Koi 6 and 7

Today I was watching a program on Koi and how they are raised and while the program was on I did a couple of drawings of them.

One of the many interesting things on the program was that koi have been reported to achieve ages of 100–200 years with the average age at a little more than 50 years.

There was a well-known red coloured koi called "Hanako" who lived to be 228 years old (1749-1977). Needless to say, he was owned by several owners through the course of his lifetime.

Koi 6

To the Japanese the koi fish is a symbol of luck, prosperity, and good fortune. They are also associated with Japan's national identity and culture.

Which is why I was surprised to find that Japan was not the largest cultivator of koi in the world; with the top five being Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.

Trying to keep all of the varieties and variations of koi straight can be hard enough, especially since new koi varieties are still being actively developed.

Koi 7

I fell in love with the Butterfly koi (also known as dragon carp, or longfin koi) when I first saw them in Aruba at The Butterfly Farm, but unfortunately with all the predators I have around here there is no way I can have a koi pond on the farm.