Every day I would do a research on one variety and post it here. It will help me learn the different varieties, and beginners will have it easily explained.
Since I am a beginner, please feel free to correct me, and add useful info.
What is important in a Koi?
This is what a Judge says:

What is the first thing you look for when you judge a Koi?

The first thing I always check is that the Koi is in its correct class, and it is complete i.e. has all its fins etc., if not the benching team have not done their job correctly. But from a judging point the first thing you look for is Body Shape. A Koi must have good body shape and good skin quality.

What are the other things that you look for when you judge a Koi?

After body shape and skin quality, the colours should be the same throughout the length of the fish i.e. the Hi (red) on the head of a Koi should be the same shade of Hi at the back of the Koi , this is the same for all colours not just Hi. The edges of the pattern should be clean and the pattern should be balanced and show the requirements of appearance specific to the class it is in. The fish should be swimming straight and level and create an overall impression.

What is the most important part of a Koi when you are judging it – skin quality, body shape etc.?

The most important thing is body shape and skin quality.

Does what you look for vary depending on the variety of Koi?

To some extent yes, for example a metallic Koi (Hikari Classes) the fish must have Lustre – but that is part of skin quality. If it is a Doitsu (no scales) fish then if it does have scales along the dorsal line they should be even and not scattered and irregular. Some varieties should have a clean, clear head. You take in to account the specific characteristics required for the variety.

What are the key characteristics that make up good skin quality on a Koi?

To have good skin quality, the skin should look bright and youthful and the colours bright. The skin should shine out at you and not look dull.

How would you describe an example of bad skin quality?

Bad skin quality looks old and tired, and does not have that youthful vibrant look, and the colours look dull and do not shine. This does not mean to say that an older Koi does not have good skin quality, it depends entirely on the fish, and you can have young fish with skin quality that is not good.

What are the key characteristics that make up good scale reticulation on a Koi?

Reticulation should be clean and not smudgy and accentuates the back edge of the scales. It is seen in varieties such as Goromo, Goshiki, Asagi and Kujaku.

How would you describe an example of bad skin reticulation?

A bad example looks smudgy and dirty and comes further into the scale.

What are the key characteristics that make up good body shape?

To have good body shape, the widest part should be from behind the gills to the leading ray of the dorsal fin – the shoulders. The body should then taper gently and smoothly towards the tail and should have a thick area in front of the tail fin (the peduncle). The whole Koi should be in proportion – head, body and fins. The Koi must be straight from nose to tail.

How would describe an example of bad body shape?

Bad body shape can be seen in many ways for example: - the widest part of the Koi is half way down the fish – this makes it look like a rugby ball. The head can be too big or too small in comparison to the rest of the Koi, the dorsal fin can start too far back down the fish, and the pectoral fins can be too small or far too large. This list is quite long.

How would you make the final decision between two very high quality Koi?

This can be very difficult. If you have two Koi, both with good body shape, excellent skin quality, even colour, balanced pattern and impact, and everything is correct for that variety of Koi, and there are no de-merits on either fish, it can come down to personal preference, that is why at U.K. Koi shows there is always an odd number of judges (3 or 5) and votes are taken, so the decision is democratic and not personal. Fortunately this does not happen very often, but when it does there is always a lot of discussion between the judges in case one has seen something that the others haven’t that could actually split the two Koi.

Do you make judging decisions purely on the quality of the fish or do you bear in mind any other factors, such as potential? How well the owner has looked after it? Which breeder it comes from?

All Koi are judged on “What we see on the day” we can not say what will happen in the future, we do not know who the owner is and do not know how they look after them, and as for as the breeder, the owner may or may not know that himself.
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Are the rules of judging different in different parts of the world?

Fundamentally the rules are the same throughout the world, although each Koi organisation does have its own slight variances. Some countries have more than 13 show classes, and also have different sizes for the Koi.

