Koi fish are great in an outdoor or indoor fishpond. They’re beautiful and add a feeling of peace and serenity to your garden. However, there are many types of koi fish. Among the most popular koi fish varieties is the Chagoi. They are big, friendly, and hungry koi fish that make for great entertainment come feeding time. So, how do you tell if you have Chagoi in your pond?
Chagoi have some specific characteristics. To tell if your koi is a chagoi, you will look at its size, color, scale pattern, and demeanor. Chagoi are primarily different shades of brown and green. Chagoi are also big and stocky and don’t have any splits in their pectoral or dorsal fins.
Chagoi are some of the best koi fish because they’re easy to tame and eager to eat. Chagoi will also encourage your other fish, such as wild carp, to be more trusting and tamer. Therefore, chagoi are prized koi fish. If you’re wondering if you might have some chagoi in your pond, we’ll discuss how to identify chagoi in this article.
How To Tell If Your Koi Is A Chagoi
Chagoi originated in Japan. Chagoi means “tea koi” and refers to the various colors chagoi come in. Although most chagoi are brown and have varying shades of brown, there are some exceptions. We will now discuss how to determine if your koi is, in fact, a chagoi. If you don’t have any chagoi in your fishpond, get some as soon as possible because these fish make all the difference.
1. Size Of The Koi Fish
Chagoi are certainly not small. On the contrary, they are big and rather stocky. A chagoi has a broad head and shoulders. The knuckle of the tail is also fat. There is nothing elegant or streamlined about a chagoi. However, their big appearances are thanks to their ferocious appetites.
Juvenile chagoi tend to be bigger than other koi of the same age. They grow fast; an adult chagoi can grow as big as forty inches if the pond allows it. Comparing the size of your koi is an excellent way to determine if you have any chagoi in your pond.
2. The Koi’s Fins
Chagoi have big, paddle-like pectoral fins. Neither their pectoral fins nor dorsal fin have split or are separated. This is one of the key characteristics of a chagoi. So, if you’ve got a fish with big, singular pectoral fins, it might just be a chagoi.
3. Eating Habits Of The Koi Fish
We’ve mentioned that chagoi have quite the appetite, and this deserves a heading of its own. Come feeding time, your chagoi will most likely reach the food first and aggressively gobble up as many pellets as possible.
Chagoi have big appetites from a young age, which helps them grow big and chunky. So if you have some koi fish in your pond that are particularly eager to eat, they might be chagoi.
4. Temperament Of The Koi Fish
As we’ve mentioned, chagoi are aggressive when it comes to eating. However, apart from this, they are friendly and tame. In fact, chagoi are probably the easiest koi to tame, and you can have them eating out of your hand.
Their trusting and tame nature is an addition to your koi pond. It encourages your other fish to be more trusting and eventually become tame. This is the main reason why a lot of people love having chagoi in their fishponds.
5. Color Of The Koi Fish
The name chagoi refers to the color of the fish, which is compared to the color of tea. Chagoi are primarily brown, but they can be varying colors of brown. They can be tan, copper, root beer, or mahogany brown.
Some chagoi are also green when they’re young. Green chagoi have a huge appetite and are a welcome addition to any koi pond. However, as they grow, they will change color and become browner.
Chagoi also changes color depending on the season. When they are exposed to more sunlight, they might be a darker and more vibrant color in summer. However, they might be paler and lighter in color in the winter.
Some chagoi, known as Cha-Utsuri, also have dark smudges over their bodies. These chagoi are rare, and you are very fortunate if you happen to have one.
6. Scales And Scale-Pattern Of The Koi Fish
Apart from the color of the fish, the scales of a chagoi are also distinguishable from other types of koi fish. There are various scale patterns that chagoi have, and some chagoi are unscaled. However, when they are scaled, this is what their scales might look like:
Chagoi With Or Without Fukurin Scales
Fukurin is a type of pattern that can be found on the scales of a chagoi. Fukurin means that all the scales have a thin black outline, giving the fish a netted pattern. Chagoi without fukurin will still have neatly aligned scales.
The more aligned the scales are, the better quality your chagoi is. Whether the chagoi has fukurin scales doesn’t influence the quality of the fish, and it is up to personal preference whether you want a chagoi with fukurin scales.
Chagoi With Gin Rin Scales
Another scale variation found with chagoi is gin rin scales. These scales have a diamond-like shimmer, thanks to the protein folds underneath the scales. Gin rin scales are beautiful and can be present in either fukurin or non-fukrurin-scaled chagoi.
Fukurin patterns and gin rin scales can be found in chagoi of any color. However, the lighter brown the chagoi is, the more striking these features will appear, adding to the beauty of your chagoi and fishpond.
How To Determine The Quality Of A Chagoi
The quality of a chagoi is mainly dependent on its uniformity in color and scales. If the chagoi is a uniform color from its head to its tail, it is considered a high-quality chagoi. In addition, if the scales are neatly aligned and none are out of place, the fish is also of excellent quality.
Some chagoi may develop temporary dark spots due to handling. However, this isn’t a cause for concern as they will fade over time. These features all add to the beauty of the chagoi. However, regardless of how beautiful your chagoi is, it’s sure to have a great personality and be an excellent addition to your koi pond.
Conclusion
Chagoi are great fish in a fishpond as they are tame but aggressive during feeding time. There are six ways to determine if a koi is a chagoi. You can do so by looking at its size, fins, eating habits, temperament, color, and scale patterns.
Regardless of the beauty of your chagoi, it is easy to tame and will be the first fish in your pond to eat food out of your hand. Chagoi also encourages the other pond fish to be more trusting and tame. Overall, they are a good addition to any fishpond.
