25 Facts about Koi; the elegant fish that enhance any water garden

There is nothing as calming and classy as a home with a well-done water garden, especially when they're filled with Koi. Splendidly colorful in brilliant patterns, these highly revered Japanese fish grow quite large and can even outlive their owners.

Despite the prevalence of Koi ponds in gardens, homes, and office lobbies, relatively little is known about them for the common person.

So instead of covering the practical details of how to install a koi pond DIY or tips for maintaining one at your property, we thought we’d highlight some facts about these amazingly majestic fish.

25 facts about Koi:

1. Koi originated in Japan in the 1820s, and keeping them is a longstanding tradition and national pastime. 

2. Despite their impressive aesthetic, Koi are nothing more than domesticated common carp (Cyprinus carpio), only selected and interbred over the centuries for their beautiful color, size, and other characteristics. 

3. While often referred to as "Koi fish," the correct name is just "Koi." (Just like "lion," or "dolphin, etc.)

4. They are a freshwater fish and cannot survive in salt water.

5. Still to this day, Koi symbolize wealth, prosperity, friendship and love for the lucky owner. In Japanese culture, giving a Koi to someone as a gift means you’ve granted them good luck.

6. Appearing in a kaleidoscope of designs, patterns, and hues, Koi commonly have black, blue, red, orange, cream and yellow colors.

7. No two Koi are exactly alike, as there are many subtle variations based on color, pattern, spots, size or absence of scales, metallic appearance, etc. But there are 22 commonly-recognized categories of Koi.

8. Female Koi are more social, personable, and playful than males of the species.

9. The typical Koi lives up to 25 to 35 years with proper care, a long time for an animal. However, Koi have been known to live past 100 years or even up to 200 years in some rare cases! Some Koi live so long that they are passed down from generation to generation, treated as a cherished family heirloom.

10. The record for the longest living Koi goes to the legendary Hanoko, a Japanese fish that survived for 226 years! In fact, Hanoko was born in 1751, five years before Mozart was born, and didn't pass until July 17, 1977, shortly after its 226th birthday!

11. You can determine a Koi's age just by counting the rings around their outer scales, with each ring representing two years of their life.

12. Koi are actually not herbivores like some species of fish, but omnivores (consuming both plants and animals), eating other kinds of fish and their eggs, as well as rice, corn, lettuce, watermelon, and peas.

13. The price of these colorful fish varies widely, but generally, they are not expensive as infants, but then increase in value as they grow, with their price escalating the longer, heavier, and more colorful they become.

14. While young Koi often sell for $20 or so at a pet store, the well-matured larger fish sell for up to $50,000 or more!

15. In Japanese society, there's a centuries-old tradition that if someone can present a Koi that is four feet long, they will win a $1 million prize.

16. Koi grow rapidly in their first couple years, and mature Koi will sprout to two and even three feet long and weighing a sizable 35 pounds on average. 

17. However, these fish will only grow as big as their container or water source allows, so Koi that are cramped should be transferred to bigger ponds.

18. Most people don’t realize that Koi and goldfish come from the same descendant centuries ago. In fact, a Koi and a goldfish can still mate these days, but their offspring will be sterile.

19. These fish are intelligent and can learn to recognize any human being that feeds them, and can even be trained to eat directly from his or her hand. They're also social and affectionate creatures and will give puckering "fish kisses" to the objection of their adulation.

20. For that reason, Koi prefer to cohabitate with other Koi, living in schools. But they can also live perfectly well sharing their pond with other fish, as long as they aren’t aggressive species. However, Koi will eat the eggs and young fry of other fish, at least until some color appears on their bodies.

21. But Koi have several natural predators, themselves, such as raccoons, otters, badgers, birds of pretty like hawks, snakes, cats, coyotes, and even the family dog! 

22. Koi don't have stomachs, so they digest their food throughout their gut or intestines, and it usually takes then about 4 hours to digest their food completely in warm water.

23. To reach their maximum size, Koi need to be fed about every 4 hours, so automatic feeders on a timer come in handy for owners.

24. Koi fish need to live in temperate climates, but they can survive in areas with cold winters. In fact, when the temperature drops, Koi will hibernate, swimming to the bottom of the pond (where the water temps are a little highest) or burying themselves in the mud and remaining dormant until the spring thaw.

25. If it's too hot and their pond is exposed to all-day direct sun without enough rock ledges and places to find shade, Koi can get dangerous sun burns.

35 Creative ways to improve your home's curb appeal.

1.         Hide your garden hose in a nice pot.

Unsightly garden hoses and spray nozzles can easily be coiled and stored inside of a big ceramic pot or planter. 

2.         Reface your foundation.

If you have a plain and boring concrete or stucco foundation, add faux or half bricks, tiles, or faux stone to turn a negative into one of its nicest features.

3.         Highlight your address numbers.

Instead of small black letters near your front door, why not get creative with larger letters built into in a false rock, concrete column or stone feature with built-in lighting.

4.         Add a pathway.

Build a pathway to your side yard or driveway with mulch, stone, great plantings, and stepping-stones.

5.         Install shutters.

Nothing makes the face of your home look better than nice shutters outside each window.  Look at plenty of color patterns but try a glossy paint with deep, dark colors like black, crimson, or hunter green. 