The first thing I discovered today, is that there are thousands of Koi varieties, but few classifications, that are made for the purpose of show participation and judging.
Also in different countries this classifications differ.
According to ZNA
(ZNA - Zen Nippon Airinkai is a koi keepers society in Japan)
Koi is defined into 16 categories which are used at most of Koi shows in the world.
For example:
This is what the Americans say:
There are literally thousands of different varieties of Koi, with new ones appearing every few years and older ones disappearing at an even greater rate. At Koi Shows the varieties are segregated into just 13 groups known as Show or Benching Classes. There are several different governing bodies in the world of Koi Shows, e.g. The BKKS, the AKCA (Associated Koi Clubs of America) and the ZNA - Zen Nippon Arinkai (All-Japan Association of Koi Hobbyists), all of which have slight variations in their Show Classes. The descriptions below are based entirely on those used during this show; those of the BKKS. The descriptions are intended to be an aid to beginners and we therefore keep to the basics and avoid all but the basic terminology. All of the fish shown as examples are fish that have been on display at a South East show with just one exception.
and this are their classes:
PS:
Nishikigoi Classification




Kohaku koi with red pattern on white ground. Part of
the Gosanke group


Taisho Sanshoku commonly known as Sanke, a relatively
spotted sumi on a kohaku pattern no sumi on the head


Showa Sanshoku commonly called Showa , a 3 colour koi (black, white and red)
sumi is present on the head, sumi on the body tends to wrap around the body
reaching below the lateral line, sumi on the pectoral fins (motoguro) and sumi
appears in the mouth


Utsuri Mono 2 coloured koi (black and either white, red or yellow)such
as shiro utsuri, Hi Utsuri and Ki Utsuri. Sumi present on the head, body, mouth
and pectoral sumi the same as Showa,


Bekko basically
a sanke with no Hi a white koi with black markings with no motoguro and never
sumi on the nose. Includes Aka Bekko (red) and Ki Bekko (yellow)


Asagi body
of indigo / blue netting pattern Hi patterns appear along the side of the head
and body and motoaka


Shusui the doitsu version of Asagi


Koromo indigo netting on a kohaku pattern


Goshiki Hi pattern on an Asagi ground this is a member
of the Koromo group


Hikari Muji solid metallic colour


Hikari Moyo patterns other than sumi on a metallic ground


Hikari Utsuri sumi pattern on a metallic ground


Tancho only plate of colour appears on the head only
this can be red or black


Kin Gin Rin diamond, reflective/metallic scales on the body


Kawari Mono koi that do not belong in the above divided into 4 groups
KARASUGOI, SINGLE COLOUR, CROSSBRED (Ochiba Shigure, Sanke shusui) and ODDITIES
(Kanoko Kohaku,Sanke,Showa, Kage Utsuri)

UK classifications:

KOI CLASSIFICATIOONS UK
Show Classifications

(Inverted commas denote classification rather than variety)

1. Kohaku

2. Sanke

3. Showa

4. Tancho

5. Bekko

6. ‘Utsurimono’

7. ‘Koromo’

8. ‘Kin/Gin Rin’

9. Asagi/Shusui

10. ‘Hikarimuji’

11. ‘Hikarimoyo’

12. ‘Hikariutsuri’

13. ‘Kawarimono’

14. ‘Doitsu’

UK Size Classifications

(All Koi are sized by the benching teams upon entry to the show.)

• Size One – up to 25cm

• Size Two – up to 35cms

• Size Three – up to 45cms

• Size Four – up to 55cms

• Size Five – up to 65cms

• Size Six – up to 75cms

• Size Seven – up to 80cms

• Size Eight – over 80cms


And Australians:
AUSTRALIAN SHOW CLASSIFICATIONS 18

And Appreciation of Nishikigoi


Click names below for Example Photos &
Koi Appreciation.
Some varieties that are included in A.K.A. shows

KOHAKU

Kuchibeni-Kohaku, Menkaburi-Kohaku, Hanatski-Kohaku, Nidan-Kohaku, Sandan-Kohaku, Yodan-Kohaku, Inazuma, Straight Hi, Napoleon, Gotenzakura, Kinzakura, Fuji-Kohaku.

