There's something alluring about 2022's Gold Ghost Koi

5 min read
There's something alluring about 2022's Gold Ghost Koi
The amount of information that has been compiled about koi fish is probably shocking once you look into the culture, traditions, and historical events surrounding keeping them.

There is a great deal to learn about the different subvarieties, not even touching on the history and rich data surrounding ornamental carp curation.

Taking a look at an intriguing and highly controversial koi sub-variety, the gold ghost koi, lets see what makes it so special, interesting, and controversial.

The Gold Ghost Koi is what it sounds like.

A gold ghost koi is a colored variety of a ghost koi.

koi for sale are mating with metallic Ogon koi to produce a fish with long fins, rich cream, gold, or silver tones, and stunning forms.

They look hauntingly beautiful as they glide through the water, hence the name of these koi.

The gold ghost koi is one of the most special in the world, with its gold hue making it look as if it had just been plucked from a pot of molten gold.

Ghost Koi: Naming the fish

Despite the obvious naming convention for all-white koi, this sub-variety has a bit more interesting origins than you might expect!

First ghost koi were not white at all! Quite the opposite, actually, as the dark, metallic koi stood out in the pond, which resulted in their scales glittering in the pond while the depths of the water shrouded their shape, giving the illusion of ghostly fins that had no visible connection.

Breeders eventually bred for other solid colors like those mentioned above. Despite their lack of ghostly impact, these are still stunning and can look absolutely stunning in ponds thanks to their long fins and stunning, bright metallic coloration!

There is something so magical about these fish.

The Gold Ghost Koi Controversy

However, there is some controversy surrounding gold ghost koi's acceptance as actual koi.

While gold ghost koi and any ghost koi fit into koi ponds and are undeniably beautiful, the koi fish community continues to distrust them as actual koi.

It is because of how they were bred. Since they were created by combining wild-caught mirror carp with metallic Ogon ornamental koi fish, they do not contain only ornamental koi blood. Due to the deviation in lineage, many traditional breeders refuse to breed ghost koi and cull wild-caught children based on their parentage.

Breeding traditional animals is treated as an art style, so deviations are not generally accepted, resulting in tension between traditional and modern breeders.

Ghost Koi Attributes

Apart from being one of the most controversial koi fish sub-varieties, ghost koi are also a little different in terms of their body shape, personality, and overall health. Their body composition is much more diverse than that of a typical ornamental koi carp that is bred through selective, bloodline breeding because they have inherited characteristics from their wild mirror carp heritage.

This breeding decision has led to some astounding results, not least of which is the longevity of the gold ghost koi and their strong immune system.

Ghost koi, on average, are much less likely to get sick than traditional ornamental koi because they have very durable immune systems. Because wild ancestors were exposed to an array of stresses, they developed the ability to fight off infections and other illnesses at a much higher rate than handreared ornamental fish.

Unlike most ornamental koi, ghost koi grow quite large. It is not uncommon for them to reach forty pounds at a much faster rate, as well! Consequently, as a means of survival, they acquire the genetic code for growth from the mirror carp.

There are many reasons why wild carp grow larger than captive ones, including diet and being larger makes the fish less likely to be picked off by predators. This has led to the ghost koi becoming very popular among those who want large koi or want fast growth in their ponds.

Also, ghost koi are very friendly and active. Due to both parentage, ghost koi are very interested in humans and are willing to swim along the surface of the water in search of food.

Since they are simply fun and interesting, they are often popular with fish keepers of all levels since they are one of the most visible fish in the pond.

Ghost Koi Quirks

In ghost koi care, one of the strangest features involves the fish's translucent skin when very young.

In white ghost koi, which have a visible skull at their young age, this is especially apparent. After a while, the skin thickens and is less see-through, but they look creepy for a while.

Stunning, Shiny Fish
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