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Koi Care Basics


by inveigle__

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KOI - they are the friendly, outgoing Neopets that look for adventure deep in the sea. A limited edition species, there are only 350,009 of these Maraquan natives swimming around Neopia (compare that to the most popular Neopet, the Shoyru, which as of this writing has a population of 14,664,635!). Perhaps it's because of their rather small population that it is no surprise that there's no article on Koi and how to care for them in The Neopian Times. However, due to my own new Koi, I’ve taken an interest in the species and have decided to write the first article myself.

PERSONALITY

The first step in caring for your Koi is knowing its personality. This is the first step because you need to know if your personality is compatible with the average Koi, to avoid later issues such as arguing all the time.

They typical Koi is friendly, outgoing, fun loving, creative, and smart. If you are looking for a Neopet that will lie on the couch and snooze all day, then a Koi is not for you. You will not find the typical Koi sleeping and lounging around all day. Instead, you may find them wandering around the city of Maraqua looking for adventure. If you are looking for a Neopet that will intimidate and threaten other Neopets, then a Koi is also not for you. Being very friendly and sociable, Koi will generally make friends easily with strangers rather than getting into a fist-- er, finfight.

An important aspect of the Koi personality is its creativity and intelligence. Whether your Koi has a knack for painting, writing, or inventing, most Koi have a very creative mind. You may think that you want a Neopet with this kind of talent, but are you willing to handle walking into your bedroom to find that the wall is now covered in sketches and drawings? Or, are you able to handle your Koi’s frustrations when they are editing their latest piece of writing, or when their prototype or model does not work out very well? Ask yourself these questions before you make a commitment. Also remember that creativity is an aspect of intelligence, and that your Koi will need a creative outlet.

Of course, individuals are different, and your Koi may not necessarily have the same qualities as mentioned above. For example, my own Koi Coilinn is not very sociable, and actually prefers being by himself.

FOOD

If you want your Koi to look its best, you will need to give it a proper diet. When most people think of the word “diet” they immediately think of boring meals the size of your thumb. However, this is not the case at all!

Kelp is the natural and best food for Koi. If you happen to be swimming one day and see a wild Koi with beautiful, lustrous scales, kelp is probably its main food source. Now, your Koi will probably want to eat plain kelp all day just as much as it would want to eat eyeball fungus or worm infested cheese, so it’s important to spice things up.

A fun example of kelp use is Kelp Lasagne. A gourmet dinner, the kelp in this dish is full of vitamins and goes surprisingly well with the cheese. Another example is the Koi Kelp Wrap. In this dish, only the freshest kelp is used and prepared into a lovely wrap. While it may not sound good now, it is both healthy and delicious.

If for some reason your Koi can’t stand the taste of kelp, seaweed is another option. With all the same vitamins and minerals, seaweed can have quite different tastes when prepared in different styles; as a result, your Neopet won’t get bored of it easily. The Seaweed Flotsam Burger recipe was made by the very famous Flotsam chef himself, and is absolutely vegetarian. Seaweed Wrapped Dumplings are yet another alternative, and even have meat inside for variety, since usually seaweed and kelp dishes are vegetarian.

There are also seaweed and kelp desserts. Instead of having regular, chocolate, or vanilla ice cream, why not try a Chilled Kelp Cone? The green colour might turn you off when you look at it, but it tastes absolutely amazing. This ice cream is served in beautiful shells that were found off the coast of Mystery Island, instead of regular cones. You can also try Koi Seaweed Sundae. Served in a very pretty Koi cup and made with five different types of seaweed, this treat is a big hit in Maraquan restaurants. If your Koi would rather have candy than ice cream, you can buy a Seaweed Rock Stick, hard rock candy that will last for a while.

NEOHOME

Even though I thought this would be quite obvious, I’m still going to say it: PLEASE choose an appropriate location for your Neohome if you have a Koi! A Koi is not going to do very well if he or she has to live in the Lost Desert! Koi need water! If they don’t have water, their scales will wither and dry up!

In my opinion, the best place to build a Neohome for a Koi is in Maraqua! In their natural habitat, Koi will thrive and will be able to be brought to their full potential. What if you have other Neopets that cannot breathe underwater, you ask? Well, a simple trip to the NC Mall can solve this problem! There, you can purchase a Maraqua Exploration Helmet, which is a piece of equipment that can be filled with air for non-aquatic Neopets.

As for furniture, there is a variety of coral and shell products that you can buy. These products are ocean friendly, and are very beautiful as well. If you are wondering where you can buy such furniture, the Kiko Lake Carpentry shop sells all of this. Another good idea is to make a garden for your Koi. Many of the Underwater Fishing plants can be used, as well as Purple Garden Coral, to create a natural and beautiful sea environment.

TOYS AND GAMES

Koi are very fun loving, and it’s a good idea to buy them some toys so they can turn their energy into something positive. However, you have to keep in mind that, because Koi live in water, they will need toys suitable for underwater life. For example, a bicycle would not be a great thing to buy. On the other hand, two good aquatic toys would be a Koi Bath Buddy and a Yellow Goldy Bath Toy. The Koi Bath Buddy is cuddly and meant for use in a bathtub, so you should have no worries about giving it to your Koi. When the Yellow Goldy Bath Toy is wound up, it swims around. Both are waterproof, and the Goldy Bath Toy comes in a variety of colours. If you’re looking for a board game, try the Aisha Board Game. You might need to come up with a way of keeping the pieces from floating away, though.

PETPETS

A great way to teach your Neopet some responsibility is to buy them a Petpet. Like its toys, a Koi’s Petpet must be capable of being kept underwater. Imagine saving up all of your Neopoints for a spiffy white Weewoo, only to take it home and find out that Weewoos can’t swim! Not only would you be tearing out your hair in frustration, your Neopet would also be quite disappointed. However, if your Koi really wants a Weewoo, you could always buy a Maraquan Weewoo, a cute little critter that is able to swim!

When seeking a Petpet for your Koi, a good idea is to start at Mystery Island’s Rock Pool. There you can find the small, happy Petpet known as the Walein, which costs fewer than 4,000 NP. If your Koi is feeling sad, this Petpet is sure to brighten its day! Or, how about the intelligent Pepito? In the mid 6000’s, this smart fish can be taught to do tricks for food rewards. If you want to show off your rich status, you can buy a Goldy. This goldfish hybrid lays eggs made of pure gold! It does, however, come with a large price tag, ranging from 2,000,000 NP and up.

Another place to look for a Petpet is at the Maraquan Petpet shops. These Petpets are very interesting and unique. Take the Nupie, for example. Whether this Petpet is happy, sad, or angry, its expression never, ever changes! It’ll just stare with its large green and blue eyes and its mouth hanging open! With the strange face it makes, this sea creature could be the next Meepit! Also, with a price of around 4,000 NP, it’s very affordable!

The most expensive Petpet option is to buy a regular, non-aquatic Petpet and paint it with a Maraquan Petpet Paint Brush. If you are going to go with this option, a good way to save Neopoints is to buy a Petpet that is already painted Maraquan. This can save you well over 20,000 NP in some cases.

ENDING NOTE

If you’ve read this whole article, you should now know the basics of how to care for your precious Koi Neopet. The only thing I forgot to mention was to have fun with your Neopet, and that I hope you have enjoyed reading this!

 
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