HAMBURG (dpa) – They are the “jewels” of the backyard pond: a colourful carp that grows up to 80 centimetres long and is a native of Japan. Thousands of the “koi” fish are kept by rich Germans.
They can sell for upwards of 25,000 dollars in Germany, a snip compared to the half a million dollars that the top fish cost in Japan. Koi fans must be ready to spend big for their hobby.
This is not just any old carp. News reports have mentioned prices of 100,000 marks (45,000 dollars) being paid for top koi in Germany, but this is disputed by Thomas Sieling of the Koi Zentrum in Hamburg.
“Such prices are unrealistic here,” he says. Only in Japan, where the animal is a symbol of fortune, wealth and success, could a koi change owners at “beauty contests” for half a million dollars.
Colour contrasts and patterns and the overall appearance determine their value “like in a work of art”, Sieling says.
“Personally I would not find it much of a hobby just to own one and spend hours looking at it,” he says. As a breeder he does however keep a professional eye on his fish.
Sieling travels three to four times a year to Japan to purchase koi. In Germany, he sells them to retailers.
One of the few sentences he reckons he can speak perfectly in Japanese is “That is too expensive. It needs to be cheaper,” when he is on one of his shopping tours.
The fish are transported in 20-litre containers of water, and the journey to Germany is often a battle for survival.
“The oxygen thins out, and ammonia and bacteria build up. The animals’ immune systems are weakened and they can become poisoned,” Sieling explains. Not only poisoning, but the overall hardship of the shipment can harm the koi.
Now and then a koi’s cardio-vascular system collapses from the stress.
“After such a long trip the fish need a certain period before their gills are back in order,” veterinarian Sandra Lechleiter says. “A careful quarantine at the dealer’s is a precondition for the proper care of a koi.”
The quality of the koi’s food is also a top consideration. Previously, Sieling also imported the food from Japan, but by the time it reached Germany it was already several days old.
Now he produces the special food himself. It is rich in proteins and serves to make the koi’s colours more brilliant.
But he still must import from Japan the koi’s favourite dish: dried silkworm pupae. Five kilograms of this “delicacy” cost Sieling over 70 dollars.
For decades, koi fans in Germany have valued the brilliant shining colour combinations of the fish. One retired man in Hamburg who has kept koi for more than 30 years lets the colours inspire him when he names his fish.
“Checkered shirt” and “fire department” are only two of the names he and his wife have come up with for their koi. The man has nothing but scorn for his neighbours’ goldfish, saying that they are “simply too boring”.
