Butterfly Koi

Butterfly Koi or long fin Koi, notable for their elongated finnage, are not as many people believe, a hybrid of goldfish or Koi. They are in fact a cross of two true breeds of the common carp, Cyprinus carpio, (which includes numerous wild carp races as well as domesticated koi ("Nishikigoi").

Butterfly Koi originated around the mid 20th century as a result of an effort by Japanese breeders to increase the hardiness of traditional koi by interbreeding wild Indonesian long fin river carp with traditional koi. The resulting fish had longer fins, long barbells, pompom nostrils, and were indeed hardier than 'standard' koi.

In Japan they are known as “onagaoi” or "hire naga koi", or translated in English as “long tail koi”.

Butterfly Koi start to develop elongated fins and tails at about six months of age, but really start coming into their own at about a year. After a year or two, their fins and tail will be almost as long as their bodies.

Although they are also know as Dragon Koi it is suggested that Randy Le Fever, the son of Wyatt Le Fever, a Koi breeder of some renowned, once remarked that they looked like butterflies, and the name stuck.

We currently have some fine specimens in-stock which can be seen in our pond section.