It is interesting to me that this post titled 'Koi That Fail' has nearly 500 views in a short time and over 20 replies on a forum that normally discusses 'koi appreciation' instead of koi that have "gone South".
Being from the South, I take some offense to this reference. Anyone know where that phrase comes from?
With such a tiny percentage of koi spawned that make it through the many cullings and are grown to become an example of a variety that a breeder can sell to a dealer and then be purchased by a hobbyist........ for one of these very few chosen koi, such as Bob Hart's showa that went shiromuji or Dr. Phillip's kohaku above or for B. Scott's friend's kohaku to "go South" is a tremendous disappointment for the owner.
Actually Dr. Phillips said his kohaku '"went wrong". Thank you Dr. Phillips. "Went wrong" sounds much better than "gone South" in my humble opinion. I'm sure Mike M., being from Florida, will second that.
So few koi make it, some of these fail and that makes what is left all the more valuable. If it was easy, we'd be looking at tanks full of beautiful kohaku or showa at a store and shopping for one as easily as trying to pick out a pretty swordtail from an aquarium full of them at a pet shop. There's not much difference from one to the other in freshwater aquarium fish.
I liked Bob Hart's reverse psychology when he said about 2 of his koi that 'went wrong':
Sounds like a good plan to me!
Dale