In This Chapter
At last. Finally you can drag out
all those colorful koi books you’ve been stocking up on, unearth the price
lists, sit back in the deck glider, survey your koi domain, and get ready to
make some choices. The task now is to truly define your wants, successfully acquire
the fish of your dreams, and safely establish them in your pond. In this
chapter, we help you determine the best places to look for those dream koi and
make sure you’re getting affordable, healthy koi.
Remember
The good part of this decision making is that your initial choices need not be your final choices. You can start out on the inexpensive side of cost and upgrade when you truly feel the need. The fun part of koi-keeping, though, is that many people stay with their original koi — they find the fish so much fun to keep and so personable that they don’t want to part from them.
Oh Where, Oh Where to Buy My Koi?
Unless you make the trek to
Niigata, Japan, the only way you can actually see the fish you’re buying is
generally through a local purchase. If you’re willing to take a leap of faith —
until you see how well the system works — you can try the Internet and the
classified ads in koi magazines. This section introduces you to the three major
markets in koi breeding and then offers more specific advice about koi shopping
in the United States.
Recognizing the major markets: Japan, Israel, and the United States
Where you buy your koi, it
turns out, is not nearly as important as what you buy. Ultimately, you
want koi that match your personal taste, whether that means they’re
inexpensive, expensive, or somewhere in between.
A hop, skip, and a jump overseas: Japan
Japanese koi are the ultimate koi
— koi-keepers want them, dream about them, and want to travel to Japan to buy
them. These koi are the result of over 100 years of captive breeding and very
careful culling (selecting); they’re raised by individuals who may be
third-generation koi breeders.
In Japan, the cool, mountainous,
prefecture of Niigata is the locus for prize-winning koi. This is where the
colors and patterns that koi-keepers covet were developed, described, and
perpetuated. Enthusiasts wishing to see the Holy Grail of koidom travel halfway
around the world (at considerable expense) to see the koi facilities and buy
koi, and they’re never disappointed. Even if you’re not planning to show your
koi in competition, your Japanese koi are of better quality than most keepers
see in 30 years of koi-keeping.
The trip itself is a great adventure
and a delightful opportunity to experience the Japanese culture. Purchasing koi
in Japan is something of a courtly ritual that involves polite interactions
between yourself, the other buyers, and the seller; it will, no doubt, be the highlight
of your journey.
A quick jaunt over the Pacific: Israel
The koi market is so robust that
other countries are following Japan’s lead. Kibbutzim (collective farms) in
Israel that have raised food fish for years now have koi-breeding operations.
At first the members of the
kibbutzim raised koi for the middle market, the many pond owners who discovered
they enjoyed the hobby. Through careful cultivation techniques, the members became
extremely successful in raising quantities of koi. But, as their market
expanded to new countries, the kibbutzim farmers realized there was a market
for higher-quality koi. The quality of the Israeli koi began to edge up.
Today, Israeli production is very
high (breeding a lot more and culling a lot less than the breeders in Japan).
Nevertheless, Israeli
Most of the Israeli production
goes to England because air travel distances are shorter than the Israeli–U.S.
connection or even the Japan–England connection. Koi from Israel generally
aren’t available in the U.S.
Koi on American soil (in waters, rather)
American koi range in quality
from just-imported nishikigoi (the preferred Japanese term for koi)
at please inquire prices to domestic, decorative koi in unclassified
colors and patterns. Most American breeders are in the northeastern states or
California, but an increasing number are springing up in the southern tier of
states, where land costs are lower and the number of pond heating days is
lower.
American breeders work on three
levels, supplying very high quality koi to the upper range of the market, very
good koi to the middle market, and handsome but undistinguishable mutts to the pond-keepers
market. Today the demand for koi, pond construction, and other pond services is
so large that many breeders do well without participating in the upper end of
the market.
Comparing the three great koi locales
The competing koi-breeding
operations in Israel and the United States have a few points going for them:
- Their locations provide a longer growing season than Niigata, Japan, where growth is limited to approximately five months each year. In Israel and parts of California and the southern United States, the mild climate allows the koi to grow throughout the year, or nearly so. The season is shorter in the northeastern United States but still approaches six months in length.
