Chagoi

The Friendly Chagoi. Chagoi are uniform brown Koi. The word "Chat", derived from the Chinese/Japanese word for tea, describes the color of this breed. They are noted for two distinct qualities: their capacity to grow very large Chagoi and their extreme friendliness. Introducing a Chagoi to a pond full of nervous Koi has a calming effect, speeding up the hand-feeding training process. The color of Chagoi can vary from saffron through reddish brown to almost black, yet the paler the Koi the more highly it's valued. High quality, blemish-free scale reticulation is a requirement. Gin-Rin Chagoi are also finding favor.

 

Over the past few years we have had many calls from people who are trying to get their fish to be more tame. We have found that various varieties of Koi have different demeanors, just like people. Some people are friendly, inquisitive and like to be social while other people are bit more reserved and would rather be by themselves.

One of the most rewarding experiences in Koi keeping is having your prized fish greet you every morning or night eagerly waiting at the pond side for a handful of Koi food or a Koi Treat. In some situations the fish naturally associate your footsteps with the addition of food to the pond and learn very quickly to adapt in order to get the biggest mouthful. In other situations it seems as though the fish never quite get used to the footsteps and always wait until the activity around the pond edge ceases before they come up to get a bite to eat.

 

One of the most tried and true methods of calming your fish and teaching them to respond positively to your presence is to add a fish variety that's is by nature very very friendly. We have found that the most friendly fish that will eat out of your hand after just a short while come from the Chagoi, Soragoi, and Ochiba Shigure varieties.

 

These fish can be related to Labrador retrievers of the dog world. Always happy to see you and very friendly and inquisitive. These fish can grow very large and typically are stronger health wise than other varieties. By adding one to two of these fish to your collection, they can quickly teach the other fish that it is OK to greet you at the pond side in order to get a snack.

 

Here are some other tips to help your fish become more friendly:

 

Feed your fish two to three times a day using high quality food that the Koi enjoy. Typically this is a 35-45% protein food rich in fish products.

 

Stand by your pond for two to five minutes prior to adding the food to the water. This allows the fish to associate your presence with the addition of food. If you were to walk up throw the food in the pond and walk away immediately, the fish will not have a chance to associate you with their next meal. Offer the fish a very tasty treat. Whole freeze-dried krill are absolutely gobbled up by Koi and so are own line of specially formulated Koi Treats

 

Add one or two of the above-mentioned fish to the population. This can literally change the attitude of your group of fish within a few days. Be sure the fish you add are of similar size to the fish in the pond. A six inch fish will not lead thirty inch fish up to eat very easily.

 

If you wish to get the fish to eat out of your hands, you should hold a snack such as krill on the edge of the water and as the Koi approach watch their reaction. If the Koi come directly to your hand to eat the krill there's not much training needed. If the Koi decide to come within a foot and then back off, you should release the food and allow it to float into the pond. After a few days to a week of this training the Koi should come closer to your hand each day until one day they decide that your hand is not a threat and that it holds the goodies that they're looking for.

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