Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishbreeder
The reason so many longfins are owned by water gardeners is that they tend to be hardier and more forgiving than koi. They adapt well to a wide variety of habitats, not all of which koi would thrive in.
Fine fish they might be, beautiful, graceful, even imposing, but they cannot be "koi" as koi do not have long fins.
Koi, common river carp, and longfins are all the same species (Cyprinus carpio) but common river carp are not koi or longfins, koi are not common river carp or longfins, and longfins are not common river carp or koi.
Popular with many, and even beginning to get some definitions as to what a "show quality" longfin is, but no matter how refined they might become, they won;t be koi.