Carp, Japenese Garden, Montréal, Aug 2005

Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia.

Carp, along with many of their cyprinid relatives, are popular ornamental aquarium and pond fish. The two most notable ornamental carps are goldfish and koi. Goldfish and koi have advantages over most other ornamental fishes, in that they are tolerant of cold (they can survive in water temperatures as low as 4°C), can survive at low oxygen levels, and can tolerate low water quality.

Koi or more specifically nishikigoi, literally "brocaded carp", are ornamental varieties of domesticated common carp (Cyprinus carpio) that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens.

Koi varieties are distinguished by coloration, patterning, and scalation. Some of the major colors are white, black, red, yellow, blue, and cream. The most popular category of koi is the Gosanke, which is made up of the Kohaku, Taisho Sanshoku, and Showa Sanshoku varieties.

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Carp at Chicken Mountain — we had one for our sushimi course, Tokyo 1987

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Carp in lotus pond, Tsurugaoka Hachi-mangu Shrine, Kamakura (near Tokyo), Tokyo 1987

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Carp in pond in park at Nijo Palace, Kyoto 1987

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Carp in small pond in park, en route to Daibutsu, Tokyo trip 1987

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Carp, Koi

Japanese Garden, Portland OR, Sept 2006

The lower pond with more than 50 koi. While watching these playful creatures the visitor stands on seven large stones placed in the pavement: they represent the Big Dipper.

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Carp, Koi

Japanese Garden, Portland OR, Sept 2006

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