2006 Fall Harvest Koi Arrive

[MikeM]

Dan: What a Showa. I'm in love.

[dick benbow]

Just got back from the bonsai nursery. Obeyed a lesson i learned in koi and really benefited!

Instead of going with a set idea of what I wanted only to be disappointed i looked for the best available one and found a really nice mugho pine. I have one already but this was too good to ignore. It had been the owners. he set it down on the ground and the roots had grown into the soil thru the pot. I got it home and soaked it good in B-12 and then slipped it out of the pot and repotted into something bigger.
The pot was a japanese one with nice chop on the bottom so was probably worth more than the pine.

How many of you guys go with an eye open for showa and maybe walk by something you shouldn't. Great lesson. Go with an open mind and get the best available koi! Youir out of luck with the makers mark tho.....

[Sallybet]

Dan, I am a newbie to the hobby and the board, and just lurk-a-lot-learning. I need to know - the orange and black koi in the middle of the picture - what kind is it, please?

Thanks -
Sarah

[chinadna]

nice pond ,nice water.

[moikoi]

Quote: Originally Posted by MikeM Dan: What a Showa. I'm in love.

yep! sure looks nice.

[Danjols]

Quote: Originally Posted by Sallybet Dan, I am a newbie to the hobby and the board, and just lurk-a-lot-learning. I need to know - the orange and black koi in the middle of the picture - what kind is it, please? Thanks - Sarah

Sarah, nice to hear from you, getting a lurker to post brings more interest to this board, plus often a lurker like yourself will ask questions others would like to know about.

I'm pretty sure you may have heard of KHV, a very awful condition that can wipe out a collection of fish in a heartbeat. Since we are now living in a KHV world it becomes very important to do all you can in the way of qurantine practices. The koi you have pointed out is our resident naive koi that we use to help us identify potential health risks, we call her "Bandit".

She was born from an accidential spawn a about four years ago, found her in a puddle down stream of our pond where we backwashed. Was living in this puddle all summer, picked her out of the mud and has since been living the life of luxery in our chambered filter and now our QT pond. Have tried to net her, you would think she had wings, maybe four feet in the air on about three different tries. She is really friendly, greets new arrivals in our QT pond and has a settling down attitude that helps our new koi adjust. Sharon loves to hand feed our koi worms, she will jump in front of much larger koi and beat them to those kind of snacks, hence "Bandit". I would guess she is a Heinz 57, maybe more sanke than not, but from Magoi blood line.

Thanks for asking

[Danjols]

Quote: Originally Posted by MikeM Dan: What a Showa. I'm in love.

Mike, Sharon purchased this Showa two years ago while visiting Fall Harvest Festivities, if you recall this was the first fall after the devastating earthquake. There were not as many westerners or for that matter fewer than normal at this harvest.

As in past years Sakai brothers host an auction open to all the day following harvest. If your a hobbyist or vendor, makes no difference, for you get to bid on koi as equals. This particular year this Showa ends up in the auction, Sharon bid on it and won. After the auction Toshio told Sharon he would like to keep for another year to go to the mudpond. So there is the story, what an amazing specimen for Showa, she is now a wide bodied 24 inch koi.

Dan

[JasPR]

Beautiful collection. Best of luck with the acclimation. JR

[Danjols]

Quote: Originally Posted by JasPR Beautiful collection. Best of luck with the acclimation. JR

Thank you JR, are going to Fall Harvest this year in Japan?

[JasPR]

Yes, but I have commited to judging the ZNA show in Florida in early Nov so I have to coordinate my time closely. Not sure if I'm going alone or with one of the boys yet? JR