Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: The Splendor of Koi Colors

Pride in breeding has led the Japanese to create
a huge variety of color and patterns to the
modern Koi Fish. Todays Koi owners treasure
their Koi Fish for this fabulous array of
gorgeous colors and patterns.

Vivid and bright colors shoud mark the Koi Fish.
Yellow Koi should be a vivid yellow, and black
Koi should be a deep jet black. Dullness of
color or spots that are slighly off color are
undesirable qualities. You also don't want any
specks of gray in your pure white Koi. Your
Koi's good health is indicagted by his color and
distinct patterns. Imperfect water conditions as
well as dull drab colors is an indicastion of
poor health. Understanding the importance of
color and what the colors should be will help a
great deal when you are selecting your Koi. It
will also help to keep an eye on the color at
home as you are raising them to be sure the water
conditions and care you are giving them is the
best quality possible.

Koi Fish come in a large variety of colors. Some
of the most seen Koi colors are red, black,
white, green, blue, yellow and cream. Certain
terms and descriptions are used by the Japanese
to describe the different colors and traits of
the Koi Fish, There are a large number of
categories that have been identified by Koi
breeders. Gosanke is the most popular variety
and it includes many sub-categories such as
Kohaku, Taisho Sanshoki and Showa Sanshoki Koi.
The Kohaku are white with red patterns. The
white on this breed of Koi should be pure white
and the red should cover 50 to 70 percent of the
body with well defined edges.

The Taisho Sanshoki category or Taisho Sanke or
just Sanke, as they are also known, are white
fish with red and black markings. Again the
white should be snowy white and the red and black
should be brightly colored with distinct edges.
Like the Sanke category of Koi, the Showa
Sanshoki, or just Showa category are white black
and red in color as well. The difference is that
the main color is black with white and red
markings. There are many other varieties that
each come in their own color variations. The
Ogon come in an assortment of colors but they are
all one color. They sould be a solid bright
color with no patterns, or markings at all.

You can help keep you Koi's colors bright and
distinct by feeding them a rich diet. Shrimp,
marigold, plankton and blue-green algae known as
Spirulina are some of the things added to
commercial grade diets for Koi. These foods are
specifically geared to enhance the colors and
markings of the Koi. Also, adding foods such as
freeze dried brine shrimp and daphnia, you are
ultimately feeding them color anhancing foods.
Each of these fodds have high concentrations of
carotenoids, and carotenoid pigments are the
major pigments in the Koi's skin.

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Mark Justice is a koi fish enthusiast. For more
resources on koi colors, visit:
http://www.raisingkoifish.com

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