KUYA ED'S GUIDE TO KOI BREEDS/VARIETIES

Lemon Hariwake

Essentially a metallic,

scaled Kohaku, this

coloured koi (platinum

and gold or metallic

lemon) was rare a decade

ago. Tosai are best

chosen for their light

yellow patterns as the the

colors tend to intensify with

age becoming more

orange than gold and losing

their metallic qualities.

Lighter lemon or gold

coloring also seem to

last longer.

Kikusui

Often confused with the

Hariwake, this two color,

platinum and gold variety

is a Doitsu -- scale less/

irregular scale koi. .

Some Kikusui have Kohaku

like patterns but most have

long, lengthwise gold

markings on both sides

(racing stripes) of the body

instead of the stepped Kohaku

patterns.

Kin Shiro Utsuri

This is a rare metallic variety

of the Shiro Utsuri. By crossing

Showas or Utsuris with Platinum

Ogons, breeders were able to

replace the white background

with platinum and the black

patterns with black or the rarer

solid pewter or gunmetal colors.

Platinum Utsuris are rarer than

Kin Showas and the since Ogon

traits usually win over Utsuri ones,

typical Kin Shiros have dispersed,

poorly defined and muted

black patterns. Desirable

ones have clear, distinct Utsuri

patterns.

Kujaku

A metallic, patterned koi with

reticulation. Pattern plates

range from gold to metallic

red while the background is

platinum. Depending on

the degree of reticulation,

the background can appear

in a ranges of shades from

silver to gunmetal.