Black Koi

Black Koi Information

It is well understood that Koi fish come in a large variety of colors and patterns. Black Koi are set apart from other Koi varieties due to their coloring and not much else. Koi fish can live for an extended life time even living as long as two hundred years but, normally live for about twenty-five to thirty-five years of age. They are regularly seen in outdoor ponds all over the world. Koi males can be easily recognized by their concave anal section. They may also display breeding spots on the head. Spawning may result in as many as 1,000 eggs. Baby Koi known as fry will start emerging in about four to seven days, depending on the temperature of the water. Amazingly their color doesn’t emerge until the fry are about three to twelve weeks of age.

When the Japanese started breeding these magnificent fish from carp mutations, they only came in one or two colors. With more breeding throughout the years came more color varieties and combinations of patterns.

Black Koi can grow to be about thirty-six inches in length. Like all Koi fish because of their length, black Koi need to be kept in large ponds. The Magoi Koi species 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 Species 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 species can also have a white or orange belly.

Koi have a tendency to change color due to the effects of their environment or due to their diet. These color changes typically entail the fish going from a duller or brighter shade of color. The Matsukawabake Koi species takes the ability to change color. It is a black Koi that typically 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 completely. This Koi can turn completely black or completely white. But, amazingly the Koi will return to its original pattern once the conditions change.

First appearing in the 1980’s, the Kumonryu is the most popular 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 depicted in ancient paintings. Some also thought that these fish looked like dragons ascending through the white clouds in the sky. Like the Matsukawabake, these 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.