How long do koi fish live? How many years can they generally live
Koi fish have a sturdy and well-proportioned physique, brilliant colors, varied patterns, and a majestic swimming posture, with extremely high ornamental and keeping value. At the same time, due to their gentle nature, love of swimming in groups, ease of keeping, long lifespan, and strong adaptability to water temperature and other breeding characteristics, they have become a high-end ornamental fish popular around the world today. Let us take a look below at just how long the lifespan of koi fish really is!
How long is the lifespan of koi fish
Koi fish have very long lifespans, generally reaching 70 years. According to records, in Japan there was a red koi named “Hanako”, born in 1751 and died in 1977, living a total of 226 years, with a body length of 77 cm and a weight of 9 kg, making it worthy of being called the “longevity star” among koi.
When a koi reaches a body length of over 90 cm, it can already be said to be quite large. In fact, koi individuals are relatively large, with a body length reaching 1 m and a weight of over 10 kg. At a judging event in Japan, an Akamatsuha koi with a body length of 125 cm appeared, and there are even records of a super giant koi with a body length of 150 cm and a weight of 45 kg.
Age determination of koi fish
1. If you want to know the exact age, you can look at the growth rings on the fish scales. The shape of the growth rings is similar to that of trees, ring by ring, but you need to use a magnifying glass or microscope to see them. Also, newly grown fish scales are not accurate either. This part is the same for all fish.
2. If you are only roughly estimating whether the fish is old or young, you should look at its eyes. Generally, among fish of the same body size, those with larger eyes are older, and you should also look at the black part of the fish eye; more black means older.
3. Koi additionally show body color. Generally, mature fish have a higher and more solid stability in the texture of their body color.
Koi fish keeping methods
1. Water quality and temperature: Koi, like goldfish, are not strict about water temperature and water quality. The suitable temperature range is 2~30℃, but they cannot resist sudden changes in water temperature. If the temperature difference suddenly exceeds 2~3℃, koi will show discomfort. The most suitable water temperature is 20~25℃; they need sufficient oxygen and are suited to living in a slightly alkaline water environment with low hardness.
2. Bait feeding: Koi are omnivorous fish and can be fed either animal-based or plant-based bait, such as water fleas, tubifex worms, small shrimp, cornmeal, crushed biscuits, crushed instant noodles, vegetables, and even rice balls. It is best to feed artificial synthetic pellet bait (with a crude protein content of over 35% in the feed) together with a certain amount of natural bait.
3. Stocking density: For general stocking density in ponds, you can refer to the stocking density table for koi in ponds. For aquarium density, generally a 60 cm×30 cm×15 cm tank can hold 6 koi with a body length of 15~20 cm; 90 cm×30 cm×50 cm can hold 8; 110 cm×30 cm×50 cm can hold 10.
The world's most remarkable koi
1. The most expensive koi: In 2009, a koi ornamental fish center in Guangzhou held a small koi auction in Beijing, with total auction sales reaching 5 million yuan. Among them, a “red and white Tancho” that experts considered to be the best quality item in the auction was bought by a mysterious buyer for a sky-high price of 990,000 yuan! However, it is said that the most expensive ornamental fish is the Japanese koi, and there was once a Japanese koi sold to a German for 20 million yuan.
2. The largest koi: In 2010, a fisherman named Raphael Biagini in France caught a giant koi weighing 13.6 kg on a lake in southern France. This orange koi was about the size of a three-year-old little girl and is considered the largest one ever caught in the wild.