Tancho Japanese Koi Carp Cyprinus Carpio

Price range: £30.00 through £1,000.00

Multi Buy Deals
Quantity Discount Discounted price
2 10%
3 15%
4 – 1000 20%

Multi Buy Discounts Automatically Applied in Basket

SKU: STF-JAPANESE-KOI-TANCHO Category:

Description

Tancho Japanese Koi Carp Cyprinus Carpio

Pure Tancho (tan-CHO) koi are only formally recognised to be sub-varieties of the Gosanke koi, that is, Kohaku, Sanke and Showa koi but the pattern itself can be seen in many other varieties including Goshiki and Hariwake koi.

The word ‘Tancho’ literally translates to ‘red sun’ and, as per their name, Tancho koi have a single circle of hi (red) colouration on their head resembling a red sun. To be a proper Tancho koi, this must be the only hi on the whole koi. So, a Tancho Kohaku must be pure white with only the Tancho pattern while Tancho Sanke and Tancho Showa can have a black and white pattern on the rest of the body as long as there is no other red apart from on the head. When referring to the pattern rather than the formal sub-variety, it is common to refer to it as a ‘Tancho spot’. For example, you could say that a particular Goshiki has a nice Tancho spot without referring to it as a Tancho Goshiki.

The first Tancho variety was the Tancho Kohaku and was produced by breeding 2 Kohaku koi together. This pairing produced a wide range of Kohaku fry with varying amounts of hi. Many of these would have been rejected and only the nicest ones keep on for growing and further breeding. At this point, no breeders were actively looking for a Tancho Kohaku, but it is said that one breeder came across a Kohaku fry with no hi on its body and the perfect spot of hi on its head. 

The breeder decided to keep it even though it did not satisfy the requirements of a Kohaku at the time. But it did resemble the Japanese flag with its red sun on a pure white background and that appealed to the koi breeder and to many others who saw the fish. He decided to call it a Tancho koi after the red-crowned crane native to Japan which was called Tancho and had a single red spot on the crown of its head.

From this, the breeder was desperate to breed more koi like this beautiful Tancho he had found but soon found it to be incredibly difficult. The specific pattern of a Tancho is impossible to breed for and the breeders just have to get lucky with their fry. This means that the number of good quality Tancho in a batch of fry is much lower than many other varieties and this was quickly discovered by the original breeder and by other breeders who attempted to repeat his results. Eventually, however, more and more Tancho koi started to hit the market until it eventually became the popular variety that it is today. Unfortunately, it is not any easier to breed Tancho koi nowadays than it was then!

STANDARD DELIVERY UK MAINLAND ONLY – Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Overnight courier service by DX guaranteed next day delivery pre 1pm. We will contact you via email within 24 hours of purchase with your confirmed delivery date.: £20.00

 

SATURDAY STANDARD DELIVERY UK MAINLAND ONLY –  Overnight courier service by DX guaranteed next day delivery pre 1pm. We will contact you via email within 24 hours of purchase with your confirmed delivery date.: £30.00

 

INSURED DELIVERY UK MAINLAND ONLY –Wednesday,Thursday, Friday. Overnight courier service by DX guaranteed next day delivery pre 1pm. Insurance covers Damage, Delay, Loss or temperature issues. Instant replacement shipped the next day upon receipt of supporting photographs.: £30.00

 

SATURDAY INSURED DELIVERY UK MAINLAND ONLY –Overnight courier service by DX guaranteed next day delivery pre 1pm. Insurance covers Damage, Delay, Loss or temperature issues. Instant replacement shipped the next day upon receipt of supporting photographs.: £40.00

 

ADDITIONS TO AN EXISTING ORDER – If you would like to add more items to an existing order for delivery, please select this option. All additions must be made 24 hours before your existing delivery date.: Free

 

AQUARIUM DELIVERY – All Sims Aquariums and Other Branded Aquariums with Cabinets are Free for a curb-side delivery. We will contact you within 24 hours of purchase to arrange a convenient delivery date.: Free

 

PRE FORMED PONDS – All Pre Formed Ponds are Free for a curb-side delivery. We will contact you within 24 hours of purchase to arrange a convenient delivery date.: Free

 

GIFT CARDS – These will be delivered electronically within 24 hours of receipt of payment, please remember that if you have any other items that require shipping, you must select either Standard or Insured delivery.

 

 

 

D.O.A DELIVERY POLICY UPDATED 01/04/2026

Should You Have Any Questions Regarding Our Policies Or Procedures Please Don’t Hesitate to Contact Us. All Emails Will Be Responded To Within 24 Hours.

We Do Not Have UK Retail Stores That Are Open to The Public. Sims Tropical Fish Operates And Manages The Logistics of All Aquatic Species in The UK For Trade And Retail Customers.

We Are Not Able To Provide Images Of The Exact Fish On Any Occasion Due To The Number of Fish Leaving Us Everyday To Our Trade And Retail Customers. Our Team’s Across Our UK Distribution Centre’s Will Always Select A Fish As Close To The Advertised Images As Possible.

All Sizes Described On The Website Are An Approximation As We Are Dealing With Livestock. We Will Always Send Fish Out That Are As Close As Possible To The Sizes Listed.

Our Website Is Not A Reflection Of Current UK Wide Distribution Centre Stock. All Our Livestock Listed On The Website Is Available To Order For Delivery Within 14 Days Of Purchase. 

