[Flounder]

Quote: Originally Posted by MikeM It is commonly present in small tosai, and generally has faded away by the end of the second growing season. Baby sumi can be very black to the eye on a small tosai, but often is more a smokey, charcoal gray 'over wash' by the time a tosai has reached the marketable size hobbyists see in a dealer's tank. People get the idea that the sumi is coming up and the fish will get blacker, when in fact the superficial baby sumi is fading and the fish will become lighter.

Excellent post Mike, here is an utsuri showing the sumi you're describing I got last year as a study fish bred by Brett from Omosako parents. It was at a great price from the 4 for $100 vat although I had to really search through all of them. The sumi is now gone, the shiro has brighten up & new sumi wrapping from the belly are emerging w/ a different pattern.