Koi Fish Origin and Symbolism

Koi fish play huge part in the Asian culture and traditions. Although up until 1960’s, Koi fish breeding was almost exclusively a practice in Japan, today they are successfully bred and grown in ponds all over the world. It’s a common misconception that Koi fish have originated from Japan. In fact, their ‘homeland’ was Ancient China. Their intelligence and beautiful vivid colors have fascinated humans for decades and today they are known as “the swimming jewels of the Orient”.

How Koi Fish Become Dragons

Тhere’s an ancient Chinese legend according to which there was a “golden waterfall, falling down from the sky”, on top of which there was “The Dragon Gate”. The flow of the waterfall was so strong that all the habitants of the river had no other options but to live with the water’s current. Only the Koi fish did not conform to the river’s rules. For 100 years, a group of Koi were struggling to reach the “Dragons Gate” on top of the waterfall. With it’s last leap, a single Koi managed to reach the gate and the Gods rewarded it for its strength, courage and perseverance. They transformed the little Koi into a majestic dragon. Today the Koi fish are a symbol of strength, perseverance and endurance.

Koi Fish Colors

Originally, Koi were all brown in color. When brought to Japan, they were bred to be consumed by rice farmers. Around the years between 1840 and 1844 a mutation in their DNA led to their vivid coloring as we know them today. There are many different kinds of Koi, depending on the variety of their colors. Today Koi fish could reach over 200 color varieties. Each variety usually has a Doitsu (scaless) version and a Gin Rin (sparkly) scaled version.

Because of their vast pallete of colors and their symbolism, it’s no surprise that each hue has developed a representation. Gold koi fish are a symbol of wealth and prosperity. A blue koi is is related to serenity. Other coloring like red, and gre symbolize positivity. Not all Koi have mixed coloring. Black koi are a symbol of the Father; red a symbol of the mother, blue of the son, and finally pink of the daughter.

Keeping Koi Fish as a Pet

Koi fish are really social and intelligent species. Their character is ‘revealed’ when it’s time to feed them. In fact, you could train your koi to eat food from your hand. A koi fish would usually follow you in the pond behaving like it’s starving even if you fed it 20 minutes ago. Given the proper conditions, Koi fish can grow between 2 to 6 inches a year and eventually reaching the size of a small dog or cat.

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Keep in mind that if you’ve decided to buy Koi for pet, there are a lot of things which you should take in consideration.
You need to provide a clean environment for your Koi.
Due to their ability to excrete Ammonia through their gills and in their fish waste, the concentration in the water would build up and their pond environment will become toxic. Keeping a fresh and clean water for your Koi would save them from getting sick and infected by various bacteria and parasites.

A pet for a lifetime

When properly cared for, the Koi would probably outlive you. On average, the lifetime of a Koi is between 23-30 years. However, the oldest Koi of which we have a record was the legendary koi named Hanako. It was hatched in 1751 and lived for 226 years, passing away in 1977. Wow !