White Koi

When the Japanese started breeding koi fish from carp mutations, they only came in one or two colors. As the popularity of koi fish grew and more and more people started breeding them throughout the years, koi fish began to come in greater color varieties and combinations of patterns. Today koi fish can be seen in many different colors including red, black, green, yellow and white.

Being able to recognize the different varieties of koi fish is easier when you have an understanding of the various classifications that koi are grouped into. Each variety has certain standards but pattern diversity is acceptable in most varieties. There are a couple of very popular koi varieties. One popular variety is Kahaku koi. These koi are white with red markings. Another popular koi variety is the Hirarimono or Ogon variety.

The first part of the word “Hikari” means metallic. The second part of the word “Mono” means single color. These koi fish are all one color. Ogon koi are also very metallic in appearance. They are most commonly available and seen in yellow known as Yamabuki Ogon and in the color white or silver which are known as Platinum Ogon. Whatever the color or the variety, the coloration of Ogon koi should be the same hue from their heads to their tails and down to the tips of the fins. Large fins are desirable on the Ogon koi fish because they offset the plain body.

White koi or Platinum Ogon are very unique and popular fish in the world of koi. Their bodies appear to shine with the same luster as precious metal. These unique and gorgeous koi fish first appeared back in 1963, probably from crossing Kigoi with the grayish-silver Nezu (short for the Japanese word for rat, nezumi) Ogon. These types of koi fish are very hardy and grow rapidly. They are also popular in poorly filtered ponds because they stand out in the murky water. Other Ogon koi fish include the Nezu, Orenji and the Fuji koi fish.

Most Platinum Ogon koi are bred with the Ginrin scales to make them appear even shinier. Ginrin scales are very different from those that are seen on metallic koi. Instead of an overall gleam caused by the reflective pigment of the scales, Ginrin scales have a reflective sheen over all or part of their surface creating a glimmering effect that is very much like cut diamonds. To qualify as Ginrin, the koi fish should have more of these scales than it is possible to count as it swims past the observer. About 20 scales is the accepted minimum.

One thing that really attracts pond owners to fill their ponds with koi fish is the large variety of colors that koi fish come in. When viewed from the top, koi fish are able to show their best color. The majority of the fish’s pigment in on the top side of the fish. When koi fish are shown in events in Asia, they are always shown in round pools and are always viewed from the top.