So I Put On Some Tangerine Lip Gloss And Answered The Door...

[Sangreaal]

Quote: Originally Posted by KoiCop a beautiful kohaku that's practically guaranteed to give you years of viewing pleasure. Well chosen, my friend.

Thank you, Don

[Richard Rombold]

As always Marie you do my fish more justice than I. I worked today sorting through the main group of nisai koi we brought up Thursday. 500 fish total. Not the quality of this year's tosai, but a step forward from the nisai I posted back in November. What is relevant is how diverse my breeding has been as is illustrated in the differences in Marie's two fish. There are many more variations than this. There is no sjkoi keito to date. The current challenge is the process of tightening up the breeding program and directing it towards a goal. There are so many directions it could take, and so many influences that could be introduced. This is the whole purpose of posting on KB. I am calibrating and adjusting.

The first and most difficult portion of my koi venture is safely tucked under the belt. I know mud. I can raise koi efficiently and in number. Now it has become time to concentrate on quality and breeding. To bring together all those loose strings and make a strong rope. Good things will happen, but it will take many more years. There are no short cuts to raising koi. You can only do it, learn and adapt. The difficult thing is to survive.

[Russell Peters]

Quote: Originally Posted by Richard Rombold As always Marie you do my fish more justice than I. I worked today sorting through the main group of nisai koi we brought up Thursday. 500 fish total. Not the quality of this year's tosai, but a step forward from the nisai I posted back in November. What is relevant is how diverse my breeding has been as is illustrated in the differences in Marie's two fish. There are many more variations than this. There is no sjkoi keito to date. The current challenge is the process of tightening up the breeding program and directing it towards a goal. There are so many directions it could take, and so many influences that could be introduced. This is the whole purpose of posting on KB. I am calibrating and adjusting. The first and most difficult portion of my koi venture is safely tucked under the belt. I know mud. I can raise koi efficiently and in number. Now it has become time to concentrate on quality and breeding. To bring together all those loose strings and make a strong rope. Good things will happen, but it will take many more years. There are no short cuts to raising koi. You can only do it, learn and adapt. The difficult thing is to survive.

I know I am not alone when I say I hope you survive.

Russ

[Richard Rombold]

No worries Russ. I am analogous to the cockroach of the koi world. I survived what I call "black Friday" in '93 when no less than 25 cormorants, 30 blue herons, 50 great egrets, and uncounted night herons and green herons wiped out a Summer's work in a single morning. I survived the fushusho or spring death in '95. I survived having the farm go three feet under water in '99. Interesting night spent on the banks of the San Joaquin while my brood stock floated in a pen out in the flood waters. The river usually runs around 150 cfs. That night it was running at 63,000 cfs. There has been poaching, vandalism and the regular burglary from time to time. Many other odd calamities uncatalogued and conveniently forgotten. All interesting and character building events. Through it all we have managed to always be profitable and even make a decent living. Not off koi. There is no money in koi. That's a life's work which is it's own reward. Thank God I've always had a plan B to smooth out the rough patches.

[Russell Peters]

Quote: Originally Posted by Richard Rombold No worries Russ. I am analogous to the cockroach of the koi world. I survived what I call "black Friday" in '93 when no less than 25 cormorants, 30 blue herons, 50 great egrets, and uncounted night herons and green herons wiped out a Summer's work in a single morning. I survived the fushusho or spring death in '95. I survived having the farm go three feet under water in '99. Interesting night spent on the banks of the San Joaquin while my brood stock floated in a pen out in the flood waters. The river usually runs around 150 cfs. That night it was running at 63,000 cfs. There has been poaching, vandalism and the regular burglary from time to time. Many other odd calamities uncatalogued and conveniently forgotten. All interesting and character building events. Through it all we have managed to always be profitable and even make a decent living. Not off koi. There is no money in koi. That's a life's work which is it's own reward. Thank God I've always had a plan B to smooth out the rough patches.

I think we all should have a plan B, I know we do.

