nature, Photography

Carp or Koi?

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I recently had an interesting conversation with one of the groundskeepers at the nearby Japanese garden about the fish in the pond there and learned a lot about the differences between koi and carp.

Koi are a domesticated, ornamental variety of carp that are the result of centuries of selective breeding for lighter colours such as orange, white, yellow and the mottled types as well. The behaviour of koi is also different; they are much less aggressive than carp.

Carp are a dull greyish brown and sometimes difficult to spot in the water; of course that is one of their natural defences, something that koi no longer have.

A sleepy looking carp among the lily pads.

The fish in the Japanese garden pond are a mix of koi and carp; people have apparently been randomly dropping carp there after they become too big for their home fish tanks. In the pond they have been growing and multiplying rapidly because they’re eating everything in sight.

Lots of carp swimming underneath the koi.

In the photo above, you can see quite a number of dark coloured carp; the groundskeeper says there are about 30 of them.

At the moment plans are in place to remove the carp from the pond in the autumn when their activity slows down; the koi will once again have their pond to themselves.

These koi appear to be swimming among the trees: more sky fish!

During the next winter the groundskeepers will also be on the lookout for otters. Last winter one started living in the garden and helping himself to the koi; apparently about half of them were consumed before the otter was trapped and moved to another location. That otter must have thought he was in paradise!

Happy Thursday.

35 thoughts on “Carp or Koi?”

  3. I have learnt something new. I have heard of both and assumed the Koi were brightly coloured ones. But I didn’t know the relation to the carp.

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    1. Hi Liz, I didn’t know either. I just thought that koi were colourful carp. The redheads of the carp world, so to speak. The carp in this pond are known as “common carp” and are an invasive species interfering with the native salmon and pike which is why they’re being removed.

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  4. Interesting topic Lynette. Thanks for sharing. People who dump their pet fish in lakes, rivers and storm ponds need to give their head a shake. They are no native here and can do a lot of damage to the existing eco system. As to otters, they are opportunists and when they find the right conditions, they move right in. Happy Thursday. Allan

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    1. You’re very welcome, Allan. I was shocked to hear that people are dumping fish there at all, let alone an invasive species. The koi are regulated by temperature apparently (Okanagan Lake would be too cold for them in winter) but the carp are very hardy and can do a lot of damage to the native salmon, trout, whitefish and pike. That otter must have thought he hit the jackpot (and in a way, he had!) but he was caught and moved into the mountains.

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    1. You’re very welcome, Tricia. I didn’t know the difference either; I just thought that koi were more colourful carp. Yes, that otter was in total heaven for a while; it must have been like a smorgasbord – all those fish in a confined environment! He had it good for a bit but he was trapped and released in the mountains.

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    1. I agree. All those fish in a confined environment; it was an otter smorgasbord! Apparently he ate about half of them before being trapped and relocated to the mountains where he now has dreams about endless fish dinners but can’t believe it was real. 😉

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    1. Yes, I have now read about that. They are aggressive, opportunistic and difficult to eradicate, especially in warmer climates. They have done a lot of damage here too, but in many areas our winters tend to kill them off. They can unfortunately survive winters here in the Okanagan, though.

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    1. Apparently selective breeding efforts included behavioural characteristics, as well. Agreed, Linda. People dumping their pets in the pond is sad. Carp in particular are invasive and can cause many issues for native fish if they get into our rivers and lakes.

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