Koi: Living Jewels of the Orient
In Japan, breeding koi—a colorful and beautiful member of the carp family—has occupied a position between hobby and art form for more than two centuries. This stunningly illustrated book, compiled by a team of koi experts, shows and tells you virtually everything you need to know about this fascinating activity. Koi are hardy fish, relatively large in size, and the most practical way to keep them is in an outdoor pond. Combining text with illustrations, an important section of the book explains the requirements of a garden pond for koi, showing the filtration system and pointing out how it functions. Most of the book concentrates on koi themselves, presenting a brief history of how this fish originated, and continuing with information on purchasing, maintaining, and breeding these unusual and exotically beautiful fish. Color photos show more than 100 koi varieties and point out both more desirable and less desirable markings to look for when selecting specimens for your pond.