# Question for Experienced Koi Betta Breeders



## BettaBing (Aug 14, 2015)

I have a beautiful koi female. Should I breed her to a solid red male, a cellophane male, a white male, or another koi?

I keep reading confusing things.
But those of you who have had success breeding specifically for Koi coloring, what would you suggest for me?

Thank you so much!


----------



## sharkettelaw1 (Mar 6, 2013)

I have no experience with koi but from what i read, koi x non koi produces more koi than koi x koi. So i think if you want to carry on the line, breed to cellophane.


----------



## BettaBing (Aug 14, 2015)

hmmmm….I've honestly read that koi x koi equals koi, and koi x koi equals only cellophanes.

I really appreciate your input, though! Do you think that cellophanes would be better to cross with a koi than an opaque white?


----------



## sharkettelaw1 (Mar 6, 2013)

Well koi x koi dont produce koi. Cellophane is recessive and so is opague white. But you would get better results witth cellophane because its almost recessive to everything. Almost but not quite.


----------



## sharkettelaw1 (Mar 6, 2013)

And koi is really just a fancy name for marble


----------



## BettaBing (Aug 14, 2015)

sharkettelaw1 said:


> And koi is really just a fancy name for marble


See…everyone says that. But people are also quick to say that "most koi are marbles", suggesting that some are "true koi", and that there are true koi who "don't change color". I'm glad I'm asking because no one seems to have a solid grasp of this coloring.

Honestly, it would make the most sense that koi are just a well-branded red/black/white marble, right? 
But that's not the point of my question.

I want to know: how to not end up with solid colored offspring.
SO!  If Koi are Marbles, how do I breed for Marble coloring to avoid solid fish offspring?


----------



## Nimble (Aug 31, 2014)

Koi, specifically refers to a particular kind of marble, wherein most of the body of the fish is pale/cellophane, with small-to-medium splotches of red/yellow/orange and black on the body, giving it the appearance of a fancy-grade koi carp.

From what I've seen, Koi marble takes a longer time to spread than other marble, but this might just be a coincidence.

There's not much of a way you can avoid getting SOME solid colored offspring out of a spawn. Koi/Marble is unpredictable, so just focus on getting good form in the fish. The color will come, with generations. So, breed a Koi to a solid color red, yellow, or orange; then do a sibling cross, or cross back to the Koi parent, and you should get Koi back again in F2.

Or you could just breed Koi x Koi, and that would probably work too.


----------

