The Essential Book of Koi: A Complete Guide to Keeping and Care

The Essential Book of Koi combines research from leading international authorities on koi with the captive-care techniques of experienced aquarists to yield the most up-to-date and extensive book available on the science, care, and breeding of these large ornamental fishes. This cutting-edge guide discusses topics that are imperative for sustaining a thriving family of koi, including how to create and maintain the best water quality, how different filtration systems work, the biology of koi and how to keep them in good health, and detailed information on feeding, buying, and showing. It also provides important details on the breeding of koi, a serious and rewarding pastime for many aquarists, and explains how koi are bred commercially as well as getting started at home. The fact-filled text is complemented by vivid, brand new photographs that detail the seemingly endless color variations of koi.

Whether you are a hobbyist looking to show or breed koi in your pond, or you simply want to admire these fishes, The Essential Book of Koi is an excellent guide to these wildly popular fishes that enhance the visual enjoyment of both indoor and outdoor ponds.

Steve Hickling is one of the leading authorities on koi in the UK and has run World of Koi, a well-respected koi retail outlet in the South of England, since 1985. Mick Martin has been an avid koi-keeper for the past twenty years, gaining invaluable practical experience of koi husbandry through breeding his own koi and buying high-grade koi on behalf of World of Koi. Bernice Brewster graduated from London University and worked for the Fish Section of the Natural History Museum before moving to a company dealing in Japanese Koi. Nick Fletcher, former editor of the UK aquatic monthly Practical Fishkeeping, still regularly contributes articles to this and other fish-related publications.