kohakus which one please

[davidsmallways]

hi all im looking at buying one of these kohakus or maybe both and would like to know what potential you might see in them both 1yrs old 30cms and breeder is sakai

[Bob Winkler]

Both are nice, 3 step is my choice. a bit better balance on the head, plus the sashi is easier to see. It looks even. The other has the better tail stop, but the head kills it. IMHO.

[aquitori]

Kohaku (A) traditional 3-step....If you are looking into more for show then this would be the pick.
Kohaku (B) "Flowery" interesting pattern, not too busy.

I would pick Kohaku (A). Are these Kohakus male or female, from the pics they look male.

[MikeM]

How could I possibly disagree with a judge of BobW's standing? ... Everything he says, plus I think the 3-step has better body shape. More uniform in the taper toward the tail. Might not matter at this age, but looking for distinctions.

[swordfish]

Hi David,
'Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.' Same goes to koi.
My personal opinion is that both kohaku is still very young & the kiwa,sashi & skin will improve further with time.Nothing to worry at the moment.
Kohaku A: nice 3 steps pattern.However the hi pattern on the head is too big.It is 3x bigger than the body pattern.It gives an impression of unbalance.Since the body is the largest part of the fish I would prefer the pattern on it to be bigger than the head & the tail being the smallest part have the smallest pattern. If the pattern on the head is big than at least it should balance up with the body pattern & the tail pattern stop about an inch from the peduncle before the tail fin begin. The pattern look monotonous especially when this fish grow bigger in size.
Kohaku B: the pattern on the head did not come in strong enough however,it have a more interesting body pattern than Kohaku A. As it grow bigger in size the pattern on the body will be even better but not much for show though because of the head. I think there is this trend to go for interesting,beautiful & balance patterns for Kohaku nowaday.
These are just my opinion & like I say'beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.' It is your liking that is more important. If you are not too sure whether which one to chose than I would suggest wait for the next batches rather than buy 1 for the sake of owning & end up occupying space in your pond or giving to someone else that might not know how to take care of koi properly in future. Buying is not a process to be rush.Thanks.

SF

[davidsmallways]

thank you for your help, ive found 3 more which might have potential as well both are 1yr olds and 30cms breeder of these 2 is hoshikin, im looking to find a decent one to maybe use at our local show so which would you choce out of all four please.

[MikeM]

Of the 3 Hoshikin, the 3rd one is my preference. Choosing between "A" and that one is a toss-up, but I'd likely stick with "A". The Hi does come down on the face more than I prefer, but when they grow large, I think the simple 3-step pattern will be more dramatic. If you are looking at them in person, then I'd go for the one with the best white.

[Bob Winkler]

Ha ha Mike... :lol: But once again we agree... # A of this second group... is the choice for me. The show pattern is there. And as was said, the one with best white will be hard not to pick. Hopefully they all have that even.

Picking between the two #1's though... Hmm.. That may take a moment more...Probably the first 3 step... although, that's when the "best white" comes in for me. Something else that I often think about you have probably considered. What other good kohaku's (likely "keepers") and patterns do you already have in your pond? For instance, I have two Sandan/3 step kohaku's so it would have to be really incredible to get another one. And on that level, I would look hard at the second Hoshikin koi. If the white is good to great, and beni also, then this would be a fun koi in the pond. And who knows, if it is that good, it can still win. But if not, I still like the pattern, but for a for different reason. So looking for a show koi, and a completion of your pond can be two different things.

[dick benbow]

It's been fun to read all the comments!

When It comes to photos all your focused on is pattern. You cannot really tell important things like true color, skin, grace of movement. It does however give you an idea of body shape depending on the camera angle.

In addition to Bob's comments on what other kohaku pattern are in the pond, to have others suggest a pattern may be based on their personal
likes AND NOT THE SIZE OF YOUR POND! Patterns are influenced by growth. Stocking rates and size dictate what will transpire as well. To purchase a heavy step pattern and then keep it in a crowded small pond
and the koi will not look as well as if it was allowed to grow where a big heavy pattern sits well on a big heavy frame. (kapish?)

if you have a smaller pond, you may want to consider the middle koi in the second grouping with the nice white shoulder and what looks like a great body shape. The angle is such that I cannot see the pecs well enought to confirm correct proportion.

[Alex Gibbs]

Heh,
I agree with Dick, after handling so many fish at the farm you really need to get an up close look to give it an accurate evaluation. Also photos tend to give a poor representation of the beni and shiroji and the head etc.

Alex Gibbs