Nishikigoi Pond

A small pond, in the palm of your hand.

Tap to scatter feed, and your koi rise from the deep water, trailing ripples as they come.

■ A pattern no other koi will ever wear Every koi's markings are generated, one fish at a time. Kohaku, Sanke, Showa, Tancho, Ginrin — the same pattern is never born twice.

■ Raise them A young koi's colors are still pale. Day by day the hi (red) rises, the kiwa (edges) sharpen, and the sumi (black) surfaces only later. What this one becomes, you won't know until it grows.

■ Breed them Choose two koi and cross them, and a fry is born carrying its parents' patterns. A jumbo bloodline, a Tancho bloodline — build your own lineage in pursuit of the perfect koi.

■ Phantom koi Once in a great while, a koi is born that no field guide holds — a "phantom." Sakura-fubuki, Hoshifuri, Hisui, Suminagashi, Raimon. One of a kind, for your pond alone.

■ The show Enter your finest koi in the show. Balance of the hi, sharpness of the kiwa, quality of the sumi, the body. The judges score in earnest.

Feed three times a day, keep up your daily care, and watch a pond of your own slowly take shape.