How to prepare koi for show ?

[Bob Winkler]

one month b4 show....... no color food....It is too late at that point and your shiro will be "off", if not pink, just in time for the show....The white "makes" the red, if that makes sense more than the other way around. Just start at the 1 month to go point of the outline...not as good as the whole program, but better than a diff way. We each have our own way to get to our desitination, and your way may be a very good way... perhaps better. Only one way to find out. Try it, unless it has been tried already.

[MikeM]

Excellent outline, Bob. You've shared those points before, but I did not save them.

[dimashp]

hmmm...well, now my question comes to a point when are we supposed to feed them with colour enhancing food ? coz...i read and i do experience it myself, if koi is below 40cm (about 1-2 yrs old), and if i feed it with colour enhancing food....their shiroji will be no more white...pinkish and it is very hard to make them turn normal...and since all my koi which i want to enter, are about and below 40cm...should i feed them with colour enhancing food ?

[aquitori]

Quote: Originally Posted by dimashp hmmm...well, now my question comes to a point when are we supposed to feed them with colour enhancing food ? coz...i read and i do experience it myself, if koi is below 40cm (about 1-2 yrs old), and if i feed it with colour enhancing food....their shiroji will be no more white...pinkish and it is very hard to make them turn normal...and since all my koi which i want to enter, are about and below 40cm...should i feed them with colour enhancing food ?

What are the temps of your water?
Do you have pics of the fish you want to show?

What I find hardest is to have the koi show all the fine points: white shiroji, bright color and good conformation. Since this is ZNA style judging, I would concentrate on the ground of the fish which is the skin. A more softer youthful look always takes the eyes of the judges.

[PapaBear]

Since you are going from a mud pond to concrete 1 month before the show it would seem that any use of color enhancers should be limited to their time in the mud pond... but it may be redundant.
In the mud pond they should be benefiting from eating the bugs, worms, etc... that would naturally be there and enhancing their color already. Adding some leafy greens, citrus fruits, shrimp, etc... may be beneficial in the mud pond in the months preceeding removal to the concrete pond, but switch to hi silk only on the schedule Bob W. suggested. It should clear up the shiroji nicely so the colors stand out against the clean white ground.
Snce you are using spring water flow through on your concrete pond (I assume from the same source as your mud pond) ph shock at moving time should not be an issue, but I would test both waters just in case. If your mud pond ph is considerably higher it would be adviseable to buffer your concrete pond to match before the move. Then you can let the flow through water exchange slowly lower the ph to its natural level. Finding out the ph of the water at the show venue is a very good suggestion as matching your "finishing water" to the show tank water will minimize any stress at the time of the show.