Carp, Japenese Garden, Montréal, Aug 2005
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the
family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia.
Carp, along with many of their cyprinid relatives, are popular
ornamental aquarium and pond fish. The two most notable ornamental carps
are goldfish and koi. Goldfish and koi have advantages over most other
ornamental fishes, in that they are tolerant of cold (they can survive in
water temperatures as low as 4°C), can survive at low oxygen levels, and
can tolerate low water quality.
Koi or more specifically nishikigoi, literally "brocaded carp",
varieties of domesticated common carp (Cyprinus carpio) that are kept for
decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens.
Koi varieties are distinguished by coloration, patterning, and scalation.
Some of the major colors are white, black, red, yellow, blue, and cream.
The most popular category of koi is the Gosanke, which is made up of the
Kohaku, Taisho Sanshoku, and Showa Sanshoku varieties.