 

For Our Rarer Species, We Are Effectively Importing The Livestock On Your Behalf As A Pre Order. We Currently Deliver 99% Of Trade Orders On The Selected Delivery Date and 95% Of Retail 

 

Orders On The Selected Delivery Date.

PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD THE DOA DELIVERY POLICY BEFORE YOU PURCHASE. AS MAKING A PAYMENT WILL BE AN AGREEMENT TO ACCEPTING THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS. 

  1. With All Delivery Options You Will Receive A Delivery Date Confirmation Via Email Within 24 Hours Of Purchase.
  1. Please Ensure That You Have Read Your Delivery Information Email Which Will Answer Any Questions You May Have About The Transportation Of Your Livestock.
  1. If You Would Like To Change Your Delivery Date You Can Contact Us And We Can Send Your Order At A More Convenient Day To You.
  1. Please Advise Your Preferred Delivery Date At The Checkout And We Will Always Do Our Best To Deliver On The Date Requested. 

We Do Not Refund Dead On Arrival Fish. We Always Replace Them In The Box With Your Next Order Free Of Charge. Should You Have Any Unlikely Issues With Your Delivery We Will Always Do Our Very Best To Resolve The Problem Immediately.

Please Take The Time To Photograph Or Video Your Delivery And The Bags As They Come Out Of The Box As Your Insurance Policy. 

Fish That Are Delivered Dead On Arrival On The Allocated Delivery Date Will Be Replaced By Us And Then Sent Out In The Box With Your Next Order Free Of Charge, Upon Receipt Of Supporting Photographs. For Successful DOA Claims, Images Of The Livestock In The Delivery Packaging Are To Be Received By Us Via Email Only, On The Day Of Delivery At retail@simstropicalfish.co.uk.

Should You Be Unfortunate Enough To Experience Any Very Unlikely Issues, Please Contact Us Immediately On:

Retail Customer Orders 07801 323641 retail@simstropicalfish.co.uk

 

We Will Always Resolve Any Problems.

Through 2019 To 2025 Our Couriers Have Delivered Over 1 Millions Boxes Of Live Fish To Our Retail and Trade Customers At A Right First Time Rate Of Over 99.9%.


STANDARD DELIVERY WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY AND FRIDAY 

Standard Delivery Is £20 For All Livestock Orders & There Is No Minimum Order Value. Selecting Your Fish For Standard Delivery Is A Choice Against Selecting The Insured Delivery Service And Is A Formal Agreement To Accepting The The Terms And Conditions Stated By This Policy. 

We deliver our standard service to retail customers through our livestock licensed courier DX on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday every week.

Our Service Level Agreement With The Courier Is That The Fish Will Be Collected From Us In The Evening Prior To Your Delivery Date And Delivered The Next Day Before 1pm In The Condition And Temperature That They Were Collected In. 

All Your Tracking Information Will Be Sent To You Directly By The Courier Dx The Evening Before Your Delivery Date When Your Box Is Collected From The Supplier. You Will Also Receive A Text Message From The Courier Around 9am On Your Delivery Day With Your Time Slot. You Must Ensure Someone Is At The Delivery Address On Your Delivery Date To Receive The Livestock.

INSURED STANDARD DELIVERY WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY AND FRIDAY

Insured Delivery Is £30 For All Livestock Orders & There Is No Minimum Order Value. We Are Also Able To Offer A Fully Insured Standard Delivery Service Where Should You Experience Any Problems, Including Issues Relating To Temperature, Damage, Loss Or Delay By The Courier, Sims Tropical Fish Will Step In And Resend An Instant Replacement Fish For Delivery The Following Day, Rather Than With Your Next Order, Upon Receipt Of Supporting Photographs.

Instant Replacement Livestock Can Be Delivered On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday Every Week.

STANDARD DELIVERY SATURDAY

Standard Delivery On a Saturday Is £30 For All Livestock Orders & There Is No Minimum Order Value. Please Ensure That When You Are Selecting Your Delivery Date As A Saturday, That You Are Selecting A Saturday Delivery Cost At The Checkout. Selecting Your Fish For Standard Delivery Is A Choice Against Selecting The Insured Delivery Service And Is A Formal Agreement To Accepting The The Terms And Conditions Stated By This Policy. 

We Deliver Our Standard Service To Retail Customers Through Our Livestock Licensed Courier DX On A Wednesday, Thursday, Friday And Saturday Every Week.

Our Service Level Agreement With The Courier Is That The Fish Will Be Collected From Us In The Evening Prior To Your Delivery Date And Delivered The Next Day Before 1pm In The Condition And Temperature That They Were Collected In. 

All Your Tracking Information Will Be Sent To You Directly By The Courier Dx The Evening Before Your Delivery Date When Your Box Is Collected From The Supplier. You Will Also Receive A Text Message From The Courier Around 9am On Your Delivery Day With Your Time Slot. You Must Ensure Someone Is At The Delivery Address On Your Delivery Date To Receive The Livestock.

INSURED STANDARD DELIVERY SATURDAY

Insured Delivery On A Saturday Is £40 For All Livestock Orders & There Is No Minimum Order Value. We Are Also Able To Offer A Fully Insured Standard Delivery Service Where Should You Experience Any Problems, Including Issues Relating To Temperature, Damage, Loss Or Delay By The Courier, Sims Tropical Fish Will Step In And Resend An Instant Replacement Fish For Delivery The Following Delivery Day, Rather Than With Your Next Order, Upon Receipt Of Supporting Photographs.

Instant Replacement Livestock Can Be Delivered On Wednesday, Thursday, Friday And Saturday Every Week.