Learn
Koi guides
Everything here funnels toward one goal: buying well. Start with the variety identifier and the price guide, then go deeper below.
Breeding Koi Fish: How It Works and What to Expect
How koi breeding actually works — spawning triggers, egg care, culling, and why 99% of fry never make it to the pond market. A realistic guide for hobbyists.
Updated August 2026
Buying Your First Koi: A No-Regrets Checklist
How to buy your first koi without expensive mistakes — pond readiness, choosing a dealer, health checks, quarantine, and what to pay. The complete first-timer path.
Updated August 2026
How Long Do Koi Fish Live? Lifespan, Records, and What Shortens It
Koi routinely live 25–50 years with good care — and famous fish have far exceeded that. What determines koi lifespan and how to plan for a decades-long pet.
Updated August 2026
How Many Koi Can Your Pond Hold? The Honest Stocking Math
Real koi stocking rules — gallons per fish, why filtration changes the math, growth headroom, and what overstocking actually does to a pond.
Updated August 2026
Japanese Koi: What Makes Them Different (and Worth It)
Why Japanese-bred koi from Niigata's famous breeders cost several times more than domestic fish — bloodlines, body conformation, and how imports reach US dealers.
Updated August 2026
How Big Do Koi Get? Growth Rates, Limits, and Jumbo Genetics
How large koi really grow, how fast, and what controls it — genetics, pond size, temperature, and feeding. Includes a realistic growth timeline.
Updated August 2026
Koi Carp: What They Are and How They Differ From Wild Carp
Koi carp explained — the species behind ornamental koi, how they differ from wild and mirror carp, and what that ancestry means for pond keepers.
Updated August 2026
Koi Food: How to Choose the Right Pellet (and When It Matters)
Growth, color-enhancing, wheat germ, and all-season koi foods compared — what the labels mean, when each type earns its price, and how dealers feed.
Updated August 2026
Koi Pond Fish: What Can (and Can't) Live With Koi
The best companion fish for a koi pond — goldfish, orfe, tench — and the species that don't work. Compatibility, stocking, and hybridization cautions.
Updated August 2026
Koi Quarantine: The Habit That Protects Your Whole Pond
Why every new koi needs 2–4 weeks of quarantine, how to run a simple quarantine tank, what KHV is, and the questions to ask any dealer before buying.
Updated August 2026
Koi Shows: How Judging Works and Why Buyers Should Go
What happens at a koi show — classes, judging criteria, tategoi culture — and why attending one is the best free education a koi buyer can get.
Updated August 2026
Male vs Female Koi: How to Tell Them Apart (and Why It Matters)
Sexing koi by body shape, fins, and spring behavior — plus why females dominate koi shows and command higher prices.
Updated August 2026
How Shipping Live Koi Works (and How to Buy Well Remotely)
How overnight koi shipping actually works — bagging, oxygen, boxes, live-arrival guarantees — and how to evaluate a dealer you'll never visit.
Updated August 2026
Types of Koi: The 16 Classes That Organize Every Variety
How koi varieties are actually organized — the 16 show classes from Gosanke to Kawarimono, what each contains, and how to navigate them as a buyer.
Updated August 2026
What Do Koi Fish Eat? Diet, Feeding, and What to Avoid
What koi eat in ponds and in the wild, how much and how often to feed by water temperature, and the foods that cause problems. Practical feeding guide.
Updated August 2026
Winter Koi Care: How Koi Survive the Cold (With Your Help)
What happens to koi below 50°F, when to stop feeding, pond depth and aeration in winter, and the mistakes that kill fish under the ice.
Updated August 2026