watch.

I FEEL BLOATED!

Oh yes overfeeding. A big problem! Some people feed Koi the way they feed themselves as well as their cats and dogs. Ease up people Koi get fat too and you can turn your pond into a toilet bowl because of over feeding. The more koi eat the more they eliminate, they have a short digestive system with no stomach. At any given time they may be finish eating for that meal, and you dont want food just floating around. Because that will add to your string algae problem, and that can add to your amonia problem. So; the key what they dont eat up clean up. Your filter wont collect it all.

The majority of hobbyists, if they were to make a feeding mistake, would overfeed. This is because the feeding process is arguably the best time you have with your fish. At feeding time, Koi come up to eat so you can see them, and anyone with a maternal instinct will thrill to watch their favorite fish engulf food with such Koi-ish zeal. Overfeeding is engaged anytime the fish are eating more than they need. So, for a fish farmer with a mud pond full of small fish he's trying to grow, he would feed about five to seven times per day. That would not be overfeeding. But in a typical ornamental pond with a reasonable collection of fish, that feeding rate would be excessive and the wastes therefrom would strain the limits of what can be biological reduced. Means: You water quality will decline.
Fish that are overfed in typical ornamental pond facilities will eventually develop ponderous bellies and begin to look a little bit like tadpoles, with the big body and the wispy tail. That is not a terminal event for the fish but the impact on the liver and other internal organs can and will be severe. Farmed fish that have much more room in lakes or large ponds can be fed considerably and they will not develop as much obesity as reguar backyard pond fish.
Fish should be fed no more than three times per day. In cooler water they should only be fed once per day, if that. In much warmer water, three times per day is not 'crazy' however, you have to be wary of bacterial blooms (cloudy water and low oxygen levels) if you feed heavy and there's a lot of waste.
Fish should be fed for about five minutes per feeding. If they don't come up and eat voraciously, they are telling you that they are too cold, or too warm, feed light. If they come up and "hit hard" you can sprinkle food on the water for five minutes as long as there are fish there to carry it off. Pretend it's a game, NEVER LET IT FLOAT. So, feed the fish as they approach and let them carry it all away, leaving none to float into the skimmer or filter.

So, Plant Proteins in Koi Food Are Bad?

Au contrare! There are three common purposes for plant material in the food. Fiber, protein, and energy (carbohydrate) are all functions of plant proteins. When a company puts corn in a diet just for protein, it's sort of sad. Sad for them (who's doing their research?) and sad for the consumer. Proteins can be lopsided.
But often, wheat, soy or corn meals are used *IN ADDITION TO AQUACULTURAL PROTEINS* to provide SOME protein and SOME energy. When used this way, it's a 'Good Thing' because proteins in corn, soy or wheat are very different from proteins in a feed ingredient like shrimp or blood meal.
Corn protein may be VERY heavy in Leucine or Lysine. While shrimp meal may be heavy in sulfur containing amino acids and very low in Lysine. Therefore, these plant proteins can BALANCE an amino acid profile to ensure that all essential amino acids are represented and make it complete. At the same time, plant proteins can contribute needed energy in the form of carbohydrates. They may also bring fiber to the equation. So, you might see Fishmeal as the first ingredient in a diet. Then lower on the list you might see Wheat germ, or soybean meal, or corn gluten meal. Don't be put off by these dual-purpose ingredients.

Koi Treats?

Oh yeah baby! Koi's love treats.

Silk worm pupae
Available various places in sealed silver bags, this delicacy drives Koi crazy. Really, really nutty. They love them. I guess when a silkworm gets old and stops making silk, it's "history" and is freeze-dried for Koi. Lip-smacking good, I guess. Fed in abundance, the protein can accumulate a good bit of nitrogen (ammonia) in the water so please check Ammonias if you're going crazy with Silkworm pupae. I never had trouble in warm water but I did feeding SWP in cold water. A little bit every day or two is enough.

Grapefruit
Cut the grapefruit on it's equator (widest latitude) and then again cut those halves into halves. So you have quarters. They float. The fish will be attracted at once. Watch out the skins don't jam up a pump or clog your skimmer. Fed too much, the vitamin C acid will scorch the lips of your fish to a pale pink color, no harm - just back off. Once per week is plenty.
Watermelon
They liked it but not as much as Grapefruit. It doesn't supply much nutrition so I have not done this as much as grapefruit.

Orange slices
Big fish will earnestly take Mandarin orange slices right out of your hand. Very cool, delicious to the fish, I guess, and loaded in Vitamin C. Larger seedless oranges can be cut as Grapefruit [above] and will do as well.

Peas
The pain in the neck to me about these was that they sank fast. And if the Koi didn't see them go in, they miss them on the bottom. So there's the chance of wasting the peas and polluting the pond. So be careful to let the fish know you're there, and "here come the peas" and all that. They say that the peas could be skinned. Yeah, sure, I have time for that, how about you? My Koi liked the peas quite a bit, when they realized they were there. I had a Tancho Goshiki that especially liked the peas which showed me that not all fish are alike, personality-wise.

Romaine
Nutritionally invisible, but perhaps the least messy of "greens" for the fish to munch on if you like them to have something to eat like that. Don't bother with Iceberg lettuce. Get the darkest Romaine you can and cut it into six-inch strips of the thinness suitable for your fish. They will chomp on the thick centerspines of the leaf later.

