Hi Mike,
I do heat, hence the growth. The hi is still orangey, though seems to be slowly deepening. I don't know what you mean about matsunosuke hi. I am but a newbie. I originally took the pic to post on another board about the skin blistering on the head which she seems to suffer from periodicaly but without any other signs of a problem. After dismissing parasites and sunburn I was advised that it could be an ailment called Epidermal Hyperplasia. Anyway her sumi is starting to fade again at this moment , around the same time as last summer I think. I'm hoping its normal for her,though I am having slight water quality problems @ the moment, and the discovery of some flukes on recent scrapes of some fish, including her. This may also be contributing to her being off colour. I’m not having any luck re-posting pix, so Here is a link to a web page I have, which should enable you to see larger pix.
http://groups.msn.com/koiphotos/shoebox.msnw?Page=Last
Hope it works for you.
I must add, your showa looks a superb specimen. The pattern is just the type that I would go for. You say that you have nearly moved him on. I would definately take the advise to wait a few more years for further development with it. Us westerners do seem to be impatient, but it does make it such an intriguing hobby. I'll take him off your hands the next time you think of letting him go. :lol: :lol:
Cheers,