Coy Fish (Koi): Prices, Lifespan, Varieties and Meaning

Prices range from tens of dollars to millions, and the price depends mostly on quality, size and variety. As a snapshot, these are fixed-price listings on Kodama Koi Farm, a US koi dealer, checked on 2026-09-25:

• Single koi under $500: Asagi and Kin Showa at $65, Golden Corn, Showa and Kohaku at $90, Kikusui at $99.
• Mixed packs: 5 koi for $210 (Gosanke mix) or $225 (Super mix); 10 koi for $420 or $450.
• Show-size fish over $500: $1,500 to $3,000 for fish of about 14 to 22 inches, for example a 19.29-inch Ginrin Showa at $1,500, an 18.11-inch Kohaku at $2,000 and a 21.26-inch Matsukawabake at $3,000.

At the very top, Wikipedia reports that a collector paid about $2 million for one koi in 2018, the highest price recorded. The Smithsonian's National Zoo mentions show-quality koi reportedly selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Kodama also runs auction listings, where prices are not fixed.

The three most popular varieties are called the Gosanke (Wikipedia):

• Kohaku: white body with red markings.
• Taisho Sanshoku (Sanke): white body with red and black markings.
• Showa Sanshoku (Showa): black body with red and white markings.

Other well-known groups include Asagi, Bekko, Utsurimono and Ogon (Wikipedia), and the National Zoo says there are now dozens of colour varieties. The quickest way to separate Sanke from Showa is the base colour: Sanke is a white fish with black spots on top, Showa is a black fish with white and red over it. Photograph koi from above, the way they are judged, so the full pattern is visible.

Look at the mouth. Wikipedia notes that koi have prominent barbels on the lip, which goldfish do not have. The two can interbreed, but the offspring are sterile (Wikipedia). Koi also get much larger: the National Zoo gives up to 3 feet.

Wikipedia says systematic koi breeding began in the 1820s in an area of Niigata Prefecture called Nijumurago, where Amur carp had been farmed for food; the name nishikigoi, brocaded carp, appeared in the 1910s. The National Zoo adds that carp domestication in China goes back as far as the 4th century.

The word koi in Japanese sounds the same as a word meaning affection or love, so koi stand for love and friendship. Wikipedia also records them as symbols of luck, prosperity, good fortune and perseverance in Japan, and of fame, family harmony and wealth in Chinese culture.

One koi is reported to have. In July 1974 a study of growth rings on a scale of a koi named Hanako reported her age as 226 years (Wikipedia); the National Zoo describes the oldest documented koi as nearly 230 years old, aged by scale analysis. That is a single fish, though. The National Zoo gives an average lifespan of 40 years, and Wikipedia notes that some sources accept a species lifespan of little more than 50 years. Plan for decades, not centuries.

Koi descend from carp that were farmed for food in Niigata (Wikipedia), but modern koi are bred for ponds, not for the table, and none of the sources we checked describe them as a food fish. If you are thinking about eating carp, see our common carp page, check local fish-consumption advisories, and do not eat ornamental pond fish.

Wikipedia reports koi have been released, by accident or on purpose, on every continent except Antarctica, and that released fish revert to the natural colours of wild Amur carp within a few generations. In Australia they are declared noxious fish in Queensland and New South Wales. Koi also carry disease risks: koi herpesvirus (KHV) and spring viraemia of carp (SVC) are major threats, and Wikipedia says no treatment is known for either. If you can no longer keep your koi, rehome them through a koi club or dealer.

The National Zoo describes koi as omnivores that feed at all depths, taking aquatic insects, algae and plants. Females first breed at 4 to 6 years old and males at 3 to 5, spawning in spring around May or June, and mature koi breed every year. Young koi in their first year are sold as tosai, typically 3 to 6 inches long (Wikipedia).

Research and drafting for this page were assisted by AI and checked line by line against the sources listed below. Every number names the organisation it comes from, and where sources disagree we say so instead of picking one silently. Prices and rules are given with the date we checked them; they change, so confirm before you rely on them. If you find an error, tell us and we will correct it.