The joy of owning Japanese koi carp for sale near you will be shared by you and every other pond owner (which is a lot). Colorful and lively, koi fish will fill your pond with joy. Wait! Learn how much koi fish costs before you leave this page and go out and buy some. The price of koi fish can vary widely. The final price tag is based on several different characteristics.
What Influences the Cost of a Koi?
- Style and Design
As with anything else, the higher the quality, the more you can expect to pay for a koi fish. Some koi fish have developed striking colors and patterns due to centuries of selective breeding. A popular color scheme consists of a vibrant red-orange, the deepest black, and a brilliant white. Solid-colored Koi, such as yellows, grays, and whites, also attract a lot of attention and often spark fierce competition.
- Genetic Ancestry
Some koi have family trees that go back many generations. Prices for koi fish are impacted in the same way that purchasing a purebred dog is more expensive than buying a mutt. Social status is crucial. Value-wise, the Gosanke koi stands head and shoulders above the rest.
- Characteristics of the Body and the Fins
Koi farmers in Japan and the United States typically have different tastes in this regard.
Those with neat, short fins are more prized in Japan. Others, more conservative, view long fins as a defect or mutation.
Long-finned Koi in the US are commonly referred to as Butterfly koi due to their fins’ resemblance to butterfly wings. Some even take on the appearance of tiny dragons while swimming.
As a result, the cost of koi fish varies widely depending on where you go and what species you choose to purchase. It’s entirely up to you which style you choose to adopt.
- Age
When a koi fish matures, its quality becomes more apparent. Larger Koi tend to cost more. You can’t tell the quality of a koi or how big it will get from purchasing a juvenile. That’s why juvenile koi fish are so much cheaper. To add insult to injury, older Koi won’t give you the same amount of time with them. They can live for decades with the right kind of fish and some TLC.
- Sex
The focus here is on imported versus domestic, as well as value. Regarding rare and expensive Japanese Koi, the females tend to fetch a higher price. Lengthier and with softer, more rounded fins, typically. They are valuable because they can be bred for more of the same fish. There is typically not much price difference between imported and domestic Koi.
Conclusion
When the Japanese koi carp is for sale, make sure you can look it over from head to toe to see if anything looks wrong. Koi have been known to cut them while jumping, lose scales, or even kill them. If the Koi you want to buy has been injured slightly, you can ask the seller to hold onto it for a couple of weeks at their shop.