Dear colleagues! Koi carp, or as it is also called Brocade carp, belongs to the carp family. In fact, koi carp is a decorative variety of just carp. But to become a koi, a fish needs to go through about six stages of selective selection. To date, the world knows about more than 80 varieties of this aquarium fish. They, in turn, depending on the characteristics, are divided into 16 groups. Among them there are variations that are very popular with aquarists around the world.
The variety of coloring of koi carp directly depends on the conditions in which the fish is kept, the quality, the presence of dyes in the feed and the intensity of the illumination of the reservoir. Despite the fact that there are a whole bunch of coloring pages and a small cart, this representative of the cyprinids still has the main colors: blue, red, black, orange, white, yellow and cream. Adult carp can grow up to 90 centimeters in length.
This large-sized pet lives long enough, as for the original fish - some individuals lived up to 30 years. And with such a life expectancy, fish rarely die from banal old age. Most of the deaths of fish occur from violation of the conditions of keeping carp in captivity. In males, the pectoral fins are sharper and larger than in females. However, in body size, females are larger than males. At the onset of the mating season, small bumps appear on the gill covers of the fish, similar to semolina. There are also some differences in the anus of females and males. The most common varieties of koi are as follows: Kohaku, Sanke, Showa, Bekko, Tancho, Asagi, Golden Fire, Platinum Fire.
A pool, a pond or a small lake is suitable for keeping this representative of cyprinids, since only in such reservoirs will fish have enough free space and light, which are vital to maintain a bright and original color. But not all lovers can get a pond or a lake on their site for keeping carps. After all, you remember, the fish grows up to a meter in length and almost 6 kilos in weight. Therefore, the fish contain mainly large ones.
The content is very simple, as it is famous for its unpretentiousness. Yes, and as for me, check out the beauty various options Carp coloring is possible only through glass, and not through the surface of the pond, where everything is distorted. But when keeping koi in aquariums, you must understand that the growth and size of pets directly depends on the volume of the aquarium. If there is not enough space, the fish greatly inhibits its growth and then stops growing altogether. As a result, you will have a 15-centimeter fish swimming in a jar with an unimportant color than it should be. Therefore, the larger the pond in which you keep carp, the faster and more they grow. There is an unspoken rule: for a centimeter of the length of a koi carp, you need a minimum of 5 liters of water. If you resort to elementary mathematics, then for a fish 90 centimeters long and weighing 6 kilos, you will need a container with a volume of 800 liters and excellent care.
It just so happened, but koi need well-filtered and ventilated water. Therefore, do not be too lazy to put a powerful filter and organize at the proper level. Aquarium water must have following parameters:
- total hardness: 4-10 dGH;
- carbonate hardness: 1-7 dKH;
- nitrites and ammonium - by zero;
- nitrates - no more than 40 ppm
The optimum water temperature, in which brocade carps feel great, should be between 15-30 degrees. But there were cases when the fish withstood even stronger drops - from 2 to 35 degrees. The active reaction of the water environment in the aquarium should be just over 7 pH, but an increase to 9 pH is not fatal.
As neighbors for brocade carps, golden carps, trout and mustard are suitable. As you can use light fine sand, poured in a thick layer, medium pebbles and rounded gravel. various aquarium decor must be carefully fixed so that during the next excavation of the soil, objects do not move or turn over. Based on this, it is enough for you to install a couple of impressive stones and.
Koi carp are excellent eaters of both vegetable and live foods. To obtain a brighter color, manufacturers add carotene to special feeds. But, as a rule, this supplement is not the only one, and the owners have to stuff their pets with other foods containing pigments. It can be bloodworms, phytoplankton, shrimp, daphnia, snails and microalgae. The pigments contained in these foods give the carp their brighter colors of red, orange and yellow.
Also, make sure that leftover food does not pollute the water. When feeding, the food should be all eaten in 10-15 minutes, and all that is left should be removed with a funnel. you already know, I hope. Like all aquarium fish, koi carp are prone to periodic overeating, so it is best to feed in small portions. It is not advisable to feed once a day, as their digestive system will not be able to digest a large amount of food at a time.
Breeding
After the carp reaches the mark of 23 centimeters in length, the fish becomes sexually mature. If the living conditions of the fish are ideal, the food is good and the health is excellent, then in the external reservoir koi breed in late May - early June. By this time, the water warms up to 20 degrees Celsius, which serves as an impetus for reproduction. Since the fish does not grow up to 23 centimeters in an aquarium, spawning at home is unrealistic.
- a very unusual and beautiful fish. It is not found in the wild, but is specially bred for keeping in ornamental ponds and aquariums. Koi are famous for their unusual colors.
"Koi" is Japanese for "carp". The history of the koi carp goes back over 2000 years. From the territories adjacent to the Caspian Sea, these carps were first brought to China (it was there that they first began to be called “koi”), and then the Chinese conquerors brought koi to Japan. It was originally bred for food by Japanese peasants - in some regions, koi carp was a staple. But the color and pattern of some carp was unusually bright. Such carps were not eaten, but kept at home as an ornamental animal. Gradually, the peasants began to specifically cross colored carps in order to get new colors.