- Due to the warmer weather, they’re able to stagger their breeding dates to provide varied sizes of fish.
- They’re closer to major markets, such as England (and the United States, of course), than Japan is.
- They produce more fish. Israeli breeders focus more on production than on superb conformation to take advantage of the perception that Japanese koi are expensive. For example, 27 percent of Israeli hatched fry are raised to 5-inch lengths. Japanese koi breeders, on the other hand, routinely dispose of more than 99 percent of a hatch before the young are 11⁄2 inches long.Does this mean every koi from Japan is better than an Israeli koi? Not at all. A good koi is only as good as its genes. You can get excellent koi from Israel, and you can get not-so-good koi in Japan. However, Japan does have a much longer koi-breeding history, and its multigenerational breeders have genetically true lines — they produce young that look very much like the parents.
So, although Japan is hands down
the best place to buy the world’s sexiest koi, it comes down to you. If you’re
not absolutely mad about koi, you can find beautiful ones to fill your pond
from American or Israeli farms.
Warning!
Until recently, Israel had one problem that Japan did not — koi herpes virus (KHV). Israel’s first outbreak was confirmed in 1999, but then Japan also had an outbreak in 2006. According to the press, the KHV was confined to one breeder and traced to imported stock. After several months of concerted effort by the Japanese breeders and absolute quarantines and extirpations, Japan’s outbreak was considered eradicated by the end of summer 2006. Now Israeli fish breeders grow Koi in entirely isolated and enclosed environments and also vaccinate to immunize fish, controlling the spread of KHV.
Visiting your local garden store (or pet store or aquarium shop)
Finding the perfect koi (or at
least the near-perfect koi) may be as easy as visiting the pond section of your
local garden store, pet store, or aquarium shop between April and September.
This is possible in many areas of the United States as well as in other parts
of the world where the hobby is enjoyed (if you live in Japan, you’re about as
lucky as you can get when it comes to obtaining terrific koi). In addition to
the basic, generic koi that local emporiums stock, store owners are usually
very nice about ordering up for a customer who’s interested in a
bit-out-of-the-ordinary koi. Most often these fish are ordered from local
breeders, but stores that specialize in koi may be able to obtain them from
abroad as well.
Shops usually group koi by size
and price, and 6-inch koi run about $18 each. The larger the koi, the higher
the price. Keep in mind, though, that garden shops and pond stores may not be
your best place to shop for championship or championship-potential koi. For
that specialty, plan to make friends with a koi dealer or breeder.
Heading straight for the source: Local breeders
Purchasing locally is the easiest
and least complicated way of acquiring your koi for two reasons:
- It allows you to choose the patterns and colors that you like the best from a multitude of koi.
- It precludes the necessity of shipping the fish and the stress they undergo as a result.
With any luck, you have three
options for buying your koi locally:
- From a fellow koi-keeper: Most koi-keepers try to breed fish at some point, or they find that the fish have taken matters into their own fins, as it were — and baby koi have invaded the koi pond. Whether by luck or by artifice, the young koi survive and, like all other koi, they grow. As a result, local keepers often have small koi for sale at a very good price.
- From a local breeder: Pull out your local phone book and check the yellow pages under ponds. A few phone calls can help you discover whether koi are available locally in a number of varieties.
- From a local commercial breeder: Although a local vendor may say his firm is wholesale only, you may be able to order from him if you meet the quantities requirements. Note: Wholesalers often contribute koi to local koi auctions, another way for you to get a really good koi or two for not much money.
Warning!
As you select your favorite koi, many (if not most) of them undergo ontogenetic (age-related) color or pattern changes, especially in color intensity. Your carefully chosen, hand-picked fish may develop into a creature with an entirely different appearance from the one you selected.
Going once, going twice, sold at a local koi auction
Most koi clubs have annual or
semiannual auctions or raffles to raise funds for the local club. In most
cases, members simply bring in their excess fish or net some bargains by
purchasing another member’s extra fish.
Club auctions: The best prices in town
Recently we attended a neighborhood koi auction
hosted by our local koi club. The auction/cookout was held in the backyard of
one of the local club officers, who also served as chief cook and auctioneer.
