The beautiful Koi fish has been around since the early 1700s. The koi is a common carp. Rice farmers in Japan first noticed and started breeding them for thier distinguishing marks, colors and over all beauty. It is very much like the way we breed dogs. Color, patters, size and coats and in the koi thier scales. Just like prized dog breeds, the Japanese people take koi breeding very serious. Bloodlines are just as prized in koi as they are in dogs because of decades of selective breeding. If selective breeding never occurred we would only have the dingy gray to black carp to look at. The koi can live to be 25 to 30 years old. They must be kept in a stress free environment and never in temps over 75 degrees or direct sunlight. The sale of the most expensive koi happened in 2017. It sold for 1.8 million dollars. There are 125 different breeds. A single koi can give birth to hundreds of fish at a time. I think thats why Koi Joy evolved. This is NOT a Fishy Story!!!