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Thanks Brady. I was hoping you would explain why they are black and it goes away and then comes back?
I'll get it started and you can fill in the blanks-
Koi are actual born before they are really ready to be born! By this I mean they are not really finished as baby fish upon hatching. In fact they are just larval forms of fish. The larvae, for instance have to swim bladder and can't regulate buoyance. they also can't eat for 3 or 4 days and live off of an eggyolk deposit. There are many OTHER things developing and that will develop in and on the larvae as they age in the new outside world. Gut, gills, etc all have to be developed. And so does the bone, muscle and skin!
STEP 1- So when we see a black fry along the way of development, we are looking THROUGH the thin skin with no scales yet. We are seeing a layer of fascia that will eventually cover the muscle mass and exist at the base of the dermis. The dermis and epidermis are less than paper thin at this point and will develop over time. And the scales will also emerge from 'pockets' within the dermis once this has set up. As the dermis develops, we will see the black color appear to disappear as it becomes masked by the expanding dermis and the scale growth. The fish becomes white but the black base fascia is still there.
Picture of fish fry to illustrate just how different a larvae is from a baby fish.
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