Origin of Koi

by John Pasden, his live in China

So many inventions and customs originated in China that it’s not uncommon for me to learn one that I never knew about before. Sometimes, however, the claims get a little ridiculous.

My favorite is the claim that the Japanese are actually a lost tribe of Chinese from southern Zhejiang, and that the Japanese language has evolved out of the dialect of Wenzhou . I think the first part is simply a creative attempt to explain Japan’s financial success while holding onto Chinese pride. The second part is undoubtedly rooted in the fact that a lot of Chinese people think that Wenzhou’s dialect–a dialect reknowned for being totally unintelligible to speakers of virtually any other dialect in China–sounds like Japanese. The people that say it sounds like Japanese usually understand no actual Japanese. As someone that understands Japanese, I can assure you that Wenzhou-hua sounds nothing like Japanese.

Recently I ran into another possible example of a far-fetched claim related to Japan. The claim is that the practice of keeping koi (colorful carp) originated in China. I immediately found this suspect, but then figured it was probably largely because my time spent in Japan was my first significant contact with the tradition, and the word koi has been imported into the English language from Japanese (not Chinese) recently. Obviously, neither of these reasons are real evidence that the practice of raising koi really originated in Japan.

source : http://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2005/06/30/origin-of-koi  

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Taking Care of a Koi Fish Pond

A Koi pond can be one of the most beautiful things around your home. Furthermore, it can be a great source of relaxation. However, it is not relaxing or beautiful when you have algae buildup or failing equipment. To overcome these problems, all you have to do is maintain your pond using these simple tips. Here is a look at how to keep this beautiful wonder well maintained.

Check for Algae

Algae are one of the biggest nuisances in any Koi pond. Although they are indicators of a healthy pond, too much is never a good thing. Most owners are usually under the impression that proper tubing and high quality koi pond filtration systems and pond aerators are all they need for a clean and pure pond. They leave them on and stop worrying.

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Best Fish Food for Koi Fish

Below are some of the key factors every Koi keeper should consider when choosing a fish food for Koi and other pond fish.

Nutritional Analysis

You would never go into a restaurant and eat whatever the waiter puts on your plate if you didn't first know what it was. This same logic should be applied when selecting a diet for your Koi or other pond fish. Different Koi food varieties are formulated for use during different types of the year. All-season food varieties, for example, contain minimal protein content and designed for fast digestion. Growth foods, on the other hand, contain high amounts of protein and are ideal for summer feeding.

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keep your Koi fish healthy and disease free

An opinion that has happened to many people is to keep your Koi fish vital and disease free, before it becomes essential to used disease treatments.
The negatives have been enveloped very well, but why not consider the positives? Before we let the negatives rule, the positives deserve a fair hearing. Let's examine five positive reasons in favor of trying to keep your Koi healthy to start with and pay care to which ones ring real.
1-  Forget Koi treatment for a moment.. Certainly sometimes treating you Koi for disease is obligatory.. Certainly that is a valid objection. Remember, we can still use treatments on the Koi when prevention fails.
2- Koi that are under a lot of stress are open to a difference of diseases. You may think this is weird but nonetheless it is a fact...Koi are facilely stressed by many factors including poor water conditions, poor feeding schedules and predators just to name a few.
The main reason behind that would be that stress slowly but surely diminishes their immunity and of course a lower immune system will make them vulnerable to any kind of disease.... And also healthy Koi are more disease resistant and less likely to succumb to disease.
3- Provide your Koi with atmospheric quality water. the Koi have to breath in this water so it should be hygienic and clear. And in addition good water quality will drastically reduce the level of stress of Your Koi.
4- Try not to overfeed you Koi. This creates a dirty pond which will influence their health. You must do regular pond clean up and keep the filtration system in good order. Feed only what the Koi can eat in about fifteen minutes.
5 - Full pond treatment will be recommended. Occasionally individual hands on treatment will be advised for the individual fish. You can advise your local Koi supply store or pet store for the best treatments. In case of a severe or wide spread problem you may want to call your Vet.
Within all of the above info lies a very good list of reasons in favor of keeping your Koi healthy to start with. Reduce stress, keep your pond clean. Uncover the way to keep your Koi energetic and avoid treatment at our Koi Treatment site at http://raisingkoifish.com.

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Freshwater Aquarium Fish For Beginners

 Setting up your first fish tank in your home can be a very exciting project, but it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. One of the biggest problems that beginners have is trying to figure out which fish to get for their tank. There are a huge variety of different types of freshwater aquarium fish to choose from today.
Having all of that variety is nice, but freshwater aquarium fish range from easy to keep to extremely temperamental types that would prove very difficult for the novice. Nobody wants to get their tank set up and stocked only to lose fish to water conditions that were not right for the fish. The money, time, and emotion of having newly purchased fish die is not pleasant to go through, but it can be avoided if you choose the right fish.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of suitable fish for the beginners fish tank. The list below is just a sampling of some commonly available fish that all would be appropriate for the novice aquarium keeper. They are good looking fish that do not have restrictive diets and they are not extremely sensitive to water conditions. That doesn't mean that these fish will take abuse, they still need quality water and a regulated environment, they just are not the type to go belly up when the pH shifts by a small fraction.
When it comes time to pick out fish, any of the fish listed here would be good choices, but bear in mind that the tank size will be the major consideration when it comes to how many and what types of fish to actually purchase. Do not overcrowd the tank, as no matter how hardy the fish are, they will not do well in a tank that has too many fish. Here is a good starter "shopping" list of hardy fish. This list is only a sample of what is out there, but it includes some very colorful fish, different levels of activity, fish that occupy different water levels in the tank, and all are suitable for a community tank.

• Guppies, Platies, and Mollies - These are all solid choices for the beginner, and they are colorful fish that are active throughout the tank. Some mollies and platies get to be a bit bigger so they add some size variation to the tank. All three of these fish are livebearers, meaning they give birth to live fish as opposed to laying eggs.
• Selected Cyprinids - This species of fish includes many easy to care for fish. The Pearl and Zebra Danios are wonderful, as they are quite beautiful and they are constantly in motion. Rosy Barbs are very colorful, hardy, and active. The White Cloud is one of the hardiest fish you can find and they make a nice addition to a tank.
• Selected Characins - This group includes the tetras, of which the lemon, yellow banded, and cardinal tetras are some of the easiest to care for. They are not as active and a bit on the shy side, but they provide great color to the aquarium.
• Cory Cats - These fish are small catfish that prefer to be in groups of 3-6 and will constantly patrol the bottom of the tank looking for food. With their whiskered face and big expressive eyes, Cory cats add a lot of personality to the tank.
• Goldfish - Generally speaking, goldfish are one of the hardiest fish that you can get, but again, that doesn't mean they'll live anywhere. They will tolerate a very wide range of temperatures and as such do not require a heater for their tank. Because goldfish are highly tolerant of varying water conditions, people assume they are hard to kill and they make they mistake of overcrowding them. Goldfish produce more waste than almost any other fish, so it is better to have only a few of them in a tank unless you are willing to do significant water changes quite often.

One of the most enjoyable steps in aquarium setup is choosing the fish because there are so many types of freshwater aquarium fish available. Do some research, choose wisely, and you will have a healthy, thriving community of fish that will provide years of enjoyment and pride.

Drew Bartlett is a freshwater aquarium fish enthusiast that has been involved in the hobby for over 30 years.

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