Along the edge of the yard were a dozen show tubs holding dozens of koi
segregated by size (4 inches to 18 inches or more). About 50 koi-folks were
there, some who had traveled more than 100 miles. Everyone was friendly,
polite, and eagerly awaiting the main event.
Compared to other auctions, the sales pitches
were tame — almost sedate. The auctioneer allowed potential purchasers to
determine which koi they wished to have auctioned first. Those fish were
gently netted and bowled for everyone to see, and as they were bowled, the
auction took place. Of course, the largest and most colorful fish went first,
and they were remarkably cheap. In fact, most fish sold for $20 to $50
although a few fetched $100 to $300. At the end of the sale, the more generic,
smaller selections sold for about $25 for a bag of six or more.
After a fish sold, a club member carefully edged
it into a plastic bag (some fish were so large that they were pushing the
capacity of the bag!) with enough water to cover the fish. Each bag was
topped off with pure oxygen to assure the fish breathed comfortably until it
reached its new home.
The actual sale lasted for just over an hour, but
the presale jabber and cookout allowed folks of like interests to get
together for a friendly pow-wow about their hobby. And members who left with
a bagged fish in hand also left with an unmistakable I-got-a-deal smile on
their faces!
|
Prices for these koi are
extremely reasonable. For example, a breeder at a recent auction reportedly
bought a $500 koi for $40. At that same auction, 6-inch koi sold for $10. If
you’re really lucky, you may hit the jackpot: A club member may want to sell
her Japanese-bred and -hatched koi that have gotten too big for her pond.
The extra advantage of buying at
a club auction is being able to talk to the previous owner to find out what
he’s fed his fish, which ones seem particularly shy, or even how its color
developed. For example, a particular Showa Sanshoku — black koi with white and red
markings — is slow to develop its red coloration.
Tip
To find out about clubs and upcoming events in your area, check one of the popular koi hobbyist magazines or surf the Internet (search by using your local area and the keywords koi auctions, koi clubs, and so on.
In addition to the hard cash,
these events promote a good amount of camaraderie. Check out the nearby sidebar
“Club auctions: The best prices in town” for a recent example.
Surfing (online) for koi
You can spend a lot of money on
koi, and with the help of online purchases and auctions, you can spend that
cash very quickly. The good news is that young koi (from 4 to 8 inches in
length) that you purchase online aren’t expensive.
Tip
Actually, we like Internet purchases a bit better than those in the classified sections of magazines because you can request pictures of the koi you’re interested in. (Classified ads may also provide a Web site where you can see the fish, but that seems to be an additional step for the same results.) Basically, you can purchase koi online two ways:
- Private koi dealers: These dealers vary greatly in the quality of their operations and the fish they offer. Because you’re cutting out one step of the usual purchase process, you should expect to pay less than you would at a store.
You can find online dealers by searching under koi sales and similar keywords. You may want to narrow your search to local areas in order to cut shipping costs.
Warning!
We urge you to find out all you can about a seller’s reliability and integrity before placing and paying for your order. Most shippers require advance payment for the fish, its packing, and the air freight, so the cost can be significant. Ascertain the honesty of the shipper before the money leaves your account.
- Web site auctions: On an open-bid site, koi owners and sellers list their fish, post a picture, and mention a monetary reserve amount (below which the fish will not be sold). Then it’s up to you, the bidder, to post your bid. And how high can these bids go? On the AquaBid site (info for this site is in the following paragraph), you’ll see many ads for very inexpensive koi. Then again, you may come across an absolutely spectacular koi. (The one we found most appealing was a 32-inch, 25-pound Aka Matsuba Ginrin with a modest reserve price of $3,500.)
To get in on the fun of an online auction, click on koi under freshwater fish at www.aquabid.com.
Warning!
Just as with online sales, research the koi seller’s reputation and shipping policies before bidding online.
Going “away” for your koi
If you want to make a trip
overseas for your koi, try to join a sales trip (usually in late October)
hosted by a stateside koi importer. The best way to locate them is through
personal connections such
Tip
By going with an importer who’s dealt with Japanese breeders, you stand a much better chance of meeting the breeders whose stock you really want to see. And because your trip leader already knows the protocol of buying from the Japanese, the prices will be better. For the inside scoop on buying koi in Japan, check out the sidebar, “The protocol of viewing and purchasing koi in Japan.”