TAISHO- SANSHOKU

Kuchibeni-Sanke, Aka-Sanke, Tsubaki-Sanke, Fuji-Sanke.

SHOWA-SANSHOKU


Boke-Showa, Hi-Showa, Kindai-Showa.

ASAGI

Konjo-Asagi, Narumi-Asagi, Mizu-Asagi, Asagi-Sanke, Taki-Asagi.

SHUSUI

Hana-Shusui, Hi-Shusui, Ki-Shusui, Pearl-Shusui.

HIKARI MUJI (OGON)

Lemon-Ogon, Shiro-Ogon, Platinum-Ogon, Yamabuki-Ogon, Orange-Ogon, Hi-Ogon, Cream-Ogon, Gin-Rin-Hikarimuji.

BEKKO

Shiro-Bekko, Aka-Bekko, Ki-Bekko.

UTSURIMONO

Shiro-Utsuri, Ki-Utsuri, Hi-Utsuri.

KAWARIMONO

Karasugoi, Hajiro, Hageshiro, Yotsushiro, Suminagashi, Matsukawabake, Kigoi, Chagoi, Midorigoi, Matsuba = ( Aka, Shiro, Ki ), Kanoko = ( Sanke, Showa, Kohaku ), Kage = ( Utsuri, Showa ), Ginga, Akamuji.

HIKARI-MOYOMONO

Hariwake, Kujaku, Platinum-Kohaku, Tora-Ogon, Yamatonishiki.

METALLIC MATSUBA

Kin-Matsuba, Gin-Matsuba, Aka-Matsuba.

METALLIC DOITSU

Doitsu-Ogon, Platinum-Doitsu, Doitsu-Kujaku, Ki-Kokuryu, Kikusui, Doitsu-Kin-Ki-Utsuri, Doitsu-Kin-Showa, Kinsui, Ginsui, Mizuho-Ogon, Heisei-Nishiki (Doitsu-Yamatonishiki).

NON METALLIC DOITSU

Doitsu-Kohaku, Doitsu-Sanke, Doitsu-Showa, Doitsu-Utsuri, Doitsu-Bekko, Doitsu-Tancho, Doitsu-Matsuba, Kumonyru, Beni-Kumonryu, Doitsu-Kawarimono.

KOROMO

Koromo, Ai-Goromo, Sumi-Goromo, Budo-Goromo, Koromo-Sanke, Koromo-Showa.
Goshiki, Goshiki-Sanke, Goshiki-Showa, Goshiki-Shusui.

TANCHO

All Tancho's, Tancho-Kohahu, Tancho-Sanke, Tancho-Showa, Tancho-Goshiki.

KIN-GIN-RIN 'A'

Kin-Gin-Rin:- Kohaku, Sanke, Showa.

KIN-GIN-RIN 'B'

Kin-Gin-Rin:- All execpt (Kin-Gin-Rin 'A', Hikarimuji, Tancho).

HIKARI-UTSURIMONO

Kin-Showa, Gin-Showa, Ginshiro, Kin-Ki-Utsuri.

So apart from the one name Koi, which are more or less guide line for basic varieties, there are too many varieties of koi. There is no such thing as pedigree Koi, and some older varieties are disappearing and new ones emerging.
I believe if pedigree in koi was of value, not just breeder (breeders cross breed deliberately ), blood lines would improve and be more stable where progeny is concerned, and the pedigree was going to add additional value to the Koi.
Is there a special reason why a koi is judged on the way it looks primarily, rather on the genes it carries?
Is it because breeders get different type of fish in one litter (???), and they want to be able to sale all of them as "good" Koi?
What is the reason?

Basically Koi is classified by:


There are over 100 varieties of Koi. They can be categorized in following ways:

1. According to scale

Nishikigoi - Japanese carp, body covers with scales

Doitsugoi - Germany carp, body covers with no scales "Leather carp" or with a line of large scales along their lateral and dorsal lines "Mirror carp"


2. By number of colours

Mono Colour - Ogon, Kigoi, Chagoi, Midorigoi, Benigoi

Two Colours - Kohaku, Bekko, Utsurimono, etc.