6.         Get a new front door.

Replace your humdrum front door with a classic stained wood or modern full window door. 

7.         Add window boxes.

Remember those shutters we put up?  Follow that up with box planters outside each window (or just the second floor) with colorful flowers.  Stained wood or bright paint looks great on these.

8.         Plant vines over unsightly areas.

If there’s an area of the house that isn’t particularly nice to look at – like if it has utility poles, boxes, or lines – you can simply put up a vertical trellis in front of it and plant some vines. 

9.         Build a trellis above the garage door.

Let’s face it – garage doors are ugly.  But an easy weekend project of building a nice trellis over it, complete with interwoven vines and some accent lighting, and your garage will be the envy of the neighborhood. 

10.       Paint your front door.

Don’t worry if your budget doesn’t allow for a brand new front door – you can repaint your existing one!  To make sure the new layers of paint don’t keep it from closing properly, you might want to sand it down some before applying primer and paint.  Match this too your shutters with glossy paint.

11.       Create a container garden.

Our first instinct is to plant everything in the front yard, but it’s way easier (and looks really cool!) to mix and match fun, funky, and colorful containers to hold flowers and plants.

12.       Update your mailbox.

Just like your address numbers got a makeover, spruce up your mailbox.  Instead of having it hang by your front door, build a classic wooden pillar and have it sit out on the street, or wrap the base in brick or stone.  Build in a sturdy mailbox but make sure it locks.

13.       Set up a sitting area.

It’s amazing how inviting a front porch or front yard looks with some simple outdoor furniture so you can sit outside and enjoy it.

14.       Update your front porch light.

Replacing outdated lighting with new, modern lighting is a great way to improve curb appeal without breaking the bank.

15.       Replace your garage door.

Trade in your dented and dated garage door with a gorgeous wooden carriage door or faux wood door.  You can even get these to open horizontally to complete the look of a million dollar mansion!

16.       Fix up your garage door .

If you don’t have money to replace it, you can have a row of horizontal windows cut into your existing door and add screw-on hardware that makes it look like a classy carriage door.

17.       Add new hardware to your front door.

Add a new knob, big brass knocker, and brass kick plate to any front door to make it look brand new. 

18.       Add an archway.

Build an archway on the way to the front door and cover it with vines, colorful flowers, and cool lighting.

19.       Paint the exterior.

You may not want to paint the whole house, but there’s nothing wrong with painting only the front, including a three-color pattern with the trim and the front door and shutters different colors.

20.      Paint over concrete steps or porch floor.

Paint old and weathered concrete steps or a porch with dark and glossy paint.  Black looks great, but remember to prepare the concrete well first and use specialty mason/floor paint because of the high foot traffic. 

21.       Power wash.

Rent a power washer for the day and spray clean your house, your roof, inside gutters, stucco, walkways, and your driveway.  Just remember to wash from the top down so you don’t create a bigger mess.

22.       Replace your welcome matt.

Don’t forget that something as simple as a new, colorful, and personalized welcome matt can make a great first impression.  You can even build your own out of painted wooden slats!

23.       Wash windows.

Take out the Windex and the old newspapers (better and less expensive than paper towels) and give your windows a good washing – they’ll really sparkle!

24.       Plant a tree.

To break up a monotonous lawn, plant a tree and surround it with a mulch bed and other lower plants or flowers.

25.       Upgrade your porch railing.

If you don’t have money for a brand new porch, you can replace the posts and spindles and repaint to make it look new.

26.       Add edging stones to your driveway.

I love this look – instead of a boring asphalt driveway butting right up against the lawn, set in edging stones, pavers, or bricks along the way.

27.       Hang outdoor curtains.

Outdoor fabrics are weather resistant and sheer enough to let light in, so use them as outdoor drapes hanging from your overhang or porch ceiling with tiebacks.  The neighbors will rave about it!

28.       Outdoor chandelier.

While you’re at it, replace your boring overhead light fixture with an outdoor chandelier to make your front porch look like the foyer of a million dollar mansion!

29.       Add lights to walkway.

New landscaping lighting along pathways gives your home that welcoming glow at night.

30.       Hang string lights.

Wrap trees, posts, and front porches with strands of white outdoor lights.  The key is being subtle so it doesn’t look like Christmas!

31.       Put up hanging plants.

You can make any porch pop by hanging pretty flowers or lush ferns from pots suspended from the ceiling, complete with their own mister watering system.

32.       Rip out the lawn.

Replace the front lawn with natural landscaping and symmetrical flower gardens to give it an organic, modern look.  You can even have fun and recreate the beach with small crushed gravel that looks like sand, “beachy” grasses, and seas shells and starfish scattered around!  

33.       Put a bench in the garden area. 

Simply adding a sitting area can add curb appeal.  Don’t be afraid to go with something bright and fun.

34.       Add elements of water.

A fountain, water feature, or koi pond makes a great signature piece in the front of your home.

35.       Hang a porch swing.

There is no better way to add curb appeal – and even add value to your home – with a hanging swing on your front porch.  A nice one isn’t too expensive and you can easily attach it to a strong beam with chains or thick ropes.  It will add instant charm to the front of your house!