[cppond]

Quote: Originally Posted by Richard Rombold Carl, Mat may have a different take on this than I, but quality is evident at this age. The crispness and overall appearance may fade as the fish goes through the phenomenal growth spurt of the first two years, but at this age you can tell quality. The shiroji is snow white, the beni beautiful and the kiwa clean on the best fish. Like I said though, Mat may have a different oppinon and it's his thread. Richard

Thanks, Richard. You and Matt make your living making these choices, so I appreciate your input. Are you saying that we kind of get a "peek" at quality at this age that may be obscured by growth for the next two years? That's very interesting, if I understood correctly.

Quote: Originally Posted by dick benbow So, Carl....what did you think of #5?

That one certainly satisfies my concern about pattern, but the pic was not that clear and the beni behind the head did not look even to me, so it gave me some concern. With a better pic, and if I could resolve my concerns about the beni behind the head, I would like it better than #2.

I can't really make meaningful choices about quality at that size which is why I find this interesting. I also like the third fish in the first group of pics which is probably the best of both groups "today." Of course, these are not supposed to be "today" fish.