The Koi
That Reeled Me In
by Elmer Epistola
Posted: September 13, 2004
These are NOT my koi, but I
wish they were. Owning koi like these is but a dream for me,
and will probably remain so in years to come. These koi
may not be the best of the best, but they are my sentimental
favorites for the simple reason that they were the ones that pulled
me into the hobby.
I've kept fish since I was 5
years old. My koi pond is now almost a decade old.
However, I only went into serious koi keeping in 2000, when I
chanced upon a store in Cartimar called 'Kois and Ponds' (not
related to this website). There they were - authentic Japanese
nishikigoi, in amazingly brilliant colors and incredibly enormous
sizes. I was hooked immediately. It was also my first
time to see ponds with such crystal-clear water, and wondered how
I've managed to enjoy my green pond in all those years.
Back then, the price of even
their cheapest koi was not justifiable to me - 700 pesos, or about USD
20.00. A fish is a fish is a fish, so I don't know why I had
to pay so much for them. But now I know that the answer to
that was really simple - because I liked them.
For weeks I regularly visited the store, until one day
I finally had the guts to buy three (3) 5-inch koi. They
were all Sanke, but at that time I didn't even know that koi had
fancy Japanese names. All I cared for were the colors.
Then a lady from the store gave
me this beautiful brochure entitled 'Varieties of Nishikigoi.'
I flipped the cover and immediately saw pictures of what excellent
koi really look like. That's when I knew that I'll be in this hobby
for the rest of my life.
Without the brochure, or the
koi in it for that matter, this website will probably not exist.
As a tribute to these koi, therefore, I'm posting their pictures
here (I do hope their owners wouldn't mind), in the hope that more
people will be reeled in by these koi, just like me 4 years ago.
So sit back, get your pellets, and enjoy...
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