Weapons to conquer the world can be different. For example, the Japanese jokingly call koi carp such a weapon. Bright, mobile, trainable fish adorn decorative ponds around the world. There are books and magazines, koi clubs, shows and exhibitions.
The history of the Japanese carp
Japanese carp originated from wild black carps that inhabited the Caspian Sea basin more than two thousand years ago. The ancient Chinese bred carp, which had extraordinary taste and endurance, for food. Koi is Chinese for carp.
The fish came to Japan with immigrants from China about five hundred years ago. Japanese peasants crossed fish with non-standard bright spotted coloring to get new color options. Spotted fish with white, blue, red colors became floating gems and made the breeding hobby popular already among the Japanese nobility.
Today, koi is a fish that has passed six breeding selections. Only after that it is assigned a category. Of the more than eighty varieties of Japanese carps, only fourteen colors are considered the standard.coloring pages.
Japanese carp is practically a domestic animal, having an individual character and responding to its name. He recognizes the owners by voice and steps, he can be hand-fed and stroked.
Keeping Japanese carp in ornamental ponds
Japanese koi does not require complex care. For keeping in artificial reservoirs in Russia, it is better to choose fish grown in the conditions of the north-west of the country, and not its Japanese or Chinese counterparts, which tolerate cold worse.
In Russian natural conditions, the pond should be at least two meters deep and with a half-meter pit at the bottom, so that in cold weather the fish can warm up, and hide from the heat in the depths in summer.
The size of the pond depends on the number and size of fish and is calculated based on the volume of water of 50 liters or more per fish.
When the water temperature drops below +10°C in autumn and lasts for about two weeks, the processes of respiration, excretion, digestion slow down in the body of the fish, the carp stop feeding so that food does not rot in the esophagus.
A pond compressor or fountain will help circulate the water and enrich it with oxygen. In order not to change the acidity of the water in the reservoir, it must be regularly cleaned from leaves falling from trees.
Keeping Japanese carp in an aquarium
If the water is well filtered and aerated, Japanese carp can be kept in a fairly large home aquarium.
Carps, like all living thingscreatures grow and change with age. Angular impulsive "teenagers" are not as beautiful and interesting as solid adults. But to keep at least six-year-old carps, the volume of the aquarium should reach about a thousand liters, and with the prospect of growth of its inhabitants - two thousand.
The carps themselves do not need special water transparency, but for observers, interference is useless, so powerful filtration is needed. You can do without aeration, but the squelching sounds that carp make when they swallow air on the surface do not contribute to peace.
A Japanese carp aquarium needs good lighting to make the fish look bright and contrast.
Feeding carps in an aquarium is best done with dry granular food, which enhances the color of the fish without affecting the quality of the water. You can supplement the diet with finely chopped fruits and vegetables, the remains of which must be removed from the aquarium after eating.
Since beautiful Japanese carps are an adornment not only of the aquarium, but also of the room itself as a whole, the choice of soil depends on the color of the fish and on the interior. The main thing is that the amount of decor in the water is minimal.
Japanese carps were originally bred for observation from above. But how wonderful the Japanese carp looks in the aquarium! The photo shows this quite clearly.
Japanese carp food
Feeding Japanese carps is best with pelleted food, depending on water temperature and fish activity, two to six times a day. In winter, carps eat very little. good koireact to any food. It can be beans, and cabbage, and watermelon. Since ornamental fish are designed by nature to be admired, food for them is selected not only for the balance of nutrients, but also for buoyancy. Hand-feeding is a special pleasure for owners.
If you install decorative lighting under the surface of the water, then night insects that flock to its light and fall into the pond will be a natural food for fish.
When feeding fish, no matter how much fun this process brings, you must follow an unshakable rule: it is better to underfeed than overfeed, especially with artificial feed.
Symbolics
In China and Japan, traditional cuisine is complete without carp. The carp takes the blow of the chef's knife without flinching or trembling before it. Perhaps that is why the Japanese carp is considered a symbol of composure and fearlessness in the face of imminent death. The significance of the image of this fish is great thanks to an ancient Chinese legend. According to this legend, the carp climbed to the Dragon Gate along the streams of the waterfall. Fearlessness and perseverance were rewarded - he became a dragon. In nature, carp swim through the current not only in search of food, but also to procreate.
The koi carp is one of the leading places in the visual arts of Japan, and not only because of the bright colors. The Japanese carp is a symbol of good luck, victory over circumstances, fortitude, striving for self-improvement, inspiration for those who strive for ambitiouspurposes.
Japanese carp tattoo
The back, chest, thigh or shoulder are the places where the Japanese carp is tattooed. The meaning of this image is good luck. It is believed that the amount of luck that the image of a Japanese koi brings is proportional to the size of the tattoo.
The color of the fish in the picture is also important: black - overcoming pain and strong feelings that raised a person to new heights; red - love, strength and energy; blue is courage.
Unshakable courage, composure in battle, fearlessness in the face of any fate - these qualities of a samurai warrior are embodied in the Japanese carp (tattoo). The meaning of this symbol is enhanced by the image of water, which symbolizes the course of life. If in the figure a carp swims against the waves, then this means that a person is ready to overcome all difficulties on the path of life in order to achieve his goal. A strong character, a desire to survive in spite of everything will help such a person go against the opinions of others.
If the carp swims in the image with the flow, then this symbolizes peace after achieving the cherished goal, awareness of the meaning of life, confidence in swimming on the waves of life.
If the tattoo shows a pair of fish, it means a happy union, the harmony of relations between a man and a woman. In such a tattoo, the color scheme is important: black carp is the father, bright red is the mother, white or blue is the son, pink is the daughter.
Howsee, a tattoo (Japanese carp) can have different meanings..
Another advantage of the Japanese carp full of philosophical meaning: it can live for centuries. A koi fish named Hanako has lived for more than two hundred years.
