[Ethan25]

Quote: Originally Posted by Lam Nguyen Hi Ethan, just thought I would share with you that this 4.5 x headlength is just a guidance and not a hard fact rule. In fact, I suspect that, while this is a good guidance for beginners, the professionals don't even use this guidance to select tosai as they have looked at so many koi daily and know what or what not to look for. I learned this during my Tosai Selection class w/Dick Benbow a couple of months ago and he has also written about this in the latest issue of KN. Here is what I have gathered, and I hope that those with much more knowledge than me can correct me or give additional input: 1. It's not 5.5 x head length but 4.5 x head length (a head length is from the tip of the nose to the ver end of the gill plate). 2. The 4.5 x head length includes the head. 3. The 4.5 x head length rule applies only to tosai (as koi grow the head ratio changes). 4. This guidance should be applied to koi that you look at in person, not from images as I have learned that images can be distorted. I hope that this helps and I would love to show you in person. If you have a chance, Ethan, I recommend that you attend one of Dick's Tosai Selection seminar as I learned so much from that event. Anyways, if you have any more questions, please feel free to ask or PM me.

OK, that makes more sense. Otherwise we'd be looking at very snakey koi. It makes sense about the images as well. As one takes a picture from up front, the tail area is smaller in proportion to the head area since the camera is closer to the head area. I wish I could make it out to Oregon for one of the seminars, as I know you are both out that way. I grew up on the southern Oregon coast and haven't been back since I was 10.

So, younger fish (tosai specifically) look for a lengthy body, and as the fish grows, the proportions should change.