Koi breeding soon became a common hobby among the upper classes throughout Japan. In 1914, the Taisho Exhibition was held in Tokyo, where colored koi were first seen by visitors from other countries. Now the Japanese koi carp is popular not only at home, but all over the world. The Japanese joke that koi helped them conquer the world.
Japanese carp come in a variety of colors: black, yellow, orange, red, white, blue, green, or even spotted. 14 colorings of koi are accepted as a standard. Depending on the color, there are different koi breeds, there are 16 breed groups in total, the total number of different breeds is more than 80. The most famous koi breeds are kohaku(white carp with red pattern), sledge(white carp with red and black pattern) and seam(black carp with red and white pattern).
Koi are elegant and graceful, watching these fish is a pleasure! They say that the fish are apathetic and do not pay attention to the owner. But the good-natured and not shy koi carp is quite quickly get used to people, will be eaten from your hands and may even allow you to touch it.
Keeping Koi won't give you much trouble. Japanese carp is unpretentious in food, it can be kept in a country pond and even in an aquarium. But you need to buy koi carps only in specialized nurseries with an impeccable reputation - these fish can be carriers of diseases that are dangerous to humans. Before you put a koi in its designated water, you need to quarantine it, especially if you already have other koi.
Most often, koi are kept in open water bodies- concrete, plastic or equipped with a special waterproofing film. Koi don't need a huge body of water. For normal development, fish need a reservoir with a depth of about 1.5 meters, containing 10 tons of water. The size of such a reservoir will be approximately 2x3x1.5 meters. The optimum water temperature in the warm season is 20-25 degrees. In winter, the temperature should not fall below 4 degrees, so you will need heating, or you will have to provide your carps with wintering in a closed pond. The following are also important for keeping koi carp. water parameters:
- pH indicator (pH) - from 7 to 8.5;
- carbonate hardness (KH) - from 1 to 7 dKH (from 72 to 125 ppm);
- total hardness (GH) - from 4 to 10 dGH (from 72 to 125 ppm);
- nitrite and ammonium content - 0 ppm;
- nitrate content - no more than 40 ppm;
- oxygen content - not less than 5 ppm.
ppm is a ppm, the number of parts per million (say, milligrams per kilogram or milliliters per cubic meter). In principle, this composition of water is not unusual - this water is suitable for most aquatic plants, animals and fish.
If you do not have a pond, but have a great desire to buy koi, Japanese carp can be kept in a spacious aquarium. The aquarium must have all the necessary equipment. Of course, you can’t put big fish in an aquarium, so it’s better to put young fish there. Koi carp in an aquarium will never reach the size they could grow in a pond. When kept in an aquarium, koi may change their body shape, and the colors will not be as bright.
For koi carp in the aquarium more What matters is not the volume of water, but its composition. Therefore, you need to monitor the filtration and aeration of the aquarium, controlling the content of the substances mentioned above.
Japanese carps eat special food in the form of sticks (pellets). It is better to constantly feed koi with food from the same manufacturer. Carp should be fed often, but in small portions, so as not to pollute the water. The food should be eaten by the fish within 5 minutes. Every day, the fish should receive an amount of food that is 3% of its weight. This amount should be divided into several feedings. In addition, you can give koi special food in the form of paste, bread, fruits, vegetables and boiled frozen shrimp. Live food should be given with caution.
Elite thoroughbred Japanese koi can cost several thousand euros, however fry of common breeds will cost a little more than ordinary aquarium fish. Moreover, koi are bred not only in Japan, but also in Israel, Malaysia and other countries. Japanese koi are original and interesting pets.
Koi are wonderful and amazingly beautiful inhabitants of the aquarium world! This ornamental fish has been selected for centuries and won the love of millions of people around the world. In this article we will try to comprehensively tell the reader about this, of course, a magnificent creation.
Looking at the magnificent colors and coloring of modern koi, it is sometimes amazing that they all descended from the most common carp that is found in the lakes of Asia and Europe.
The meaning of the word "koi" in Japanese means "carp". This concept includes both simple fish - gray in color, and bright, color variations of fish. Interestingly, the homophone "koi" (homophone - phonetic ambiguity, phonetic homonym, i.e. words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and have different meanings) means "love", "a feeling of closeness", "affection". This is partly why carps in Japan are considered symbols of love and friendship. good to that an example is Mukoda Kuniko's short sketch "Mr. Carp" ("Koi-san", "Koi-san").
In addition, the carp itself personifies stamina and courage. And that is why tattoo lovers often depict it on their body.
The composure, stamina and courage of carp have everyday and legendary grounds. So, in Japan, they paid attention to the fact that, unlike other fish, carps staunchly await their fate on the kitchen table. This resilience was so impressive that in Japan, the carp has become a symbol of the "boys' holiday", which is now celebrated on May 5th. On this day, cloth or paper images of carps - “koinobori” are supposed to be raised on poles above the houses. The number of koinobori fluttering in the wind is determined by the number of boys living in the house. At the same time, the higher the carp flies, the higher the position the boy will reach in the future.
