Sept tosai, for Dick

[matt]

I am assuming the yellow/orange hi fish at the top of pic 8 is the Ochiba Dick has identified.

I am surprised to see sumi on the pecs though, is this common in young Ochiba?

i thought it might be some kind of yellowish koramo/kawarimono, or even a with some black to come later on the back. Whatever it is, i like it.

And the gin-rin below looks lovely too.

[dick benbow]

Most of the koi are averaging around 3-3.5 inches. The tancho sanke's kigoi, ochiba and green chagoi were closer to 2-2.5 as they were spawned late. Most are 4 months , the last bunch 3 months old. They should be twice the size but as i stated earlier I bred too many pairs and did not give proper water for growth to all.

[MikeM]

Dick: Those are random Gin Rin Shiros? Pretty good looking. The best of the hatch must be a stunner!

In the group shot 002.jpg, at 8 o'clock is a pale one. Asagi?

In the group shot 001.jpg, there is a little guy at 6 o'clock with a dark streak on his back. What's that about?

I wish I was nearby so I could grow out some for you just to watch them develop.

Among your chagoi, any soragoi turn up?

[kgt1223]

Hello Dick

Looks like u may end up with some exceptional koi! Cant wait to see the rest. U have summed up the way I feel about what has become an obsesion for me. Watching these guys develop for better or worse is a real treat. My drug of choice !ANTICIPATION!

Please keep the pics and updates coming. I have new pics to post but have to dig out from all of this mess that Frances dumped on us. Maybew this evening.

Regards, Kiefer

[kgt1223]

Quote: Originally Posted by jacovors Thanks Dick and Jason, I can see some very nice koi in the bunch but must admit the Utsuri and Showa to be my favorite. How big are they now and how old? Breeding do add another addiction to the whole hobby and seeing you're small koi develop and trying to produce something that resembles a proper koi gives me endless pleasure. I tried taking pics of the fry in the mud pond but it is near impossible to get a proper picture. The ones below are best I could do. Most are between 30 and 36cm at 9 months old. Jaco.

Hey Jaco
Looks like u may have a few beauties hiding under that silt. Cant wait for the netting I'll bet.
Tried to send u a few pics via email but was rejected ???? Dont know why
Loved your website. I thought I had it bad but u take the cake mate.
My wife caught me starring at your mud pond, then lookin out back at an empty lot on the property.....FORGET IT she says. Aint happening!!!
Oh well...........she cant live forever

later, Kiefer

[dick benbow]

Mike,
Pic 02 is of asagi. O1 is of tancho sanke and the black line is just the way the black is breaking up to develop it's pattern.
In the shiro and showa shots, the gin rin shiro is not a happenstance but a deliberate breeding. It's older brother now retired to stud took 2nd in gin rin class as tosai and nisai against japanese koi. I have several much better than the one pictured but trying to catch representative koi out of mud ponds is a job!

Everytime they mention another storm for florida I think of you and others there and hope and pray everyone is doing OK!

[MikeM]

Dick, the misery of power outages & a pond full of windblown debris is getting to be just too much. But, at least ol' Frances did not kill or injure any! Silver lining: Ain't no pecans left on the pecan tree! So, I'll not spend all of September swearing at squirrels for dropping the husks etc into the pond.

Back to topic: Any prediction on the little gray asagi? Seems lighter than the rest and no Hi showing. Does that suggest anything about ultimate development?

I'll say it again. Those are nice GR shiros. "Sparkleygoi" get criticized sometimes, but they do grab the attention. I think a nice GR makes other fish in the pond have to prove themselves.

[dick benbow]

Thanks for the update on the weather. Grateful you are surviving.
about the asagi
By this time the belly should have a few red scales on it. if not they are not worth anything as youngsters. maybe at three when the asagi han comes out will the true value be known to appreciate in a pond but not in a show!

I agree with you about GR. I never used to be a fan till lately and it's because the shiro babies are so beautiful. I'm excited about the gin rin matsukawabake's!

squirrels are now burying hazelnuts in my bonsai trees. There is a style called forest where an odd number of trees are grouped together to give the appearance of a forest. Only trouble is in the spring the maples suddenly are joined by a hazel nut tree!

[MikeM]

I don't have bonsai, so no worries over nuts sprouting to ruin the harmony. Never have figured out how acorns get in staghorn fern that hang under the eaves of the house. Never see squirrels there, and the occasional bird perching on them do not carry acorns around. Maybe some nocturnal critter? The continuity of nature should not amaze, because we are part of it. But, it does. So, I guess we have separated ourselves from nature too much.