Kate Nakamura

Loads of hobbies bring forth feelings of excitement, joy and fulfillment, particularly when the hobby involves a living thing! For the novice, there is always the initial excitement of going to the pet store, choosing that first goldfish, mouse or hamster, taking it home and thinking …… now what do I do with it? This happens time and time again! It's the same story with plant life, but that's a whole other story!

There is no substitute for getting quality advice from a professional pond builder. After you have done your preliminary research and have started to gain some idea of what you want, you can really benefit from consulting with a professional. They can discuss your ideas with you and help spell out what is doable and what is not; what is realistic and what is not; and finally, what is affordable and what is not!

Ogon Koi are the single colored, metallic form of Koi that is held in the highest regard by enthusiasts the world over. These mono-toned, yet utterly stunning fish belong to the class named "Hikari Muji Mono", where Hikari is Japanese for "metallic", Muji means "single colored", and Mono means "ones" (in other words, the "Metallic single colored ones").

Nothing epitomizes sublime beauty quite like the White Koi. Valued for its purity in form & color, the Platinum Ogon, as it is more commonly referred to amongst enthusiasts, has turned out to be somewhat of a "standard" for many koi ponds worldwide. This popularity is due partly to the fact that they are able to grow rapidly and are surprisingly easy to see in the murky water of poorly filtered ponds. They stand out beautifully alongside the host of colors of other koi varieties.

Koi Ponds and Koi Keeping were once upon a time, considered luxuries only afforded by the rich and famous. Nowadays, with the explosion of interest in koi-keeping the world over, the costs connected with such an absorbing hobby have come within the grasp of many more people.

Is it any wonder that more and more people worldwide are finding themselves drawn into the aquatic realm of the Koi?

In the beginning there was the ancient Carp, the Magoi, dark and uninteresting, a vital link of the food chain in China, however destined to be the forerunner of the magnificent "Living Jewels" we enjoy nowadays.

Once bred as a food resource in China, it wasn't until after it was adopted by the Japanese, that it was quickly recognize more for its incredible splendor than its food potential, and therefore began the production of the most brilliant Koi colors via selective breeding. The Koi was from this point on no longer Ordinary, but an aesthetic object of beauty - much loved and designed to be the envy of all.