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Of all the world’s brightly hued fishes, the koi are those solely considered to be as brilliantly colorful as the rainbow. The koi colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple nearly complete the color spectrum, while the further addition of black shades creates a contrast which further enhances the vividness of these koi fish colors.

Common koi colors are white, red, orange, yellow and black. The not so common colors are blue, green, purple and cream. Some koi can be plain with just a single color, while others can come in a combination of two or more different hues, with different patterns and shaped like blotches, splashes, dots or blots. There are koi that have a metallic sheen to their color, making their scales look like hammered platinum or silver.

Color is usually a reflection of the koi’s state of health. Whatever shade the fish come in, koi colors should be vibrantly alive. The red blots in a kohaku should be brightly colored, while the black spots in a showa sanke koi should be deep and even. If a plain white koi has dots of grey appearing on its scales, or if a black koi looks dull, this can sometimes indicate that there is something wrong somewhere. The problem may be poor water conditions, so it would be advisable to regularly check the pH balance of the pond or tank. It can also be the food – the brightness of koi colors depends largely on nutrition, which is why vitamins are also added to their diet. However, frozen or fresh and raw foods will do, especially if they have high concentrations of carotenoid pigments, which are the major components of a koi’s skin. Shrimp, plankton or daphnia, marigold and green algae known as Spirulina are ideal for the koi if you want to get the best effect.

Koi varieties are actually named after koi colors or color combinations, translated into Japanese, since it was the Japanese farmers who were primarily instrumental in the development of the art and science of koi breeding. The most common and thus the most popular koi color combination is white and red, known as Kohaku. The tancho kohaku is by far the most beloved of this variety, as it is characterized by a white body with one single spot on the koi’s head. This particular breed most often can be seen as the subject of paintings and tapestry, as well as body tattoos.

Koi colors themselves are a subject of constant debate, as most people do not believe that they hold any significance whatsoever, even if others are convinced that koi colors have specific meanings. For example, there is a symbolism connected with the color and shape of the reds: the more round-shaped red spots in a koi, the more financially successful the owner will be. If the koi colors present in the fish are those that exactly make up the colors of the rainbow, the more fortunate in life a man will be. Whatever the representation attached with the koi, breeders, owners and hobbyists everywhere agree to one thing: there is nothing more spectacularly kaleidoscopic in the world than koi colors.

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