[Akai-San]

Quote: Originally Posted by dick benbow I have also seen shimmies go away depending on the water. That's a decision you make after keeping koi a few years and learning what works. I used to pick them up frequently with sakai of hiroshima's sensuke stuff, yet hasegawa's stuffturned out clean with no problem!

I recently spoke with a local breeder asking about the oyster shells in his filters. I asked if it was to soften the water, he said it was actually to harden the water. He mentioned that Sakai of Matsunosuke kept it in their filters to pump up the sumi. Could this be a factor in developing a koi such as this one. Softer water to POSSIBLY fade the sumi away...In any event, if water were to be stabilized again what would happen? Hey, this is getting fun just talking about it. And I'm not even a pond owner yet...boy am I sick or what? LOL.