Black Koi
It is well understood that Koi fish come in a large assortment of colors and patterns. Black Koi are set apart from other Koi varieties owed to their coloring and not much else. Koi fish can survive for an extended life time even living as long as two hundred years but, typically live for about twenty-five to thirty-five years of age. They are commonly seen in external ponds all over the world. Koi males can be purely recognized by their concave anal section. They might also exhibit reproduction spots on the head. Spawning might make in as many as 1,000 eggs. Baby Koi recognized as fry will start emerging in about four to seven days, depending on the temperature of the water. Amazingly their color doesn’t become visible until the fry are about three to twelve weeks of age. When the Japanese began breeding these awe-inspiring fish from carp mutations, they only came in one or two colors. With extra breeding through the years came more color varieties and variations of patterns. Black Koi can farm to be about thirty-six inches in length. Like all Koi fish because of their span, black Koi need to be kept in big ponds. The Magoi Koi type is one of the first all black mutations and can grow to very large sized. They are actually a deep bronze but they look black when viewed from above. Because of their possibilities in size, Magoi blood is being reintroduced into other species to hasten and maximize growth potential. One type of black Koi fish is the Karasu meaning “crow” in Japanese. The Karasu is another extremely old species. It has black fins and a black body. This kind can moreover have a white or orange belly. Koi have a tendency to alter their color due to the effects of their surrounds or due to their diet. These color changes naturally involve the fish going from a duller or brighter shade of color. The Matsukawabake Koi species has the capability to change color. It is a black Koi that normally has areas or white on its body. According to the temperature of the water or the seasons the color of this Koi fish can change all together. This Koi can turn totally black or entirely white. But, astonishingly the Koi will return to its original pattern once the conditions change. First appearing in the 1980’s, the Kumonryu is the most predominant of the black Koi species. The name means “dragon fish”. The Kumonryu received its name because some were reminded of the bodies of the dragons described in earliest paintings. Some also said that these fish looked like dragons climbing through the white clouds in the sky. Like the Matsukawabake, these Black Koi can also change their color. One of the attractions that draw pond owners to the Koi is the large variety of colors that they come in. An even more attractive notion is that of having the ability to own a fish that will literally be able to change color before your eyes like some of the black Koi species can.
