[Sangreaal]

Speaking of sumi development, Mikado is beginning to "bloom", but not exactly where I expected it to be next. Check this out--her whitest side is developing sumi below the lateral line along the belly from the bottom of her gill plate to her tail:

I know I know...looks like shadowing instead of sumi, but lookie here:


That's bright direct sunlight on that side, and you can see it's really sumi!

Now I know this is a crappy pic, but look at the second sumi step along her dorsal--there are fine gray squigglies appearing above some submerged sumi, very much like what Little Blue had on her shoulder that I wanted to investigate. I'm thinking that the shiroji is very thick and that is how the sumi emerges through the thickest shiroji.



Now on her right side, it looks like the sumi is wrapping up under her belly from the other side, just not as far up as the left.

Yeah, sorta looks like shadow in this pic, but it's the best I could get at the time.

And a quickie shot from the top view:


Okay, two quickie shots....


Boy, now I can't wait until the weather starts cooling off. I have a feeling she's going to look like a whole different fish come next Spring. I am ever so happy that her mask has held. I think that is my favorite part of this fish--that beguiling half-mask. However, I kinda think in the end she'll have a dark face with a meandering streak of shiroji running down it.

We'll see, won't we?