What type of koi?

[chilligirl]

Do my koi have fancy-schmancy names, or are they "mutts"?

I got them from King Ed Pets in Vancouver, he brought them in from Japan (he also had Chinese koi, but said the Japanese koi have better/more stable colour). One's regular, one's butterfly, but I don't know what their colours are called.

The orange and white one

The pretty silvery one - I like this one, it's matt white, with silver/black scales down it's back and a yellow/gold tint to the head and fins.

 

[DrDave]

The red and white are Kohaku. A better photo of the body from above would help. Sometimes there are other features that would make them something else. There are rules governing this but a better photo is required.

 

[chilligirl]

Here are some slightly better pics. They're fast, especially the red and white one, so hard to photograph.

 

[DrDave]

Kohaku must have Hi (red) on the head or they are considered "bozu", yours has red on the nose which is not preferred. Unless you are going into competition, don't worry about it.

 

[DrCase]

good looking fish the last few pic are real nice

 

[chilligirl]

not worried about it - just curious :banana:

Does the silvery one's colour have a name?

 

[DrDave]

Gin Matsuba or Soragoi are possiblilties. I am not a butterfly fan or expert.

 

[chilligirl]

I looked those up, and while they're pretty, they're not the same.

Had a really good look at my butterfly koi today. (S)he is not metallic, definitely matte. Body colour was a white or very, very soft grey, but is turning into a really pretty soft lilac/blue colour. The pinecone pattern scales down the back started as a medium grey, but are moving towards a very dark blue/grey, almost black. The only metallic scales are the thinest line of them at the base of the dorsal fin, and around the edge of the head (outlines it like a helmet) - they aren't silver, they reflect a pearly gold colour.

 

[chilligirl]

Hmmm...Mine looks a lot like this one which they're calling a soragoi. This is the only page I've found with soragoi that are pale blue and not metallic - all the others I found were a uniform metallic grey with a pinecone effect over the whole body...

My fish only has the pinecone effect down it's back, and is not metallic...

(taken from http://www.koibitz.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=420)

So, would mine be called a Butterfly Soragoi then?

Not that it matters, just curious. The many types and colours and all the names are pretty fascinating!