Tosai...What is your read...

[aquitori]

Quote: Originally Posted by B.Scott Depends on the age of course. Tosai are the cheapest (more in the pond) and the fee gets larger as the fish become bigger and less of them are put into the mud pond. I think it starts at about $200-300 for a tosai and goes up from there. Remember as well that growing a fish on is at your own risk. if they pull hthe pond in October and the fish is gone then it's tough bananas... you lose.

Fees do kill a budget, but I hope the Nisai I left at Momotaro grows out to 70cm by the time they put it in the Mud Pond in March...$500 Mud Pond fee for the 1 400,000 ton Mud Pond...

[Akai-San]

Are the mud pond fees, monthly fees or is it a lump sum for the mud pond season? Why would Momotaro require a fish to stay in their care if someone already purchases the koi. Wouldn't they want to maintain the space for thier own koi stocks to grow out? If they put fish out for sale, didn't that fish already get culled from the group? Unless the fish was a borderline fish that they wanted to watch...but in that case...why sell the tosai? Hmmmmm...it then can only be taking pride in ones art. What else could it be?

I have another question. For seasoned hobbiest (show hobbiest), at what age are koi most often purchased. It seems to me that for show quality, an individual may be better off buying nisai rather than taking a chance on a couple of tosai that obviously did not make the grade to move on...What a vicious cycle.

[Akai-San]

Quote: Originally Posted by aquitori Fees do kill a budget, but I hope the Nisai I left at Momotaro grows out to 70cm by the time they put it in the Mud Pond in March...$500 Mud Pond fee for the 1 400,000 ton Mud Pond...

Aquitori,
Do you have any pics of your Momotaro Nisai? What did you like about your Nisai? What characteristic made you say "I got to have it"?

[B.Scott]

Akai-san,

The fee is for one season in the mud pond. I'm not sure if this includes the winter afterwards as well.
A breeder can have several reasons for keeping a fish to grow on. Often this is because the breeder is constantly learning from every spawn. When a fish is young and shows promise, it is often to the breeders advantage to know how the fish develops at least in the short term. If the fish disappears overseas he will never know what it would have looked like if he kept in and grew it on. Thus the next time he choses such a fish he would still have as great an amount of uncertanty and be less capable as a result.

Was indeed female? Did that bit of sumi come up where he thought? Did it grow like expected. Most of this info is lost the moment he sells it. Thus he sells it, gets the money AND still sees how it developed the next summer.

Buying koi is a lottery. The longer you wait, the better the odds and thus the more you pay. A tosai is very hard to say what it will be at five years of age. A sansai much less so. Every year the good koi become fewer and fewer as the tatishita fall by the wayside. Thus you know much more what to expect and pay accordingly.
Personally I won't buy tosai anymore. Nothing less than nisai.
B.Scott

[Akai-San]

Quote: Originally Posted by Akai-San Ok gang, I was just surfing the sites and came across this tosai. I would like some honest feedback on this koi. Upon first glance, I just thought it was sexy...but it does look thin (but I like the strength in its shape) I'm guessing its a good swimmer (of course I don't know anything) just hypothesizing. Please like to know what others think. I have to be honest...the pattern got my attention first, but then I thought overall presentation (for tosai) "beautifully sexy". Hahaha. What the hell do I know......NOTHING! Any thoughts...(see attachment)

Aquitori,

The Kohaku reminds of this tosai (at the time). Appears to almost be mirror image. I wonder who has this fish now?