Tips About White Koi By Max Lara Platinum Quality Author

The koi is a carp that has been bred for many years for color. Its breeding can be traced to Japan during the 1800s. Only two colors were bred. During the early 1900s, koi was bred with more color varieties which have increased up to today. This makes it one of the most beautiful fish on earth. There are many color variations in koi. These include, white, black, red, yellow, blue, gray and green. The most popular among the koi varieties is the white koi.

The popularity of the white koi can be attributed to its easy visibility even in murky water. Also, the fish is quite attractive due to its reflective body. Types of white koi include the kohaku, sanke, ogon and bekko.

The kohaku and sanke can perhaps be termed as the only white koi. This is because they have color markings on a white background. The ogon and bekko are not totally white koi as there are members of these varieties which have other colors.

The kohaku has red markings on a white background. These red markings cover between 50% and 70% of the body. Sanke on the other hand has red and black markings on a white background.

The ogon koi has only one color. The colors range from metallic silver to yellow. Bekko koi can be white, red or yellow with ebony black spots scattered all over its body. Therefore only those members of these types of koi with white coloration can be called white koi.

This koi fish has standards set to determine if it is a kohaku or sanke. Some of the things that these standards outline are as follows:

• The markings on the body of the fish have to be a particular color. For the kohaku it has to be red and for the sanke, the color has to be red and black.
• The red color markings for the kohaku have to cover between 50% and 70% of the body. The remainder should be white only.
• The color markings should be symmetrical. That is, when observed, the amount of color on one side of the dorsal line should be equal to the amount of color on the other side. This applies for the colors when viewed individually or together.
• The colors should be deep in hue. Light colors indicate defects and poor health.
• The edges where the colors meet the white should be clear. This is for attractiveness as well as purity of the breed.
• The body should be covered in scales.

Any koi that is bred and found to be lacking in these standards is considered defective and not a pure white koi. However, very few koi breeders know about distinguishing pure white koi and defective white koi. This has resulted in the breeding of many defective light koi.

Because of their popularity, this kind of koi can be quite expensive to purchase. They make excellent pets and a good earner for fish farmers.

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