[Sangreaal]

Quote: Originally Posted by Richard Rombold As always Marie you do my fish more justice than I. I worked today sorting through the main group of nisai koi we brought up Thursday. 500 fish total. Not the quality of this year's tosai, but a step forward from the nisai I posted back in November. What is relevant is how diverse my breeding has been as is illustrated in the differences in Marie's two fish. There are many more variations than this. There is no sjkoi keito to date. The current challenge is the process of tightening up the breeding program and directing it towards a goal. There are so many directions it could take, and so many influences that could be introduced. This is the whole purpose of posting on KB. I am calibrating and adjusting. The first and most difficult portion of my koi venture is safely tucked under the belt. I know mud. I can raise koi efficiently and in number. Now it has become time to concentrate on quality and breeding. To bring together all those loose strings and make a strong rope. Good things will happen, but it will take many more years. There are no short cuts to raising koi. You can only do it, learn and adapt. The difficult thing is to survive.

I truly enjoy the differences in the koi I have in my pond that have come from you, Richard. From the biggest to the least, each has its own charm and qualities. That's why I can't help but share their images when I can't do so in person. Beauty is too precious not to share.

So with no further ado, here is a video after the launch of Nepenthe. Tigerlily may be the Queen of the Pond, but Nepenthe...she's the Empress....

http://s83.photobucket.com/albums/j3...t=100_2177.flv

Marie

[Richard Rombold]

Thanks Marie,

She has a nice presence doesn't she. It would be maddening to try and pin me down on just one style of Kohaku or Sanke, or say my fish look this way or that. However, I have fallen under the Matsunosuke spell and will certainly head that way, but there are so many paths to take, I just want to try them all.

[Sangreaal]

Yes, Nepenthe does have a nice presence indeed. She reminds me of an earthy elemental such as Virgo or Taurus--strong and solid in build but ever so serene, thoughtful and calm in her actions. Unlike the Tigerlily, who was so dynamic and imposing to the others that everyone hid in a corner when she was launched, Nepenthe glided calmly into the pond and everyone flocked to her immediately. Her calming influence on the pond was remarkable and well appreciated by the whole community she has joined.

But wouldn't it be a tad boring if every fish you produced were cookie-cutter the same as the last? I'm not talking consistent high quality here; that is something well worth the effort to achieve and should be the mission of every serious breeder. I'm talking about types within the variety, the quintessential ingredient of uniqueness and charisma that places one fish above another in its variety once quality is (for the most part) an established element of the bloodline being built.

So when it is time to choose the keepers and cull the mundane and deformed, the eye must necessarily wander towards the element of quality that is the sigil of the breeder's art--even if it's only a handful of koi out of a million. Your eye has served you well over the years...
In my pond I have different representatives of the quality you are unwaveringly producing, interesting subjects to study and admire. Scaleage has always fascinated me and you have provided me with a banquet of differing scales to wonder at, from a simple flat scale to the extreme of convex pearl scale and the effect they have on the presentation of color--and every one of them is marked with the elements of quality you must have myopically envisioned and measured against each and every fish at each and every cull.

No keito? Keito is a shared trait or trademark within a bloodline, is it not? Your fish characteristically have a glowing shiroji ground that can make even the worst pattern or conformation look good, it is so flawless and pure. I would think that this would be your first keito attributed to the bloodline you're building with your Kohaks (since I am most familiar with them), if keito indeed embraces more than conformation alone.

I'm no expert on koi but I have a critical eye for quality, and I have to tell you, the addition of Matsunosuke genes to your breeding program gets me all goose-pimply with anticipation.

The expression "Pretty fish to pretty fish" in this instance couldn't be more apropo....

Marie

[Richard Rombold]

My first up close encounter with the Matsunosuke Sanke left me sleepless for two nights. I know their inherit quality means new challenges in rearing them, but oh what I could do with Toshio's bloodlines. I'll continue on with my more promising projects, and even venture outside of line breeding, so no need to worry about getting bored. I'm just going to need a lot more ponds, and a lot more room for grow-out. In addition to the decision to begin studying, and in a year or two, begin breeding matsunosuke, I've decided to drop Platinum Ogons and Hariwake to free up resources and time. Our pairings this Spring will be Kohaku, Gin-Rin Kohaku, Sanke and Yamabuki.

[koiczar]

Nice choices for breeding this year Richard. Can't wait to see pics of your nisai and sansai after this year's harvest.

Mike