Benni going backwards or not?

[Erns]

Opinions on the benni on this sanke please. She is 60cm and 3 years old. She has grown very fast this season and the benni have thinned a little. We are going into autum now and I'll start feeding the colour enhancing food soon. Our show is end of May. The scales still has a very deep red heart but it's a little thin on the outsides. Opinions please. But be gentle. She had a very bad immune system as a nissai so it took a lot of TLC to raise her up to this size with no signs of all that she put me through!

[dick benbow]

I like your koi very much. Nice body shape, good white and black....perhaps she was stretched a little thin with extra growth. Let's access how the beni
fills back in during her time or increasinly slowed growth and metabolism. She looks like matsunosuke bloodline to me. Maybe next year you can slow her down a bit and not encourage massive growth. Another year or so and her lengthwise growth will give way to building a barrel like body with some depth.

I really appreciate hearing from South Africa, there are some really nice koi there and very good keepers and we just don't hear enough from them. Let us know how she does in may (please)

[MikeM]

I would like to see her in person. I think I am seeing a pale edge on scales within the Hi... not fading Hi, but immature Hi. The "look" says Matsunosuke. I do not believe she is ready for showing. It may take another couple of years. Rather than using color food, consider holding her for show when she is 30"+. She does not have the bulk her frame requires to show well, but in a couple of years she will. Do you have a mud pond or access to one?

[MikeM]

LOL... posting over one another, Dick. ....Matsunosuke gets attention quickly!

[Erns]

Thanks for the positive remarks. I don't have access to a mudpond. When she had all the health issues I wished I could just put her in one to build her immune system but mudponds are rare over here and with all the KHV issues breeders won't have us put any fish in the ponds and frankly I don't want to take that risk with my collection. Through good care, good food, lot's of DO and great water (and regular mulitvitamin injections!!) I was able to get her perfectly healthy. She has a mouth like a hoover and she attacks the food so it will be hard to slow the growth down. Our water stays at 16 degrees celsuis in winter as well so they stay active. But i'll take your advise and try. I'll take some pics of the fish I hope to show this year and post them for you to view. It will be my first show so i'm pretty nervous about it all.

She was bred by Hashigawa. I choose her out of this bunch in January 2006.

[Brutuscz]

Erns...I have a request of you. Can you show some bigger pictures of your pond?? I am doing something similar and want to see what you did a little better. Mine will be 4 ft below ground and 16 inches above.

oh...and I like the sanke. When the beni deepens it looks like a winner.

[Erns]

Quote: Originally Posted by Brutuscz Erns...I have a request of you. Can you show some bigger pictures of your pond?? I am doing something similar and want to see what you did a little better. Mine will be 4 ft below ground and 16 inches above.

You can see some pics on my pond at this site:
http://www.koinetwork.co.za/Home.asp...c.ascx&Rec=235

Let me know if you need more.

[MikeM]

Looking at the photo from "before", it seems the Hi is retracting in some areas. This is where you need someone more familiar with how her line develops to give a prediction. The fact that she has grown well for you and not lost Hi makes me think the retraction is part of the development process, but I'm getting out of my depth.

[KoiCop]

a very interesting koi -- and I do like it.

By comparing the two pictures we can get some idea of what's going on but, like MikeM said, it's hard to predict whether the hi is consolidating or going fugitive.

Only time will tell, and it'll be interesting to see this koi next year. Thanks for sharing,

[Gail]

Erns.I just returned form your website! What a great site it is....lots of info and the pond galleries was wonderful! There are some good sized ponds there...very nice.