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While walking through the tropical gardens of the Orchideeën Hoeve, you will spot thousands of fish swimming in one of the many brooks and ponds. The murmuring waters house not only predominantly koi and crucian carp, but also enormous aquatic monsters such as the redtail catfish.
Koi, often called koi carp in the vernacular, is known for its expensive skin. Koi can be sold for thousands of euros if their beautiful colour schemes meet the prevailing colour requirements. You can admire and even feed these aquatic marvels in the various gardens of the Orchideeën Hoeve. Koi are very tame and love to eat delicious feed pellets out of your hand.
Its orange colour makes the common carp look like a gigantic goldfish. Yet, they are not related. As revealed by the name, the crucian carp is a member of the family of wild or common carp. At the Orchideeën Hoeve, this fish swims with its relatives: koi. When the crucian carp is hungry, it will look for food by turning up the bottom with its extendible upper lip. Moreover, it uses its barbels. This allows the fish to ‘taste’ whether there is something edible at the bottom.
The aquatic monsters will await you at the end of your journey through the Amazonian Rainforest. The redtail catfish namely expect you to feed them a little shrimp. These greyish fish will eat anything they can fit in their mouths. Using their long barbels, these aquatic monsters can flawlessly determine whether you are offering them delicious shrimp. Do you dare to feed them?
