Shiro Utsuri greyed after spawning?

[Koicare]

Hi Everyone
This one has definately got me really confused and worried...
My Shiro Utsuri spawned this year. Last year she did not spawn (I moved her to her new pond and obviously upset her in the process). This year her spawn took more than 6 hours - and after the spawning (over a period of about 1 week) she started to loose her sumi. It does not appear to have gone - it appears to have greyed completely - please see the photos.
I do not know what has happened - do you think the stress of the spawn could have done this? Do you think the sumi will change back to jet black like it used to be? She is such a special fish - she is 5 years old and 65cm!!!
I am really concerned and worried about her!
The water parameters after the spawn were horrid - the pH started to drop, the ammonia was high. I did partial water changes, added zeolite to pick up the ammonia, added bi-carb to bring up the pH and settle my carbonates - it took me +- 2 days to get the water to stablise back to its normal pristine condition. Do you think that had an effect?

[HenryC]

It sounds like she went through a great deal of stress, so it does not surprise me that her sumi went down. I have seen several shiro utsuri's sumi go down only to come back later. It may take only a few months or as much as a year. A fellow club member's shiro utsuri had most of its sumi disappear for more than a year. It came back this summer to a beautiful lacquer black and she won Reserve Champion at the ZNA Naples Koi show back in November.

Don't give up on her. Just give her good water and have patience.

[Koicare]

Thank you - I was worried that maybe something else had happened - some strange disease that I have not yet encountered .

There still appears to be quiet a lot of black (shadows) underneath the grey - so I will be patient, and WHEN she changes (I am being really positive here) I will send a photo to show the change! This is really quiet odd for me!

I have honestly never seen a fish this old just suddenly change like this! One would have thought that given her age, and the fact that she has been so stable in her colouration all her life - this would NEVER??? have happened!

I have seen much smaller fish change colour and I have not even blinked an eye - just taken it that this is what koi are all about - this was truelly a first for me - and quite a SHOCKER!!!!

[dick benbow]

I agree with Henry...the situation is stress induced and the expectation is that in time this koi could very well recover to her former self.

over the decades one thing I've learned is that for shiro utsuri's or tancho
kohakus, they are the "canary in the coal mine" meaning anything goes awry in their water conditions and they are the first koi that red flags it for you.
My sense is that you stressed more than she did.....i think arnoild schwartzenagger said it best....." I'll be bock "....and so will your shiro......

[Koicare]

Thanks Dick!
Just had a wee little bit of a panic there!!!
I am definately starting to feel better!