[PapaBear]

I think Lukes query is pretty interesting. The fact that the Koi genome is flexible enough to produce variety even from cloned offspring says something very unique about how and why they develop the way they do.
Environmental factors inutero (health, diet, water, etc...) of the host, be it a female parent or a petri dish must influence pattern and presumably skeletal structure as well. How well would a parent set renowned for producing GC quality offspring do if subjected to a mediocre environment and feed regimin during a single spawning season? Would they produce substandard fry even if the fry where immediately moved to an idealized environment? I would think it likely that they would.
Some of the questions he raises could help to explain why American bred Koi of GC parentage don't turn out as well as their bloodline would tend to imply. Could the different environmental factors be a major contributor even before birth?