Moreover, in order to achieve success in life, the boy had to first climb through the cloth carp through and through. Samurai traditions of the Middle Ages are alive today.
Thus, we can say that the symbolism of koi carp had a powerful influence on the culture of the countries of the East and humanity as a whole. But let's switch to more specific things and pay attention to the history of koi.
Wild carps (carps) have inhabited the territories adjacent to the Caspian Sea since ancient times. It is believed that carps were first domesticated in Persia. But the word "carp" came to us from Old High German (Charpfen). Thanks to the development of trade and the extraordinary endurance of carps, they soon settled vast territories in the Far East.
About 2500 years ago, carps were brought to China. The ancient Chinese appreciated these fish. It was they who gave them the name "Koi", which we use to this day.
According to legend, in 533 BC, Confucius named his newborn son by this name in honor of the fish given to him by Emperor Shoko. Until now, in China and Japan, carp is the personification of strength and endurance. The exact date of the appearance of carps in Japan is unknown. The first mentions, in Japanese writing, about them belong to the eighth century of our era.
Most likely, the carp was brought to Japan by the Chinese conquerors and settled in local rivers and lakes. The Japanese called it "Magoi" - black carp. Later they began to grow it for food, sometimes carp was the only source of protein for the peasants living on the periphery. One of these areas was the province of Niigata (note: Niigata is always associated with the whole world with a name, because it was here that the Great Maestro was born in 1954. Niigata is a province of high mountains, clear rivers and dense forests. In this area, summers are hot, and winters are cold, with heavy snowfalls. In some places, the thickness of the snow cover can reach 10 meters , so in winter the inhabitants of the province were isolated from the outside world.
Most of the population of Niigata were peasants who grew rice and vegetables on the slopes of the mountains. To irrigate their land, the peasants stored water in specially dug reservoirs. These tanks were ideal for growing carp. Over time, the peasants began to pay more and more attention to the cultivation of fish for gastronomic purposes. "Peasant carps" spawned in early June, the fry were grown until mid-October, after which they were caught and salted, thus harvesting for the winter. Adult carps-producers were very valuable, so for the winter they were settled in small ponds dug near the houses, and often in the houses themselves.
As the years went by, the farmers noticed that some carp were brighter than others, and began to leave these individuals for later crossing. Thus began the selection of this legendary fish. It is believed that the very first colored carp was red, then white, and then, as a result of crossing individuals of two colors, red and white beauties appeared.
The whole world became interested in Japanese carps after the exhibition in 1914 in Tokyo, where koi from Niigata were presented. Since then, the koi breeding fever has begun to spread around the world, gaining momentum. Keeping Japanese colored carp has become a popular activity in many countries of our planet.
"Koi army" in America, Europe, Asia are just in love with their pets, they rush home from work to spend more time with their pets, feed them with the best food, all the time working on improving the technical base of fish life support, the whole weekend spend fumbling near their pond. For more than 300 years, this hobby has been popular among the Japanese, the nation that gave the world koi - the living gems of the land of the rising sun.
A strong love for koi in America and Europe began after World War II, when Japan became even more open to the world. As the Japanese joke: "We have found a new way to conquer the world - nishikigoi (nishikigoi - colored carp)".
Which fall into the post-Soviet space, even during Soviet Union, but these are mostly koi of very poor quality, it was also believed that our climate is not suitable for colored carps and they need to be acclimatized, but no serious work has been carried out in this direction. Koi good quality began to appear in our country in the late 90s from Israel, Thailand, Malaysia, and European countries.
With this in mind, we can draw unambiguous conclusions about the decorative value of koi in ponds and aquariums. Next, let's pay attention to the conditions of keeping and breeding varieties of koi.
In captivity, Japanese koi can live for quite a long time of 25 to 35 years. There are cases of a very decent age of fish - 220 years.
In length, koi carps can grow up to 130 centimeters, which is typical for some breeds that are genetically closer to their progenitor, the wild carp. But usually their length does not exceed 90-100 centimeters.
With that said, of course, koi are better kept in a pond than in an aquarium.
You can build a pond on a concrete base and on soft waterproofing. As the latter, synthetic rubber (EPDM) is used. With it, you can create reservoirs of any shape and size. If there are sharp stones in the ground, it is also necessary to use a fleece (special backing), which will prevent damage to the EPDM film used. A pond with a concrete base is more expensive, but also the most durable. A concrete pond allows you to create steep vertical banks, which saves space by increasing the water volume of the pond.
Do-it-yourself pond in the backyard garden
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Depth from 1.4m.
Volume 8 tons (3m x 2.46m x 1.23m).
It should be remembered that these brocade koi are quite active fish, they need to swim, and therefore they need a spacious pond. Naturally, there is no specific data on how deep and how large the pond should be, since it all depends on how many koi you want to put in the pond.
Recommendations for the location of the pond: a quiet, calm corner of the garden (as far as possible from noisy places, such as a highway), but close to home (so that you can admire koi without leaving home in any weather). The rays of the sun should illuminate the pond all day long.
