| I certainly agree with you guys; something always give way when we go overboard.Thats why in the corporate world,whenever I see the word "maximise" ( sales,profits,returns,etc) in mission and objective statements,I would advocate that it be replaced with "optimise".
That said,I am nevertheless convince that better and bigger quality koi are being produced because of better knowledge both in breeding as well as in keeping.I suppose,even with us humans,even with our inclination to do ourselves in by over indulgence,average lifespan and average sizes,Americans and Asians alike, have increased significantly over the last 50 years.
Not all of us are in the hobby for koi shows;on the contrary, most of us derive our satisfaction from koi keeping for varios other reasons. And I believe there is an appropriate pond and appropriate koi for every individual taste.Different pond sizes and systems cater to different koi keeping objectives. Unfortunately,sometimes when we start off ,we get it all wrong.Such was the case with me when I first started. Wrong advice from the local dealer ..what a costly mistake. Wish I knew of the existence of koi forums on the internet then !
I am probably expecting too much,but I feel koi breeders should do their part by ensuring that their agents/distributors are knowleagable,loves koi and are scrupulous. After learnig the hard and costly way, I believe in a holistic approach to koi keeping.When you change one parameter ,you have to reconfigure the other parameters. I believe the most important aspect is to maintain balance or equilibrant..easier said than done in and ever changing system.I am therefore usually wary when things are looking good and going well because I know it will not last If you are not vigilant in responding to changes in the pond system as the koi grow. I guess its the constant challenges that also provide the kicks for me. As they say , passion comes with the ecstacies and the agonies as well! |