Three Colours - Taisho-sanshoku, Showa-sanshoku, Koromo, etc.


3. According to ZNA
(ZNA - Zen Nippon Airinkai is a koi keepers society in Japan)

Koi is defined into 16 categories which are used at most of Koi shows in the world.

Being a newbie its very difficult for me to classify koi as yet.
These are some of my first fish and although the prettiest and best quality it would be good to know what type of koi these are ?

Im specifically referring to the 2 orange ones and the dark coloured one.
Anybody got any idea ?

OOPS !!
I mean NOT the prettiest and best quality

Dear Maghmood,
since I know how important it is for me to receive a reply, I will answer you, but be warned that I know probably much less than you about Koi, since I have the Koi disease for less than a month, and have been keeping Koi (home bred ones) for 5 month only from a scratch.
First of all your picture is terrible. Can you try to post a better one without catching them?
This are my observations, and I am sure the pros here will have lots of fun with my comments:
---- They are big. (bigger than mine)
----Your water looks clean (but it means nothing here, since ammonia and nitrates You can not see)
----Now about your red fish: one has a single black small spot that I can see the other one has a hint of white, (I an guessing since I can not see it well).
----So I will start with the first one with the black spot: In the kawarimono classification, there is a red fish (benigoi) (beni=dark red goi=fish) A red non-metallic Koi with white or clear tips to the pectoral, caudal and tail fins. but that one does not have black spots, so it is not benigoi.
It looks a bit like Aka bekko, but I think??? the spots are supposed to be more, larger and well defined. So again question mark here.
Utsurimono is also red with black, but the pattern of the sumi (black) is totally different so it is not one of those.
It can not be Higoi because of the black spot.
So if I think, it is the same as mine a magoi, except that we love them and can not eat them.
About the dark fish see if u can put it anywhere here:
Midorigoi (midori=green goi=fish)A green non-metallic Koi. These are usually doitsu Koi, that is scales only along the dorsal and lateral lines.

Chagoi (cha=brown goi=fish)this is a brownish-buff to a dark tea non metallic Koi .
Soragoi (Sora=blue-gray goi=fish)This is a blue-grey non metallic koi.
If u can not then it is a pet magoi. he he he.
Did you buy them in a pet shop?
For you it is so easy to buy in RSA a proper Koi. Why dont u? Koi lives for 60-240 years, so it pays to have a very good Koi, to be proud of and show off with.
Again dont listen to me. I (like emmanuel from foulty towers) know nothing.

Hi Maghmood

As Neli said, the photos are not good, but what I can see is the following:

The one red fish: White and red and black = Sanke

The other one: White and red = Kohaku

The other dark one is very difficult to judge as I can not see the colours properly. It looks like brown markings and if so, I would say it is probably a Goshiki.

Maghmood,
I am posting here link to my koi and pond, and some other link you migh like:
Since I apprised your fish (The beginner), You too are allowed to apprise my fish (you are the only one allowed to comment).
But I think we both have magoi koi. he he he But u never know, I could be wrong?????
My pond pics fb:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.165395460184750.36727.156086261115670&saved

Good articles:
http://www.yumekoi.com/articles

Koi sexing
http://www.yumekoi.com/images/stories/pdfs/Male-or-Female.pdf

http://www.yumekoi.com/images/stories/pdfs/YouGetWhatYouPayFor.pdf
Chosing Koi
http://www.yumekoi.com/images/stories/pdfs/Jumbo-Potential.pdf

koi fish looks like angle, anybody tell me that is koi fish Occur in india!!!?????

Thank you for this information about koi fish!!!

2anrip wrote:

koi fish looks like angle, anybody tell me that is koi fish Occur in india!!!?????

U have Koi in India but it is very rare to find imported from Japan.
U have local breeders there, and many dealers. Some are friends.

this information is interactive on koi fish.