What are ghost koi and what makes the nations favourite koi variety so popular?
It is not simply the ornamental trade that is so obsessed with this variety. Over the last decade, ghost carp (notice the subtle change in the name) or ‘ghosties’ have also shot to the top of the list of most carp anglers. Having stalked common and mirror carp in lakes for many years, the introduction of ghosties into the same waters has added a new flavour to the angler’s catch, adding another variety and an unusual splash of colour to the angler’s catch. Ghost koi and ghost carp are the same fish and are carp hybrids, the result of a cross between a metallic koi and a common carp. NB This is not a hybridisation between species but between varieties of the same species producing fertile offspring. Recognising that koi are the same species as Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) and it is through man’s selective breeding that koi occur in an infinite array of colours and patterns, it is not surprising that a cross between metallic koi and common carp produces viable offspring – ghost koi. The
