There are a number of reasons why a fish is expensive.
One day, I watched a documentary on the internet about rearing and breeding fish.I have never questioned the high price of fish.
Only a few breeders have years of expertise and quality breeding show.Good Koi are expensive because they are not abundant like other fish.
Good fish are not a result of random breeding.You won't get the desired color and pattern in the offsprings if you breed them randomly.
After close observation, parents are selected.The experts use their knowledge to select a small number of parents.
A female Koi can lay up to 100,000 eggs if she has 1 kilo of body weight.The hatching rate is high, but not all the fry are selected.
The Koi fry are sorted by their size.When the breeder sees a good indication of color and pattern, a fry is selected.Only 2% to 5% of the fry are selected for special care.
Quality food is needed from the barth of a Koi fry to its adult age.Good color can be achieved with quality food.
The breeders use quality ingredients in their food to help them gain weight.
The growth of fish is dependent on natural food.The fish feed on both plants and animals.The pond should have enough for both of these.
Some commercial fish ponds have a lot of fish.The population of young fish is kept very low when they are transferred to the large natural pond.
A peaceful growth environment and enough natural food for all the Koi is ensured by this.Supplementary food is also given.
A very strong bio-security protocol costs money.The same goes for the water.There is a low chance of getting contaminated with pathogens in most of the ponds.
Every quality fish is from Japan.Buying a fish from Japan and shipping it to your country will increase the price.
The importer has to pay import tax.In your country, it can be twice as expensive as in Japan.
The middleman in this industry always wants their profit margins to be high so the price of a fish goes up.I am not offensive to them.They are the ones who bring these fish to us.
A middleman is still needed if you want to buy Koi directly from a Japanese breeder.
Some fish can cost more than expected.The special color, marking and pattern of show quality yoko are expensive.
She is 3 feet 3 inches tall and is white and orange-red in color.