Koi Types, Varieties and How Identify Them
The quickest way to becoming a great koi fish keeper is learning the skill of how to identify different koi types, in order to understand information that is specific to your fish of choice and become well versed in what they need for best health… because all good koi admirers want lively fish – right?
Not that koi have completely different requirements, they all pretty much eat the same types of food and they inhabit the same environment to a large degree.
But there are particular looks and traits that will help you to trace the pedigree, the original breeder, how they came to be colored as they are and which koi were inter-bred to achieve a certain coloring or marking.
It doesn’t mean that you have to follow your koi’s ancestory back 300 years or know the name of the original breeder etc, but by learning a little koi breeding history you can quickly put your finger on certain needs various koi types have - which is well worth knowing… and it will be reflected when you proudly show off your pond bursting with healthy, thriving koi fish!
And always remember… it’s doing the small things well that are important in koi keeping… the attention to detail.
So here is how to distinguish some different koi types:
Kohaku – well liked and popular, white body – with red patterns and markings. Patterns can vary red or orange.
Taisho Sanke: mainly red (or hi) with black markings, also called Taisho Sanshoku. The black markings are called sumi.
Straight Hi: the red markings on this koi appears as “roving islands” of red.
Inazuma: the red markings on these koi look like bolts of lightning.
Nidan: kohaku koi that has a “two-step pattern,” Ni means “two”. Has distinct “islands of red” on the body.
Sandan: a “three-step” marking. San means “three”. This koi has three detached “islands” of red on it’s body.
Yondan: this koi has four islands of red on the body. Yon means “four.”
Kuchibeni: subcategorized koi – recognized by their head markings. Red marking around it’s mouth – like lipstick
Menkaburi: another sub-category of koi – appear to have “a hood on their head” Markings start just below the eyes and go up to it’s mouth.
Maruten: recognized by the red crown on it’s head. It is a type of Kahoku with red mark on the head, and a small amount of red on its body.
Showa Sanke: can be called Show Sanshoku – this koi has a black body with red and white patterns. Not the same as Taisho Sanke. Showa Sanke has a greater amount of black on the head, pectoral fins and the tail fins.
Tancho: has a distinctive head marking known as “Red Sun”.
Bekko – the Turtle Koi: has a solid body and black patterns. Not to be mistaken for the utsuri - the bekko only have markings on their back.
Utsurimono: similar to Bekko, however utsurimono is black-bodied with markings in a single color.
Koroma similar to kohaku, but has additional colors of blue, black, and purple that blend into the red. The koroma has been cross-bred asagi to get these colorings.
Gin Rin: refers to a fish’s scaling. Pearl-silver color that is reflective. Looks stunning!
Kin Rin: related to gin rin, but a lot more rare. Reflective pearl-gold color scales. Highly prized!
Asagi means “sky color” and on koi it refers to a blue-gray body. On occasion they have a red marking midway on both its head and body.
Shusu koi with large scales along the midline of the back or on its sides only. Sometimes the scales are found in both places. Can be mistaken for Asagi as they have the same blue-gray body.
Kawarimono – koi that can’t be categorized. Neither metallic nor fitting any of the groups described here – they are called kawarimono at koi expos.
Hikarimuji - single-colored and metallic looking.
Hikarimoyo: a category describing koi that have two colors or more.
Hikari Utsuri: includes all metallic looking show koi.
Doitsu: these koi have mirror scaling with enlarged rows of scales to the midline of their side or back.
Butterfly koi: these koi have long flowing fins at the front of its body.
Reckon you know every kind now?
Well, it’s a few but certainly not all of them … there are many more koi types, however this is a good number of the main types to start off with.
From here you will get more familiar with them and as time goes by you will gain a far broader knowledge of the remaining types of koi fish to further increase your koi keeping prowess.
For more information on koi types click the link below
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