During the melting of snow or rain, water from the territories adjacent to it should not flow into the pond. To do this, storm drainage is built around the pond or the pond is created elevated.
It is important to equip the pond with a powerful two-stage filtration system: biological and mechanical. It must guarantee the effective removal of fish waste products and products of the nitrogen cycle: ammonia, nitrite and nitrate from the water, as well as maintain a normal gas regime.
In a flowing, large pond with aquatic plants filtration system, in principle, can not be used. But it is likely that koi will begin to eat underwater vegetation or dig in the ground in search of food. That's why best options filtration system settings are: build an additional regeneration reservoir with aquatic plants or create a bioplato - a stream or a small pond, completely covered with pebbles with aquatic plants planted in it, through which water will circulate from the pond.
Most of the factors that affect the biological balance depend on the volume of the pond: the amount of dissolved oxygen, temperature. Thus, the larger the pond, the easier it is to maintain biological balance.
Keeping koi in an aquarium
We think that it is not worth dwelling on the fact that an aquarium for keeping koi carps should be large from 500 liters, and preferably a ton or two. Of course, these numbers may shock the beginner aquarist, but for the pros and hobbyists, these numbers are not so outrageous. We have all seen aquariums with American or African cichlids from 1000l. and more. And this is no longer a luxury, but rather ordinary things.
Water parameters for keeping koi carp: total hardness 4-10 GH, carbonate hardness 1-7 KH, nitrogen compounds should be at zero: NH4 0, NO2 0, NO3 is acceptable up to 40. The water temperature at which koi feel comfortable is 15 -30 °C, carps are able to tolerate temperature fluctuations ranging from 2 to 35 °C. But at the same time they the immune system"turns off". The optimum pH level is 7.0-7.5 (neutral). The level of O2 in the water should be 4-5 mg / l, but the fish will be able to tolerate a lower indicator - up to 0.5 mg / l.
The most important thing in keeping koi in an aquarium is to ensure proper filtration. This can be achieved by installing two filters working for biology and mechanics, as well as by means.
The soil in the aquarium should consist of fine or medium sand. The aquarium itself is decorated to your taste, but without any frills, because. fish will constantly rummage and rearrange the decor as they see fit.
From the foregoing, we can conclude that koi carps, although beautiful, are sold everywhere in pet stores, but alas, they are not for a beginner. This fish is for an experienced aquarist and it is desirable that this aquarist has a house in the countryside.
By the way, speaking often beginners in aquarism, due to a certain similarity with, identify koi caps with them. However, this is not so, they have one family - cyprinids. But the genus is different. Koi - genus Cyprinus (carp), gold fish- genus Carassius (carp).
Koi species
Koi come in a wide variety of colors, the main ones being white, black, red, yellow, blue and cream. There are over 80 koi breeds. For convenience, they are divided into 16 groups, united according to one or more common characteristics. The most popular koi breed is the gosanke, which includes the kohaku, taisho sanshoku, and showa sanshoku varieties.
Kohaku (kohaku)- white carp with well-defined red or red-orange spots on the back.
Taisho sanshoku (taisho sanshoku), or sanke (sanke)- white carp with red and black spots. Named after Emperor Taishō.
Showa Sanshoku (Showa Sanshoku), or Showa (Showa)- black carp with red and white spots. Named after Emperor Showa.
Tancho (tancho)- koi of any color with a red spot on the head. "Tantyo" can be called either showa tantyo or sanke tantyo, or goshiki tantyo.
Asagi (asagi)- koi with blue scales on the back and red (red-orange) - on the sides.
Shusui (shusui)- a kind of extended version of the asagi variety: the back of the carp is blue, and red (red-orange) spots go on the sides.
Bekko (bekko)- white, red or yellow carp with black spots.
Utsurimono (utsurimono)- black koi with red, yellow or white stains.
Gosiki (goshiki)- predominantly black koi with red, white, brown and blue stains.
Fire (ogon)- solid color koi, the most common colors are red, orange, gray, yellow and light yellow.
Kinginrin (Kinrin/ginrin, kinrin/ginrin)- koi with sparkling golden (ginrin) or silvery (kinrin) scales.
Kawarimono (kawarimono), or kawarigoi (kawarigoi)- various koi that cannot be attributed to any of the selected varieties.
Doitsugoi (doitsu-goi)- German carps that do not have scales in principle or have several rows of scales, like mirror carps.
Koromo (koromo)- koi of white color, covered with neat black and red spots.
Hikari-moyomono (hikari-moyomono)- koi with a metallic sheen and a combined golden-silver color.
ghostny koi (ghost koi)- "hybrid" Ogon and wild carp. Not a nishikigoi.
Veil koi (Dragon carp; butterfly koi)- koi of all listed species with a longer body. Not a nishikigoi.
Koi feeding
Feeding Koi, like any aquarium fish, should be correct, balanced, varied. This fundamental rule is the key to the successful keeping of fish, be it guppies or astronotus. The article "" talks about this in detail, it outlines the basic principles of the diet and feeding regimen for fish.
