| Good morning. As you all know, I have sent a lot of time preaching on the Japanese view of koi as a four season fish and done my best to include hard science to highlight the normal hormonal shifts koi go through and how the science 'dovetails' nicely with Japanese observations on the common carp.
The funny thing is I find I usually get into heated debates with those who live in tropical and sub-tropical areas as they insist that 'warm' 365 days a year is a good thing. And at the same time, I am doing battle with someone on another board from the Great frozen north who insists that their koi flourish and love living under ice 4 months of the year!
Like all things, the truth is usually somewhere in-between! Koi are carp and carp have evolved to live in four seasons and now their physiology is pretty much stuck with that reality. What causes the confusion however is the carp's remarkable ability to survive and adapt. BUT please note, this does not mean they will respond over a life time in an optimal way to environments that so not allow for natural physiological function.
Here is a photo of the band of seasonal temperate areas that carp flourish in. They can exist far outside these ranges. But the challenges are in the areas of SIZE ( smaller in northern climes), WEIGHT ( chubby in the extreme north but short , lean in the south unless compensated for but then the life is shortened). LONGEVITY ( shorter life spans in general). DISEASE RESISTANCE ( less in the extreme north or extreme south).
So everyome can enjoy koi thanks to their survivability. But not everyone can expect long term results like the Japanese get. Not without paying homage to the koi's physiology and it's need to cycle hormones. |