One aspect of Koi understanding that is still far from accepted even when it is understood is the importance and relevance of individual bloodlines. It is fair to say that unless you fully understand the importance of bloodline then you can never really understand Koi at all. The bloodline of a Koi and the traits of that line can and do make very significant differences as to what you can expect from the Koi in question.

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Koi with metallic lustre are often some of the first fish bought by newcomers to the koi keeping hobby and it is the lustre and the brightness of these types of koi that when first viewed have great appeal. There are many different types of metallic koi and each year the koi breeders in Japan seem to invent a new one to add to the list, the most popular varieties of metallic koi are Ogon, Kujaku, Ki Ki Sui and Yamatonishiki. The classification of metallic koi falls into two categories. The first being the Ogon and the second being the Hariwake.

Read more: Hikarimoyo / Metalics

You have probably read many times about this and that breeder and what is the latest in-vogue Koi Farm. The problem is, all these articles are always aimed at the go Sanke varieties (Showa, Sanke, Kohaku), Now don’t get me wrong these three varieties are my top trio but after being in the Koi industry for over 15 years this is, as in the words of Tom Jones ‘ its not unusual’! , in fact it‘s the norm, the longer you’ve been doing Koi the more go-sanke you buy!

Read more: In Search of Something Different

There are many differences between Japan and the UK not only in our languages but also our cultures and considerable differences in the way we view and buy our Koi. Buying Koi is obviously a simple process, you hand over your money and take home the goods, but it is how you make this decision where the differences really occur.

Read more: Koi Homework