GC cosmetic surgery?

[gregbickal]

This koi is one of mine, what about the red on the body of this one?

[joe bauer]

Quote: Originally Posted by gregbickal Take this koi for example, its not one of mine, just one I saw in Japan. If the Sumi came up as much as it ever will, would you try to eliminate this spot or leave it? Say if it was not for show, but just to increase your enjoyment of the fish (call it an OCD quest for perfection)

look at the size of that black spot.

could it be removed?
wouldn't that be a major job, not just using tweezers, but requiring ms222 and a knife?
wouldn't that change a sanke to a kohaku?
wouldn't that leave a scar?
could the fish then be shown as a kohaku?

is this a common and accepted practice?

[saratogatan]

whether it is acceptable is up to your own standard. However, whether it is acceptable to others is up to other to decide. Whether you can decieve the eyes of the judges of a show depends on your skill, and the thickness of your skin.

I will say you decide what you want to do. If you get caught, you face the consequences alone. that is how the society treat the crooks.

stan

[gregbickal]

I am not wanting to deceive anyone, and have never altered any of my koi. I don't plan on ever showing any of them (specially since I would be in a dealer category). I consider this type of thing the same as turning back the odometer on your vehicle.

[junglegeorge12]

we could always juist catch huge river carp and paint them.

[Brutuscz]

When a spot is that big, I wouldn't even consider it. I was talking about 1 stray scale with sumi or ginrin...not a whole big area. If you have an O-Compulsive thing with your koi (as many of us do)...sell the ones you dont want. If I have one that is not developing as I want...or I simply find a better one of that type, some lucky ebay buyer will get a good deal on a nice koi. I can only fit so many kohaku in 7,000 gal. Don't waste your energy torturing this poor fish...give it to someone who will appreciate it for what it is.

[Bob Winkler]

As a judge, it is not a good or even legal thing, to remove the 'stray" red or black on these koi, but as a hobbyist, with OCD...LOL .. Let's just say it is likely both of these koi can be "improved" without detectable "damage" other than to the most experienced eye. Have seen it done.

[keokoi]

Hmmm, That one koi sanke looks like I have seen it before? Is it from Shintaro?

Joe

[bekko]

Then, there's the urban legend about the famous aquarist and author Herbert Axelrod who modified a hi plate into the shape of a heart and took the fish to a show. That was before he went to prison for tax evasion. The story goes that the practice was not well-received by other koi enthusiasts.

Then, there's Dick's story about his friend who stumbled into a back room at a koi farm and found them cleaning up the blemishes on some high-end fish.

With Jinkin goldfish, patches of red proportionately larger than that on Greg's sanke are routinely removed leaving only red on the fins and on the nose. Red scales are plucked, a few at a time, over many months or years. The process is called "making" the fish and is an established part of the art.

I have no opinion on the subject, but would not bother doing it myself. I can't even find time to pluck the hairs that stick out of my ears.

-steve

[dick benbow]

Steve, I enjoy your sense of humor!

Interesting to think that on this date some 64 years ago many lives across the world were affected by actions taken by a culture we now enjoy.....

I would think the best efforts for the average joe hobbyists would be the removal of a shimmie or redundant red scale. after the koi has been quieted
test and see if the color is on top of the scale,or under the scale in the skin.
easiest to deal with ,without side effects is the color or shimmie on top of the scale. removing a scale opens a path to infection as does digging into the actual skin for color removal. If a scale is removed you always run the risk that the new scale replacement will be not the same size as the original or a white scale
may appear where formally a red one was removed....