In this article, we note the most important thing - feeding koi should not be monotonous, the diet should include both dry food and live food. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the gastronomic preferences of a particular fish and, depending on this, include food in its diet either with the highest protein content or vice versa with herbal ingredients.
Popular and popular food for fish, of course, are dry food. For example, all the time and everywhere you can find food from Tetra, the leader Russian market, actually and the range of forages of the given company strikes. Tetra's "gastronomic arsenal" includes individual foods for a certain type of fish: guppies, goldfish, cichlids, loricariids, labyrinths, arowans, discus, etc. Also, Tetra has developed specialized feeds, for example, to enhance color, fortified or for feeding fry.
It should be noted that when buying any dry food, you should pay attention to the date of its manufacture and shelf life, try not to buy feed by weight, and also store food in a closed state - this will help to avoid the development of pathogenic flora in it.
In addition, we would like to draw the reader's attention to the general product line Tetra for the pond.
Koi breeding
Let's just say that at home this is actually not possible. This requires large volumes of the aquarium.
It is impossible to determine the sex of koi before they reach sexual maturity. Sexual dimorphism manifests itself at spawning age when the fish reach a length of about 23 cm. But sometimes even adults present difficulties in determining the sex.
The main signs of sex difference in koi. Males have sharper and visually larger pectoral fins relative to the body, females have a heavier body, which is associated with the need for nutrients for the normal functioning of the eggs. During the mating season, male koi, like goldfish, appear on the gill covers.
Carp living in a pond will spawn in late spring or early summer, that is, when the temperature rises. The ideal temperature for spawning is 20 C.
If there are a lot of koi in the pond, then you can observe mass spawning. This spawning results in healthy offspring, but is avoided by many aquarists because these fry are usually much paler in color than their parents. Usually breeders select a couple of spawners and put them in a separate spawning pond. A spawning pond does not have to be stationary - it can be a children's pool, a rubber pool and similar reservoirs. During the spawning period, frequent water changes are made and the fish are abundantly fed with protein, live food.
To obtain a larger number of offspring, producers are planted after spawning, because. parents are able to eat caviar and fry. A pond with fry requires good aeration, otherwise they will not survive. A week later, fry are born from the eggs, which immediately attach to the edges of the pond and hang like this for 2-3 days. After carp fry, koi begin to swim freely. From this moment on, the juveniles need to be fed.
On this we conclude the article and finally say that in Japan these priceless fish are inherited as a treasure and property. You can buy a koi fry for 50 rubles, and the most expensive koi carp was once sold for 50,000 US dollars.
All of the above is just the fruit of observing this type of aquarium fish and collecting various information from owners and breeders. We would like to share with visitors not only information, but also lively emotions, allowing you to more fully and subtly feel the world of aquarism. Register on, participate in discussions on the forum, create profile topics where you will talk about your pets in the first person and firsthand, describe their habits, behavior and content, share your successes and joys with us, share experience and learn from experience others. We are interested in every bit of your experience, every second of your joy, every realization of a mistake that makes it possible for your comrades to avoid the same mistake. The more of us, the more pure and transparent droplets of goodness in the life and life of our seven billionth society.
Interesting video about koi and crucians
Beautiful photos with koi carp
Features and habitat of koi carp
carp koi is an exclusively ornamental fish. His ancestors were carp of the Amur subspecies. At present, before getting a certain category, the fish must go through 6 selection selections.
About 2000 years ago, carps appeared in China, although their homeland koi carp considered Japan. There, the first recorded references to carp date back to the 14th century. Initially, this species was used only as food.
Then people began to artificially breed it for sale, but, again, as a food product. However, deviations in the usual gray color periodically occurred.
Caught representatives of this species, having an unusual color, as a rule, remained alive and moved from natural reservoirs to pools and aquariums in order to please the human eye.
Gradually, people switched to artificial breeding of colored carps. The owners of such unusual fish, whose mutation occurred in wildlife, crossed them with each other, by artificial means getting all new colors.
Thus, the koi carp has survived to this day and has become very popular among lovers of unusual aquatic animals. Modern japanese koi undergo a complex evaluation process.
The size and shape of the fins and body, the quality of the skin and the depth of color, the borders of colors if there are several, the quality of the patterns are subject to verification. The koi is also rated for how it swims.
At competitions, all points received for a certain parameter are summed up and a winner is selected. At the moment, many countries hold such exhibitions and shows dedicated to koi.
The natural habitat is ponds, and the quality of the water for fish is of little importance to this day. Of course, koi, unlike its ancestor, lives exclusively in clean artificial reservoirs.
It has a long, dense body. The muzzle is crowned with two whiskers, acting as sensory organs. Koi is characterized by the absence of scales, due to which it shines very much.
Currently, there are about 80 different breeds of koi. Each has its own color and pattern. That's why photo of koi carp so bright and varied.
The nature and lifestyle of the koi carp
There is an opinion that each fish has its own individual character. Also, over time, the waterfowl gets used to and can recognize its person. With a little effort, you can train carp koi food take from the owner.
It is a common occurrence that a carp that recognizes its person can swim up to him and allow himself to be stroked. This fish is an ordinary pet that brings joy and requires minimal effort to care for.