The protocol of viewing and purchasing koi in Japan
The concept of acceptable behavior by customers
who are shopping for koi varies from one culture to another. For example, the
Japanese prefer great decorum and restraint, but the American and European
sales events show less restraint.
In today’s hurried and often bellicose times, the
Japanese protocol for viewing and purchasing koi may seem to be in a time
warp because they’re based on respect and politeness — not only for the fish
but also for your fellow koi enthusiasts and the dealer. (Definitely not Wall
Street mentality!)
Remember that, just as all koi aren’t created
equal, neither are all koi customers (in the dealers’ eyes). As a result,
Japanese koi breeders tend to give familiar and repeat customers preferential
prices.
The following tips may make that first Japanese
koi purchase a little easier:
- In most cases the posted price may seem non-negotiable, but if you feel comfortable enough to try, never attempt to negotiate in public. - Always ask the dealer questions about the fish (including price) in private. Because the dealer may use a sliding scale of pricing (known customers getting somewhat better prices), asking in public is considered impolite. However, a dealer may choose to announce the price to the entire crowd. - If you’re interested in a particular koi, ask the dealer to bowl or tub the fish. This, of course, allows you a better look at the koi. - If someone else requests a dealer to bowl a fish for closer viewing, that person has first choice. In other words, refrain from selecting one of the bowled koi until the prospective customer releases the koi back into the pond. - Keep quiet. If you’re a prospective buyer, don’t talk with that customer until the selection process is completed. - Hold your horses. Don’t ask the price of the bowled fish until the potential buyer has declined it by turning it loose in the pond. |
Determining What You See and What You Get
What kind of koi do you want? Do
you want pretty fish for your pond, or do you want to try your hand at a
high-quality koi? (After all, a show-quality koi doesn’t cost any more to feed
than a garden-variety koi.)
Your first priority is to buy
healthy koi that’ll settle down in your pond and flourish. But knowing whether
a koi is unhealthy or likely to become ill after you get them home can be
difficult. Fortunately, koi have certain fairly simple hallmarks that you can
look for to help you choose both the most pleasing and the healthiest ones out
of the gate. We cover both beauty and health in this section to help you make
the best selections.
Choosing colors and patterns to suit your style
If your koi is simply for your
viewing pleasure, then the colors and patterns should simply please you.
However, if you have even an inkling that you’ll want to show your fish some
day, you have other considerations.
For all your koi choices, the
colors should be as crisp and clean as possible. The differences between the
show koi and those that are almost-but-not-quite-for-show koi aren’t obvious to
the casual observer — maybe the red spot on the head isn’t centered, or the
fish has red on the tail fin, or the color blotches may not have distinct edges.
For many koi-keepers, these koi are beautiful enough.
These non-show-quality koi can be
divided into two camps: koi that are a clearly definable variety with a flaw or
two, and just pretty koi.
But if you’re considering showing
your fish, familiarize yourself with the colors and patterns that are most
eagerly sought and rigorously defended by the show judges. The fact is, even
though you think your koi’s specking of black in the orange or white fields is charming,
a show judge will consider it a disqualifying feature. (See Chapter Knowing
Your Koi for a
brief overview of these ideals.)
Remember
Younger koi swim into two categories:
- Tategoi: These are young koi with potential, the offspring of show-quality koi that promise to develop into show-quality koi. (Sure, you can get Tategoi from average koi, but that possibility is as likely as getting a show cocker spaniel out of two neighborhood cockers.)
How do you know whether you’re really looking at Tategoi other than the price? Unless you know koi, you don’t. Anyone can claim they’re selling Tategoi, so you have to be able to trust your seller.
For example, in 2006 the owners of Happy Koi, a koi-breeding and -selling business in South Africa, estimated the cost of their koi-with-promise that they selected from “the best of the best young koi” during a buying trip to Japan, at $134 each. They buy these fish for what they expect the fish to become: “a great deal more — we can’t promise you but these look very good.”
