Saw this koi fish pictures and thought it looked pretty cool. Never saw this kind of koi before with the feathered fins and all. Think they also call it dragon koi.

Butterfly Koi, Longfin Koi, or Dragon Carp are a type of koi fish notable for their elongated finnage. The fish are a breed of the common carp, Cyprinus carpio, (which includes numerous wild carp races as well as domesticated koi ("Nishikigoi").

Butterfly Koi originated in the mid 20th century as a result of an effort to increase the hardiness of traditional koi. Japanese breeders interbred wild Indonesian Longfin river carp with traditional koi. The resulting fish had longer fins, long barbells, pompom nostrils, and were hardier than koi. These were known in Japan as “onagaoi” or "hire naga koi", or translated in English “long tail koi”. Randy LeFever, the son of Wyatt LeFever, a noted breeder of koi, is credited with suggesting they looked like butterflies, a trait for which the breed is named. They are also sometimes referred to as Dragon Koi.

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Koi fish were originally bred, in the early 1800's, by the Japanese from the common grass carp. Officially called "Cyprinus Carpio" these large soft-finned freshwater fish have, through two centuries of cross-breeding and in-breeding of mutations, become "Koi".

The first Koi to be developed by the Japanese were the "Kohaku" (white body with red patterns). Today, there are various types of koi fish with thirteen official classifications of Koi. Each classification is based on color, pattern and/or scale type. The Koi in this photograph is classified as a Hikari Mono (one body color of white, yellow, orange or gray and, a metallic sheen).

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Apart from their beauty and sturdiness as fish, koi has become legendary because of the fact that they can grow to very large sizes, and is limited relatively by the size of the pond that they reside in. And also they are renowned for their ability to live very long years. However, a careful understanding of the various types of koi fish can further enlighten you when buying any of these amazing breed of fish. Normally, classifying types of koi fish are done according to design, scales and coloration. The more unique the color combination, the more expensive it gets. It takes thousands of koi fishes before a good end result is produced.

As a classical ornamental fish, caring for koi fish actually provides its own pleasure for fish ponds.fanatics for a long time because they also one of the most colorful and elegant fish species around the planet. Proper breeding will create a remarkable result which could produce a variety of colorful patterns that would make one koi fish distinct from another

There are many varieties of koi fish that are defined by good koi fish breeders. The first to breed this wonderful fish would be the Japanese. Their expertise on breeding has produced a wide range of breeds, named according to their color patterns. Though they are the same carp species, they are unique in other ways.


The names below are considered to be the most well-known types of koi fish:

Kohaku – this type of koi fish is the most common. The Japanese translation for kohaku is red and white, which makes it easy to remember as this type of koi is indeed red and white.

Asagi – the word asagi means pale blue. This type of koi fish is known for its beautiful pale blue with an orange-red color of belly. The scales on its back form a net pattern.

Ogon – The word ogon means gold. These type of koi fish have one color. It is a shiny metallic koi which is usually gold or orange. You can also find some with a cream color, but they are rarely seen on this variety of koi.

Bekko – this type of koi fish can be white, yellow or red. The word bekko translates into tortoise shell. This type of fish has black markings on its body.

Matsuba- This type of koi fish also has one color. It’s scales are similar in design to a pine cone.

Utsuri – this type of koi fish are black with white, red or yellow colored markings. These markings are similar to ink stains. Thus this is the reason why the Japanese word for it is called Utsuri, which means “to print”.

Krasugoi – this type of koi fish is a black fish with an orange belly.

Showa – this type of beautiful koi fish has a black body with white and red markings.

Ochiba – this type of fish is light blue colored koi with yellow markings. The word ochiba means fallen leaves.

Buttefly koi – a type of koi fish that are bred with asian carp. Its color is determined by the type of koi that is bred with the carp. These fish are known for their long, flowing fins.

This is not a complete list, because there are many different types of Koi fish that now spreading to every koi pond around the world. To sum ​​it up, Koi fish are seen as symbols of love and friendship. These and other uses different from courage to strength and is the reason that they became popular as a symbol, seen on everything from jewelry to tattoos designs.

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