Koi have a calm character, do not show aggression either to each other, or to a person, or to another species. Amenable to training.
In length, carp can reach 80 centimeters. Fish grow quickly in favorable conditions. In order to koi in the aquarium felt good, needed a lot of space for him to swim freely.
Pictured is a koi carp in an aquarium
That is why, given the size of the fish, it is best to keep it in an artificial pond. Koi perceives a depth of 50 centimeters, but does not go deeper than one and a half meters, so you should not make the container so deep.
The fish feels good in a wide temperature range - from 15 to 30 degrees Celsius. winter koi carp becomes inactive and lethargic.
Koi carp nutrition
Pictured is a koi carp in a pond
As a rule, feeding occurs two or three times a day. The structure of the stomach does not allow the carp to digest a large amount of food at once. Therefore, the owner of such a pet must carefully ensure that his ward does not overeat.
There is an unspoken rule that helps in feeding carp - if one individual spends about 10 minutes eating one serving, then everything is going fine. If it copes much faster than in 10 minutes, there is not enough food. And if the carp absorbs one serving for more than 10 minutes, then the owner overfeeds him, which should not be allowed.
To preserve the brightness and color saturation of the carp, it is advised to give daphnia and dry shrimp. Some carp owners prefer a special food that is mixed with artificial color.
This dye does not cause any harm to fish, as it is a healthy food supplement. However, it enhances the brightness of the color, which makes the unusual carp even more interesting and beautiful.
Adult carps can be fed with human food. For example, processed fresh vegetables, grains, watermelons, apples and pears. When using human foods, the reaction of the pet should be carefully observed to identify individual tolerance, if any.
Also, a large carp will not refuse worms, bloodworms and other live food. Upon reaching 10-15 kilograms of carp, it is advised to feed 4 times a day, no more than 500 grams per day. It will be useful for the pet to arrange one unloading day a week.
Reproduction and lifespan of koi carp
Koi held in a pond and eat well and multiply quickly. A lot of people are engaged in carp breeding at the present time. That's why buy koi carp available for a variety of prices.
The lower koi carp price the worse the quality of the fish. Many breeders neglect the conditions necessary for keeping and breeding, and therefore the resulting offspring have errors in structure, color or color.
Of course, this is not suitable for an exhibition, however, for a home aquarium or pond on suburban area quite acceptable. At good conditions life, a healthy individual can live with his owner for almost his entire life, because on average a carp lives 50 years.
Usually the carp is ready to spawn when its size is 20-23 centimeters. The female is larger due to the eggs, the male, respectively, is smaller. The pelvic fins of a boy are larger than those of a girl.
However, there are no clear differences between the female and the male in this artificially bred fish, because there have been cases when the male has smaller fins and a larger abdomen than the female.
The exact time of spawning can be determined by the bumps on the head of the male. They look like small specks that are difficult to see. As a rule, this falls on the beginning of summer. Carp can only spawn with sufficient food. 20 degrees is enough for spawning to start.
Usually, producers are planted in an individual room - a large aquarium or pond. Choose one female and several males. During spawning, it is often worth changing the water and adding more live food.
In order to avoid that the whole caviar, and then koi fry were eaten by their parents, they are upset. In order for the fish to lay their eggs in a certain place, a nylon rope is used, which the carps perceive as a plant and lay their eggs on it.
The popularity of Japanese koi carp today is gaining unprecedented momentum. Some turn the breeding of these fish into their hobby, while others turn into profitable business. Let's get to know these amazing aquatic creatures closer.
What do koi look like
In Japan, where this fish comes from, "koi" means "carp", which can be either plain gray or brightly colored. Koi carp is considered a symbol of love and friendship, and also personifies stamina and courage, so its symbolic image can be found in various sketches, it is often used as an element of tattoos.
This type of fish is often called "brocade", due to the characteristics of the scales and its color combinations. The appearance of a koi carp is the result of long-term selection work, therefore, professional breeders put forward many requirements for how it should look. First of all, the general proportions of the fish, the ratio of the sizes of the head, body and tail are considered:
- the head is wide, large and blunt, females often grow cheeks, which makes their head even wider;
- the physique of the fish is such that the body tapers smoothly from the beginning of the dorsal fin to the developed tail section, thus, the body of the koi visually gains power;
- due to the fact that koi has strong pectoral fins, it can balance well in the water, despite its impressive size, but the dorsal fin is not very high;
- the size of fish can vary from 20 cm in those that are bred in an aquarium, and reach 90 cm, and sometimes more - in the conditions of carp living in a pond.
The weight of such a carp will also be rather big: starting from 4 kg and ending with 10 kg. The color of koi carp can be varied. A feature of these fish is the bright, colorful color of their scales, which can be even and monochromatic, or can be combined with others in incredibly beautiful combinations, in the form of patterns and spots on the sides, head, and back. As a result of painstaking selection, koi can be found in red, blue, white, yellow, black and other colors.