Hyacinths
Delicious to koi. Cut off the roots because they are a mess!!!! I repeat, cut off the roots. Then fracture the plant so it's barely hanging together and toss it on the pond upside down, foliage in the water. The larger Koi especially will eat the youngest leaves first and then pretty much annihilate the whole plant. Do NOT offer roots because the Koi will rip them up and send them directly to your pump's impeller which will summarily choke to death.

Duckweed
Koi will eat ALL of this. If they can. They love it, so do Goldfish. In REALLY large ponds a balance may be struck where the Koi cannot or will not eat all of it but in a regular 11 x 14 pond Duckweed will be a shortlived commodity. It's easily grown outside their abode in vats, babypools and tubs in a sunny spot with six inches water, fairly well circulated, with a small dead fish, or a handful of Koi food, for fuel.

Worms
Koi eat earthworms, Georgia reds, nightcrawlers, pinks, etc. Some people say that you should drown the worms in water first because the "hazardous soil" is expelled from the worm when it drowns and goes flaccid. Uh, my fish wouldn't eat them dead like that, either. So go figure. Fresh, active earthworms are well accepted and safe after the fish take the necessary half hour to figure them out as food. When the first Koi hits a worm, the rest quickly catch on. It's not taken as immediately as Grapefruit, which is strange. Isn't it?

Fish
Koi can be trained to like fish. A very good friend of mine, named Tom, feeds his Koi thawed Sardines chopped up. Nutritious? YES! And sardines (being from salt water) are less likely to carry parasites applicable to Koi. So, again, in moderation, these treats are okay for Koi. And certainly well enjoyed.

Cheerios
We discussed Cheerios in the winter-feeding section but let me restate that ANY time of year, Koi will appreciate Honey Nut Cheerios as a treat. It is low residue and low nitrogen, what's not to love? A+

Chicken

I've heard of this one....Um I'm not sure if I'm going to drop any K.F. cluck, cluck, cluck, C in the water. The white meat, in pinches.

Is there anything I probably should NOT feed Koi as a treat?
I've heard that grapes can contain some oxalates and that apple seeds contain cyanide. The math on these says that if you got a Koi to eat a cubic meter of grapes or appleseeds in a day's time, said Koi could perish from the crystallization of the oxalates in his kidney. For your information, a Koi that could eat a cubic meter of grapes in a day would measure about forty-two feet long and weigh in at 2,300 pounds. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

A INTERVIEW WITH A FISH

Good day and welcome. I this is your first time joining us, I would like to welcome you to Koi Korner network. My name is Misplace Feedergoldfish and today were going to interview a Koi.

I'm home in our cameras to a mud pond in Japan. Mr Koi are you with us?

MrKoi: Gasping for breath. "Yes, yes indeed. Can you hear me now?

I: Yes. Welcome to Koi Korner Network. This is the first time we ever interviewed a Koi in Japan and were looking forward to it. Last week we had a interview with a Salmon, we found out later he met his fate with a bear.

MrKoi: A Bear? Oh, oh my goodness and thought cranes were bad.

I: So you come from a long history of Showa Sanke's. I'm going to ask you some historical questions if you dont mind?

MrKoi: Um-sure. Who are you again?

I: Misplaced sir. Okay for the question. When did the Japanese start keeping Koi?

MrKoi: According to the verbal history that has been passed down to me. About 8th century near the Kugurino palace.

I: Wow! Thats amazing that Koi were raised in a garden so long ago. What kind of Koi were they at that time?

MrKoi: Mmmmm? I think they were Black carp. But it has been told that reddish carp were there as well.

I: Really! Where did the reddish ones come from?

MrKoi: The red ones came by mutation. It is often seen in the body color because it was the necesity to protect themselves. Sometimes when you have two black carp parents the off springs dont always come out pure black.

I: Interesting. Did different colored carp appear at high ratio 1200 years ago?

MrKoi: No I dont think so. In the 21st century there are many koi's that are released into river or lakes. So even though they were black carp from the wild, it is very posible that they had some blood of koi in them. So there is no surprise that 10% came out different colors. But 1200 years ago, the blood line of black carp was very pure, so that even 0.1% would not appear different in color.

I: That is what i thought. This explains why red carp were so rare and the nobility kept them. What kind ponds did they have?

MrKoi: The time was the Heian era 794-1185 AD. The nobles had large territories and owned the house they built large water gardens called Kaiyushikiteien.

I: Whao! Thats a mouth full. Whats a Kaiyushikiteien?

MrKoi: Basically a large pond for a large boats mostly.

I: What kind of food was fed to the fish?

MrKoi: Mostly leftovers. The people on the boat enjoyed watching the fish feed. It is said that they called the feed Fu. Fu is very light and floats. So the koi would approach the FU and eat it. Fu came out of China. Only the wealthy could afford it.

I: Even with the Fu if there were only black koi, it is not very much fun. I assume there must be some red ones as well?

MrKoi: Even the nobles could had a hard time holding on to red ones. The easy care is what I think captured their hearts.

I: So Fu is fed to you guys and gals even in the winter time correct?

MrKoi: You betcha! Fu, year round works for me. Its only water and wheat and 98% digestable. This great food for a very short digestable system.

I: So the Koi of today are all mutations. Is that fare to say?

MrKoi: Yes we are from a long line of mutations from Black carp. About 250 years ago, farmers invented methods to create more beautiful Koi by crossing the born by mutation.

I: And thats all the time we have. I want to thank our guest in Japan for the interview. The best of luck in next Grand Champion All Japan Combined Koi Show. I'm sure you'll do well. This has been a episode of the Koi Korner Network and I'm your host Misplaced Feedergoldfish saying goodbye for now and clean water please.