To buy Domestic or Japanese?

[aquitori]

As a person that has been around the hobby for a while, what do you thing a newbie should start of with? Domestic or Japanese koi? Eventually they buy Japanese koi so why not start with them in the beginning? Now price plays a factor in this and I know most end up giving their domestics away as they appreciate better fish.

[dick benbow]

Here's my look at it.....forget whether the koi is domestic or japanese bred.
Buy the very best quality koi you can afford. But buy them in varieties know for their strength. Koi like Asagi/shusui, Ogon, Chagoi have a better survival rate
to help cushion the learning curve yet for years people can enjoy having these varieties around to balance out their ponds when they grow enough confident to begin purchasing gosanke.

[greg]

I don't think it matters wether you buy Japanese or anything else as your first Koi.

You will outgrow them in your learning curve no matter what you get. A new hobbyist's ability to pick quality Koi will always show through.

I personally bought 4 Israeli Koi as my first koi and they are what i call my suicide squad. They go in first to kick start my filters etc. When my current build is finished they will go in and do their job.

Then become free to a good home Koi as i will not be doing another build in the near future.

[Brady Brandwood]

Aquitori, what quality of Domestic or American bred Koi, and what quality of Japanese Koi are you referring to in this thread? There is a WIDE range of both.

Best Wishes,
Brady Brandwood

[Valarc]

I would think it depends what you want from your fish. A lot of people on this board are real sticklers for the traits that make a show quality koi. I personally look at my koi as pets, so as long as I like the look, I could care less where it comes from or whether it fits into a judge's definition of a show winner. For my needs, a koi from a domsetic breeder like Keifer would be near the top of my list, because of the way he treats his fish. It's amazing to see them in the growout pond, eagerly hand feeding.

[Mike T]

Toni:

We now have 10 koi in our backyard pond... Five are Domestic and Five are from Japan...Two of the Japanese Koi were hand picked by none other than KH... I think you'd be hard pressed to distinguish the domestic's from the Nihongins...

Joe could because he baby sat some of the Nihonjings for awhile...

We also have 6 koi in our "Japanese Garden Pond" 5 from Japan and 1 from N.C. in the good old US of A... Kin Chan, the US Yamabuki is the best looking of the lot, even though her pond mates are a Matsunosuke Sanke and a Igarashi Kozuto Kohaku... Reason for the difference: The Yamabuki was one of the best 20 from the 2003 spawning at Lotus Koi Farm at a cost well below $1000...The Nihonjins were pricey but only left overs from many culls...

Do you think you'd even be allowed to see any Nihonjin breeders best 20 much less be allow to purchase it, if you could afford it... From my experience in Japan, I'd so No,

Aloha! Mike T