Types of carp: description and photo
Koi breeders distinguish about 60-80 species and subspecies of this family. Thanks to the rationality of the Japanese, they were all divided into 14-16 main groups, which received their own special names. Next, we will look at the most popular species koi carps. It is noteworthy that among those who breed koi, mainly Japanese terminology is used:
- Kohaku (Kohaku) - white with bright and well-defined red and orange spots on the back;
- Taisho sanshoku / Sanke (Taisho Sanshoku / Sanke) - white with red and black spots on the back and sides, got its name in honor of the Japanese emperor Taisho;
- Showa sanshoku / Showa (Showa Sanshoku / Showa) - black with white and red spots, got its name in honor of Emperor Showa;
- Tancho (Tantyo) - the fish can have any color, and its main distinguishing feature is a red spot on its head;
- Asagi (Asagi) - the scales of this koi on the back are blue in color, while its sides are red-orange;
- Shusui (Syusyuy) - the back of the carp is blue, and there are red or red-orange spots on the sides;
- Bekko (Bekko) - white, yellow or red koi with black spots;
- Utsurimono (Utsurimono) - black fish with red, white or yellow patterns;
- Goshiki (Gosiki) - the color of this species is dominated by black with large patterns of red, brown, white or blue;
- Ogon (Ogon) - the color of the fish is monophonic, orange, red, yellow, light yellow and gray can be found;
- Kinrin / Ginrin (Kinginrin, Kinrin / Ginrin) - koi with scales of golden color (Ginrin) or silver (Kinrin);
- Doitsu-goi (Doitsugoi) - this type of fish may have only a few rows of scales, like its mirror counterparts, and some representatives do not have it at all;
- Koromo (Koromo) - white carp with beautiful, neat spots of black and red;
- Hikari-moyomono (Hikari-moyomono) - golden-silver color of these fish has a metallic sheen.
Types of carp
Koi carps are quite large fish, they are often bred in ponds, however, some species can be bred in large aquariums, creating the conditions necessary for the fish.
How many live
Although koi are ornamental fish, they are long-lived. In optimal living and nutritional conditions for them, they can live on average up to 30 years.
Did you know? Japanese legends and eyewitness accounts report that long-lived carps exist. For example, the list compiled by ichthyologists includes such record holders as: Hankako (217 years old), Aoi (170 years old), Chikara (155 years old), Sataru (151 years old), Santa (141 years old), Yuki ( 141). The number of years was determined by the number of layers of scales, which are very thin.
It is known that fish of this species can grow to an impressive size, reaching almost a meter in length, and gain a large mass, which can reach the mark of 10 kg. However, such giants can only grow in open water conditions. For breeding koi of medium size and mass, a large enough aquarium and following some rules of keeping, which we will discuss in more detail below.
The size of the aquarium directly depends on the size of the fish that will be in it, and the number of individuals. So, experts recommend making small calculations according to the formula: for every centimeter of fish, 5 liters of water are required. Thus, we can say that the optimal size of the aquarium is a capacity of at least 500 liters. In it, the fish will be able to develop as much as possible and move normally.
conditions in the aquarium
The habitat for brocade carps has great importance. Since these fish were artificially bred, it is necessary to arm themselves with certain equipment to breed them.
by the most important aspect is the purity of the water in the reservoir. Experts say that this factor is key to the health and longevity of fish. A 30% weekly water change in the aquarium is the minimum necessary procedure for breeding koi. Otherwise, these fish are not so whimsical.
Filtration
For large volumes of water, filtration should be carried out using at least 2 external filters that can provide a constant and powerful air saturation. You can determine the degree of filter contamination by reducing the water pressure, and before this sign is detected, you should not rinse the filter again unnecessarily. Filter materials should not be taken with fine porous and fine-grained materials, as they will clog.
Water quality
The main parameters responsible for this characteristic are:
- total hardness - 4-10 gH;
- carbon hardness - 1-7 kH;
- acidity - 7.0-7.5 pH (neutral level), but not lower than 6.0;
- the minimum content of nitrites, for which biological filtration is successfully used;
- nitrogenous compounds are reduced to zero.
The optimal indicator is + 15-30 ° C. In open waters, koi can live normally even at a temperature of +2-35 °C.
Aeration
Enrichment of water with air should be carried out both in the conditions of breeding fish in an aquarium and in an open pond. It must be remembered that the main reason for the death of fish is a lack of oxygen in the water. That is why aeration necessary condition for the life of the inhabitants of any reservoir.
Lighting
With good lighting, the beauty and grace of brocade carps become more expressive and attractive. Experts consider metal halide lamps to be the most advantageous option, which give contrast to the water and make it more transparent.
Priming
At the bottom of the aquarium, you can pour fine or medium-sized sand with grains of sand. The fish are very fond of digging it.
Did you know? Koi is an ornamental fish species that has gone through 6 levels of selection, the ancestors of which are ordinary carps. However, koi are very intelligent and trainable. They quickly get used to the owner and are able to recognize his face, voice, get used to the commands and can swim up for food after the conventional sign of their owner.
