What's the difference between grass koi and koi? A quick guide to telling them apart

Grass koi and koi are different fish species. Grass koi are often used as food fish, while koi are relatively expensive and kept as ornamental fish. So, what is the difference between grass koi and koi?

1. What is the difference between grass koi and koi?

1. Different colors: grass carp come in many colors, including black, gray, orange, gold, and also variegated patterns, while koi are mainly red and white;

2. Different body shape: grass carp are rather slender, with the dorsal fin set far back, while koi are somewhat rounder and plumper, with the dorsal fin set forward;

3. Different barbels: koi have barbels, while grass carp do not.

2. What are the main strains of koi?

1. Taisho Sanke

Taisho Sanke is a representative Japanese koi. Its base color is pure white, and its pattern is made up of red and black, hence the name Taisho Sanke. It originated in 1951. In terms of color standards, besides the base color being required to be pure white, the red vivid and deep, and the pattern edges clear, its coloring on the head should not extend to the eyes, nose, cheeks, or the tip of the snout. The pattern should also reach the tail base, and the pectoral fins are best with 2-3 black stripes, but there should be no black spots on the head. Its main varieties include Lipstick Sanke (red lips on the snout), Aka Sanke (large red patches from the head to the tail base), German Sanke and German Aka Sanke (koi of the German mirror carp strain), Fuji Sanke, Koromo Sanke, Kanoko Sanke, Sanke Shusui, Yamato Nishiki, Ginrin Sanke, Tancho Sanke, and others.

2. Showa Sanke

Showa Sanke, also known as Showa Sanshoku, is one of the main koi varieties. Its base color is black, with red and white patterns forming a beautiful design, and the pectoral fins have black spots extending from the head. It originated in 1927 (Showa 2). In its color composition, the black base is fundamental, the head has patches of red pattern, the red quality is pure with clear edges, and pure white is distributed on the head, tail, and back of the fish. The focus of appreciation is on the front half. Showa Sanke and Taisho Sanke are particularly similar; if the key points are not grasped, they are easily confused. This is mainly shown in the following three aspects:

1) Taisho Sanke cannot have black spots on the head, while Showa Sanke does.

2) On Taisho Sanke, the black spots are used to accent the pattern and make up a relatively small proportion of the three colors, generally distributed on the back above the lateral line scales; on Showa Sanke, black makes up a larger proportion and is distributed on all parts of the fish body, including the belly.

3) Taisho Sanke has only a small number of black stripes on the pectoral fins, while Showa Sanke has larger black spots at the base. The main varieties of Showa Sanke include Kage Showa, Kindai Showa, German Showa, Ginrin Showa, Tancho Showa, and others.

3. Kohaku

Koi with red patterns on a white background are called Kohaku (this variety was developed in 1917). If Taisho Sanke and Showa Sanke give people a sense of elegance and luxury when appreciating koi, then Kohaku gives people the enjoyment of purity and refinement. The base color of Kohaku is pure white, as white as snow, and the red is extremely vivid, similar to the color of the Red-capped Oranda in goldfish. These two colors form a beautiful pattern on the back of the fish, so some people, when admiring Kohaku koi, often use the phrase “it begins with Kohaku and ends with Kohaku” to describe it. This means that the earliest koi to appear were red and white, and afterward other varieties continuously emerged and were appreciated by people, but after repeated appreciation over long-term keeping, people ultimately still feel that Kohaku is the most elegant.

For Kohaku patterns, large patches evenly distributed and symmetrical on the left and right are considered best. However, the patches on the head must not extend to the eyes, cheeks, or snout, and the tail pattern should preferably be about 2 cm from the base of the tail fin. The head should have a large red patch; otherwise it is called “monk”. The front half of the shoulder and back of the fish body should also have relatively large patches to form the focal point of appreciation, and the rear half should have small patches to set off the front half. It is important to avoid the pattern on the rear half being heavier than that on the head and shoulders, which would cause it to lose the main theme of appreciation. The main varieties of Kohaku include two-step, three-step, and four-step Kohaku, Lightning Kohaku, German Kohaku, and others.