Sakai Sanke 3yr old

[hwong]

Hi ,
This is my other Sanke that was purchased as a Nisai during our End 2005 Koi hunt at Hiroshima. It has been living a luxurious life of good food and excellent water in Dr Teh's Pond. So I must give all credit to Dr Teh for his koi keeping skills. I dont quite remember the exact size maybe 59cm? I also do not know the parent, the certificate is still with Dr Teh. I am quite sure she has the Matsunosuke blood. It was long and slim when I bought her BUT she has a thick tail tube.

I wasnt quite sure that I wanted 2 keep this koi but Dr Teh underwrote the purchase; that he will find a buyer if I changed my mind about her. Six months in his pond and still no takers. FOrtunately though; bcos by that time, she was developing nicely and I decided to keep her.


This koi has an interesting story to it. There was an old koi dealer who was quite miffed that I had spotted her b4 him and he made a big issue with Kentaro's uncle suggesting that I had netted her from the tategoi pond instead of the general grade pond. I was a little pissed with that and aksed Kentaro what the heck the ruckus was about . He said the old fellow felt that this koi is too good to be in the general grade pond! So I asked his Uncle why. He explained that this is a very good koi EXCEPT he was not confident that the sumi would close up and form solid sumi patches. I was relieved bcos cheap good kois usually means problem koi.

She is now 75cm and I am very confident she will grow beyond 80cm in no time in her new home.
What do you think of this koi?

[Bob Winkler]

I like her and I am jealous We can't get ours to grow that much in the temps in colorado.

I see the point about the sumi not being solid, and it is a bit distracting. But the body shape is pretty good and the beni looks good at first glance. Potentially a couple weak points in the beni. What is the water temp it is being kept in?
I am still jealous, darn it

[KoiCop]

three years old and already pushing 30" is very impressive growth. Well done. A lovely koi.

As for finish, I think this koi has a ways to go and hope it continues to improve. Good luck and please keep us posted.

[Gail]

I like the girth,,,and would be more than happy to have to watch that in my pond It sure would be great if that sumi did finish solid!

[dick benbow]

the koi looks like typical matsunosuke from magoi breeding. I don't see any marusome do you Bob? I think the presence of a big young vigorous koi like that is something to enjoy and if the sumi gathers it will be nothing but a bonus. Wonderful growth rate, you must have some pretty big waters to help it grow like that. Always good to hear from koi keepers outside europe and the states!

[MikeM]

Dick: Could you expand on what you see that says "magoi blood" to you?

[Bob Winkler]

Hi Dick,

Hints of marusome kiwa in the middle section, esp on the right side of the body. But also some beni breaking up, esp on the left

[hwong]

Hi,
In the tropics we are blessed with year round warm weather. Our kois eat all the time, we feed them all the time (maybe too much) and they grow well but they are also active all the time. The down side to this is

1. They burn up the calories and do not built up the fat that gives the bulk. We seldom get kois with the bulk like in colder climates. Kentaro says that Kois will store fat when the temp drops. It's like they are getting ready for hibernation. He says he readies the competition kois by artificially cycling the "season" by rasing and dropping the temp. The koi peaks during the major shows which is always during cold periods like Nov and January.
2. The Hi thin out when they grow so rapidly.
3. Fast big - fast die

This koi was kept for 14 months in Dr Teh 20 tons pond. He feeds small amounts around 8 ~ 10 times a day. He water is super with high Dissolved Oxygen levels. She is now in my own recently completed pond 28 feet X 11 feet X 4~5feet deep. I am betting on the length to give my kois the exercise to built their bodies.

About this sanke,

1. A fellow Malaysian commented that she looks like a Momotaro. Sakai do pair their Sanke females with Momotaro males. So the Magoi like characteristics shows.
2. The Sumi may never solidify but consolation is it is of high quality
3. The Hi was quite weak at purchase but has improved much and I hope will continue to when fed with color food.
4. The Kiwa of the first Hi patch is weak but good maruzome like kiwa for the rest.
5. The so called "break up" hi patch to my right is original and a weak point BUT not due to deterioration.

So why did I buy this Koi Hmmnnn...her voluptious body?
People, pls continue your discussion rgearding this koi. I want to learn!

[PapaBear]

hwong, you do have a good eye (and a good friend in Dr. Teh for giving you the final nugde on this one ) His Koi selection and keeping skills are well respected by many and by me in particular. She does have a great body, and when one considers the 365 day growing season her sumi and beni look exceptional to me. It takes fantastic water management, the right feeding regime, and a pond with plenty of room to swim to handle that kind of growth well.
Your new pond should give her plenty of room to move and grow, and hopefully it will keep her well for many years to come.
If I remember correctly you have a Bakki shower on your new system similar to Dr. Teh's don't you? Also, will you be continuing Dr. Teh's same feeding regime with spirulina and silkworm?

[hwong]

"If I remember correctly you have a Bakki shower on your new system similar to Dr. Teh's don't you? Also, will you be continuing Dr. Teh's same feeding regime with spirulina and silkworm?"

Yes I do have a 4 tier shower system. I use 100 KG of ceramic Bio-Rings, 1,000 Plastic Bio balls, Pieces of Mats. I gush all that with pond water fed from 2 bottom drains that run through 12 feet of conventinal filter 39 K liters per hour. I have another conventinal filter 16 feet long drawing water form mid level.

I dont think I will keep Dr Teh's feeding regime for now. But I intend to install an auto-feeder to feed 6 times from 6 am ~ 5pm. I will manual feed in the late evening. As for feed, I will be feeding a mixture of protein and color. But not silkworm.