Pet Store Tategoi

[JasPR]

Morning ! Yes, that's right. The KJ 101 way of talking about tategoi was to use the word laterally. This was not helped by the language barrier that the literal translation of the word- potential. And at the same time, the expectation of ‘a great koi’ was changing.
So we have grades of koi now. And as I mentioned below in another post, ALL tategoi are unfinished but not all unfinished koi are tategoi!
When I mentioned grades I mean to suggest that there are levels of genetic qualities out there. They range from colored carp ( domestic stock mostly) to tateshita ( koi with no potential) to variety fish to show fish. And as you can imagine, we can’t really call unfinished colored carp, tateshita or even basic variety fish as ‘potential or future fish’.
In this day and age, color is multi-dimensional and is laid down in a certain type skin which develops as a fish ages and goes thru hormonal stages of life. This is the path of tategoi. And this is a total development as opposed to fixation fo pattern only. Beni at this age on tategoi is light orange/yellow in color with dark star centers. Not all lines develop this way, but it is a good prototype tategoi look to aim for.
It is also to the benefit of koi dealers to keep the definition of tategoi very broad. In this way, we all can own something to dream on. But this can also be a cruel and predatory teaching.
Please don’t misread me! It is a LOT of FUN to raise a baby koi and watch it finish! And this in itself is a great learning experience. But to dream a tosai into a 90 cm show fish is not to recognize the path of such a fish.
JR

[cppond]

Quote: Originally Posted by JasPR Morning ! Yes, that's right. The KJ 101 way of talking about tategoi was to use the word laterally. This was not helped by the language barrier that the literal translation of the word- potential. And at the same time, the expectation of ‘a great koi’ was changing. So we have grades of koi now. And as I mentioned below in another post, ALL tategoi are unfinished but not all unfinished koi are tategoi! When I mentioned grades I mean to suggest that there are levels of genetic qualities out there. They range from colored carp ( domestic stock mostly) to tateshita ( koi with no potential) to variety fish to show fish. And as you can imagine, we can’t really call unfinished colored carp, tateshita or even basic variety fish as ‘potential or future fish’. In this day and age, color is multi-dimensional and is laid down in a certain type skin which develops as a fish ages and goes thru hormonal stages of life. This is the path of tategoi. And this is a total development as opposed to fixation fo pattern only. Beni at this age on tategoi is light orange/yellow in color with dark star centers. Not all lines develop this way, but it is a good prototype tategoi look to aim for. It is also to the benefit of koi dealers to keep the definition of tategoi very broad. In this way, we all can own something to dream on. But this can also be a cruel and predatory teaching. Please don’t misread me! It is a LOT of FUN to raise a baby koi and watch it finish! And this in itself is a great learning experience. But to dream a tosai into a 90 cm show fish is not to recognize the path of such a fish. JR

So, if we see a koi at 6 inches with light orange/yellow color, this is preferred? Is there a way to distinguish the desirable type of yellow/orange as opposed to yellow/orange that is an indication of fading? Or, am I incorrect that this type of color at this stage of development is often an indication of fading?

[JasPR]

light orange with stars IF you are looking at the grade of fish that 'can' produce real tategoi. Otherwise you are buying fish that have been expertly culled and as such represent fish that are mostly male and 80% finished.
This is were small show fish come from- perfectly well patterned and perfectly colored show fish. Ready to go between ages one thru three. In this case you look for a deeply colored orange or red. One thick plate can certainly break and fade depending on genetics, stress levels and water parameter change. But this is part of 'koi' that we take a gamble on. especially when buying tosai of lower qualities. JR

[cppond]

Quote: Originally Posted by JasPR light orange with stars IF you are looking at the grade of fish that 'can' produce real tategoi. Otherwise you are buying fish that have been expertly culled and as such represent fish that are mostly male and 80% finished. This is were small show fish come from- perfectly well patterned and perfectly colored show fish. Ready to go between ages one thru three. In this case you look for a deeply colored orange or red. One thick plate can certainly break and fade depending on genetics, stress levels and water parameter change. But this is part of 'koi' that we take a gamble on. especially when buying tosai of lower qualities. JR

Thank you, Jr.