- Non-show-quality young koi: These young koi are far less expensive than their Tategoi counterparts, particularly if they come from local breeders. Expect to pay $15 to $20 for a 4- to 6-inch local non-show koi. Be sure to consider shipping costs for one that will travel some distance to reach your pond.
Admittedly, you can’t be certain
what an adult koi will look like. Color and pattern are likely to change in
some varieties until your fish reaches adulthood. In fact, juvenile koi are
big-headed, angular little creatures that show very little of the overall grace
of a well-conformed adult.
Tip
By the time a koi is 6 or 7 inches long, you usually have some hint of its conformation. By then it’s out of the angular stage, and its back, sides, and belly are beginning to curve gracefully. The belly shouldn’t be distended or bloated. If a koi looks nice at this 6- to 7-inch-long stage, it’s likely to continue improving.
Considering size: What’s right for you?
Remember
The right size of koi depends entirely on your wants and your budget. You can start off with any size koi you like, but be warned: Like diamonds, big fish always cost more. You can start with adults, or you can start with smaller koi and watch them grow up. In a nutshell, there’s no perfect size of koi other than the size that most appeals to you. (For additional information on starting your pond, see this chapter’s later section “Best bets for the indecisive: Advice from yours truly.”)
For the new koi-keeper who wants
to start out simply, buy fairly inexpensive young koi — those 8 inches or less
— in groups. It’s one purchase, one set of negotiations and arrangements, and
instant pond population.
Warning!
Buying a group of young koi may seem like an easy way to jumpstart your pond — and it is. But those koi are going to grow. If your pond is already near capacity with koi, adding several new koi is a bad idea.
You can purchase some brightly
colored 6-inch koi for your pond from a local pond store or an online vendor
without busting your budget. Prices for what’s politely called display-quality,
6-inch koi run $45 to $75.
If you buy a 10-inch fish
directly from the breeder, keep the following in mind:
- The fish is probably special if a breeder is willing to maintain it for three years. Maybe its conformation or color distinguished it from its littermates.
- The price for a good-quality (but not show-quality), 10-inch koi in the United States ranges from $85 to $140.
Tip
When you’re ready to add some pizzazz to the pond, ramp up your expenditures. Look for good-looking koi, maybe even some named varieties, and be selective. Buy what pleases you.
If you ultimately want big fish,
consider starting with adults of 18 inches or larger. Koi can live in excess of
30 years, so even if you buy adults, you’ll still have plenty of time together.
You can buy an adult-size fish from a fish dealer or a fellow koi-keeper; you can
look for show quality or not-show quality. Only your preferences and budget set
the limits.
Selecting healthy koi
Although seeking a fish in A-1 health should be foremost in your mind (even ahead of color and pattern), this requirement becomes especially important if the fish must be shipped by air or ride in a vehicle for several hours. Such handling, even at its best, can quickly stress out a healthy koi for several days. If the fish is below par to begin with, the trip can be fatal. Of course, even generic koi should be free of malformations.
Tip
Before you pick out a particular koi from a group in a quarantine tub or a dealer’s show tank, look at them as a whole. Consider the following characteristics about the group:
- Are they oriented vertically in the water? Fish that are ill may list (tilt) from front to back or side to side. Unless they’re feeding, the head shouldn’t be oriented toward the bottom of the tank.
- Do they seem to move easily through the water with no jerkiness? Skeletal malformations, swim bladder problems, and a host of other conditions can disrupt normal swimming patterns. (See Chapter Spotting and Treating Common Koi Ailments for more about uncoordinated swimming; sometimes this can be treated, and sometimes it can’t.)
- Are the fish rubbing themselves on the bottom of the tank or against objects within the tank? If so, they may be trying to dislodge parasites.
- Are the koi swimming about in a frenzied fashion, or do they seem unusually listless? Both behaviors can indicate water quality problems or disease.
- Are the koi gasping or gulping air at the surface of the water? This behavior can indicate low oxygen levels (which eventually stress the fish) or water quality problems.
If the answers to the preceding
questions raise any concerns, ask to see another batch. Better yet, resist your
impulsive urge and find another source. However, if the koi pass the group test
with flying colors, you’re ready to take a closer look.
