A water garden just does not feel or look complete without fish swimming in the water. Graceful and colorful fish swimming around can be a treat and you can spend many hours watching them. Fish are an important addition to a pond and there are different types that you can put in your garden pond. The two most commonly kept types in garden ponds are Goldfish and Koi. Both are members of the Carp family and can be mixed in your pool.

Japanese Koi
Japanese Koi are considered to be the the finest Koi produced in the world. Koi are beautiful 'ornamental' versions of the common carp species. They originated in China and then spread to Japan and have been cultivated mainly there ever since. Over time, a classification system developed according to their color variations and qualities, and now, there is an accepted categorization by which koi varieties are known. Depending on the quality of their colors, rarity, patterning and sheen, the price of koi vary from a few dollars, to thousands of dollars each.

Domestic Koi
"Born in the USA" - Originally from Japan, Domestic Koi are bred in fish farms in the USA and sport a variety of colors, patterns and scale types. Genetically, there really is no difference between the Japanese and Domestic Koi. However, it is thought that domestic koi are better acclimated to the viral, bacterial and parasitic environment found in the U.S. Domestic Koi are praised for their hardiness and variety of colors and patterns. For this reason, Koi are often regarded as the "kings" of pond fish.

Standard Koi
Standard Koi have been kept and bred by the people in Japan for a long time, where very talented fish breeders, starting from the Common Carp, developed several beautiful color patterns. Thanks to the ingenuity and dedication of Japanese master koi breeders, the world is now blessed with a diverse collection of koi breeds and varieties. Present-day koi are so brilliantly colored that it's difficult to imagine all of them coming from the dull-colored fish grown for food in the mountains of Niigata, Japan centuries ago.