Interior elements
They should not be in excess. Koi are very fond of pushing with their nose and turning everything in the aquarium. Plants should not be planted due to the fact that the carp will rip them out, digging their nose in the sand, and they will die. A solution to this problem can be planted in pots suspended at a height of 10-15 cm from the bottom of the aquarium. But don't get too carried away with decorating the aquarium, as these fish love space and need a lot of room to move around.
Food for fish
Koi do not require a special diet to keep them alive. To ensure their nutrition in artificially created conditions, it is necessary to ensure that the fish receive both plant and animal feed. The best solution is to feed specially formulated for koi foods in dry granular form.
Such nutrition contains all the necessary minerals and nutrients, and also positively affects the color of the fish scales, enhancing it. Be sure to include components such as spirulina, astaxanthin and other carotenoids. As top dressing, you can use the food that fish receive in their natural environment:
- earthworms;
- frog caviar;
- bloodworm; artemia;
- small tadpoles.
Thus, the fish will be able to eat all the food that they will be given, and its remains will not clog the aquarium or pond, therefore, will not decompose there. In addition, a moderate diet will provide a controlled amount of waste products. It is worth noting that carp will be able to survive even if they have been without food for a week. So, we can note the most important rules for feeding koi carps:
- the portion of food should be such that the fish can eat it within 10 minutes;
- water should be clean, food should not clog it;
- feeding should occur several times a day, but in small portions;
- it is better to underfeed koi than to overfeed them;
- The serving size should be based on the size of the fish and should be 3% of its body weight.
The popularity of koi carps is largely due to their unpretentiousness and the lack of strict rules for their care and maintenance. These fish are almost omnivorous, besides, they adapt well to the temperature regime of the environment, and also rarely get sick. Koi breeders should focus on:
- the purity of the water in the aquarium or pond where the fish is kept;
- quite powerful and high-quality water filtration;
- aeration of a reservoir or aquarium.
Breeding Features
The gender of koi is not determined until they reach sexual maturity. As a rule, their spawning age begins when they reach 23 cm in length. Sexual characteristics are manifested in this way:
- the pectoral fins of males are sharper and appear larger in relation to body size than those of females;
- the body of females is more powerful and looks heavier, since their need for nutrients is greater than that of males, the normal functioning of the eggs and the reproductive system depends on this;
- during the mating season, the gill covers of males are covered with tubercles - tubercles similar to semolina;
- females and males have different anal openings.
In order to increase the chances of successful spawning, more frequent water changes should be made. A week after the female laid eggs, fry begin to emerge from it. They immediately try to attach themselves to the edges of the pond or aquarium with a special adhesive pad on their head. Thus, they spend the next 2-3 days, and then, getting stronger and gaining strength, they begin to swim freely and swim up to the surface of the water for air.
Important! Koi lay eggs during the spawning period, while adults can eat it and fry. In order to preserve the future new generation of brocade carps, it is necessary to place the eggs after spawning in a separate pond or aquarium.
They need a large amount of it, otherwise the fry may not survive. Air enters their swim bladder and they can stay in the water for a while. Until the fry learn to swim on their own, they do not need to be fed.
Possible diseases
Decorative brocade carps are not very susceptible to diseases.
Most often, they can meet such ailments as:
- aeromonosis;
- rubella;
- diseases due to improper or poor-quality feeding.
Important! Close attention should be paid to the behavior of the fish during feeding. Symptoms of the disease can manifest as refusal to eat, prolonged lack of appetite, swallowing air, as well as darkening of the skin, bruising, bulging eyes, plaque on the fins.
Can you keep koi in a pond?
Considering the fact that the average size of koi is 70 cm, and sometimes their length exceeds a meter, a pond is the best option for breeding this type of fish.
A brocade carp pond can be constructed based on:
- Concrete - this design is more expensive, but can be used for a long time. The concrete base allows you to design a pond in a limited area, since it is possible to create sheer vertical banks, which saves space.
- Soft waterproofing, which is used as synthetic rubber (EPDM). This material allows you to create various shapes and sizes of reservoirs. It is worth considering that if there are sharp shapes, stones in the ground, then it is necessary to use a special fleece substrate, which will help prevent damage to the waterproofing material.
- Depth and volume of the reservoir. These parameters directly depend on the number and size of individuals that will be contained in it. However, there should be enough space in the pond for free movement. Experts recommend making a depth of one and a half meters, with a volume of about 8 tons (minimum). The larger the pond, the easier it is to maintain biological balance in it.
- Location. quiet, quiet place in the garden, away from the noisy road will be an excellent location for arranging a home for koi. The pond should be under the rays of the sun maximum amount hours a day.
- Purity. It is worth organizing storm drainage around the pond or raising the base of the reservoir so that melt water and storm water do not enter the pool to the fish, since the quality and purity of the water are vital for brocade carps.
- Filtration. As well as keeping in an aquarium, and in a pond requires the use of powerful filters. The system should consist of biological and mechanical cleaning and remove waste products of carps and the nitrogen cycle, balance the gas regime. A large flowing pond with aquatic plants does not need additional filtration, however, koi can eat the underwater part of the plants and dig the ground.
Video: amazing fish (koi)