Ask to have the fish you like
bowled, and then look at it for a few minutes in the bowl. Before you fall in
love with its color or its pattern, get steely-eyed about its health. Expensive
or not, buying an unhealthy fish makes no sense. As you give the koi a good inspection,
ask yourself the following questions. If you answer “Yes” to any of them, move
on to another fish, tank, or supplier.
- Does the fish have any rough spots? Do its scales seem to puff out away from the body?
Koi whose scales stand out from their body like a bas-relief may be exhibiting pinecone scale, a symptom of an overall internal infection, or enteritis, which causes such pressure from within that the fish actually bloats, pushing the scales out. This symptom is a very bad sign. (See Chapter Spotting and Treating Common Koi Ailments for more on this problem, but first, go wash your hands.)
- Is it missing part of a fin or part of its tail?
- Looking at the overall proportions of the fish, do you notice any stubby parts?
- Is its mouth asymmetrical or its snout sharply pointed?
- As the fish swims past you, is one side of the body wider or more curved than the other, rendering the fish asymmetrical in appearance? Does the tail curve up or wiggle to one side only?
- Are the eyes cloudy or protrude abnormally? You can also ask the dealer to bag the fish. When it’s in the bag, you can examine the koi’s mouth, underside, and tail. Signs of infection, such as fuzzy, grayish, or white patches, may appear on the lower aspects of the koi and aren’t otherwise easy to see. (See Chapter Spotting and Treating Common Koi Ailments to find out more about koi illnesses.)
Warning!
Fish that look healthy may still carry external parasite eggs that won’t hatch until conditions are right. Be aware that transferring the fish to a new pond may give these eggs the opening they need to proliferate, particularly if the fish has been in a cool pond and is moved to your warmer pond. This problem doesn’t mean you bought an unhealthy fish or that the vendor’s a crook. No treatment kills external parasite eggs. For the treatment of parasites and other koi problems, check out the details in Chapter Spotting and Treating Common Koi Ailments.
Best bets for the indecisive: Advice from yours truly
If you’re just starting your
koi-keeping hobby, start with a small group of inexpensive, brightly colored
koi, the kind you can readily find at garden shops, online, or from a breeder.
(Not every fish from a breeder is a champion or even show quality. Breeders are
happy to sell these average-Joe fish.)
Even after you’re well versed in the hobby, these canary koi (so called because they test your knowledge and the survival conditions in your pond) may be all you need to keep you happy. Certainly they place far less strain on your pocketbook than even the cheapest named varieties. And those little generic koi need a place to live, grow, and age as much as their more expensive brethren do. Note: The good news — or bad news — is that generic koi usually don’t reach the jumbo sizes of the more exotic, line-bred, Japanese koi.
Tip
If and when you decide to buy some of the identifiable varieties of koi (see Chapter Knowing Your Koi for these), we recommend that you start with these three:
- Kohaku (red and white): This variety is the most popular koi, particularly in Japan.
- Sanke (white with a red and black pattern): This is the second most popular variety.
- Showa (looks like the Sanke, but it’s black with a red and white pattern): The Showa is the surprise koi, the one whose pattern can change as it gets older. People tend to like it because of its unpredictability.
Remember
Showa is also most prone to mouth deformities and a bad head shape.
Buying Koi “To Go”
When you buy koi from a distant
breeder or vendor, the fish are shipped to you on an agreed-upon date. If
you’re actually visiting the vendor and want to take the fish home with you,
you and the vendor decide the best time for you to return for your bagged fish.
Part of the discussion also includes the kind of payment the breeder or vendor
desires. Expect to use a credit card or cash, particularly if you’re dealing
with a vendor who’s out of state or in another country.
In the koi world, delay between
the purchase and acquisition of your fish is standard operating procedure. The
buying of koi is supposed to be a pleasant event for both the buyer and the
seller, not just an exchange of money for a fish. Part of the process is a discussion
with the breeder or seller about:
- The koi’s present diet
- How many days the fish will fast before shipment (so their digestive systems are clear and don’t gunk up the water in their shipping bag)
- What happens if the fish get sick before they’re shipped
Although these topics sound
touchy, they’re common topics in the koi-selling business.
by R.D.Bartlett and Patricia Bartlett
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