Which Kagura is Better?

[ppp]

I'm told that for F1, the beni at the mid section area will be separated as the fish grows bigger, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

I thought koi photos are normally taken during daytime but under cover? My dealer puts up cardboard covers to shield out direct sunlight as this causes too much reflection on the water surface. Anyway the photos I posted are the original ones taken by Maruyama himself.

I have an aggressive feeding routine so I expect the beni on the fish to turn more orangey and the shiroji to turn slightly more yellow over the next few months. I net my pond only twice a year, and the next time is in about 3weeks' time when I start a month-long renovation of my pond. Hope to have better photos to show you guys by then.

So sorry to hear about the deformity on your koi, Mike. I know how this feels, although in your case you already knew the condition from Day 1. I purchased a Hiroi sanke last year which won 1st runner up in the 2006 All-Japan as well as the All-Japan Wakagoi. Obviously it cost a lot of money. I recently gave it away as it fell prey to hikui. It was really sad because I really loved its tsubo sumi pattern which looked like a piece of art to me. This is personal of course, and I don't expect everyone to feel the same way about it. Anyway, here it is during its more glorious days..

[k.tran]

wow i like to sanke too bad about the hikui

of the 2 kohakus i prefer koi b

[ppp]

F1 - 64cm



F2 - 55cm



Hi everyone,

Just an update for these two koi of mine. These are the same 2 koi after spending 15 months in my 100 ton concrete pond.

F1 was 41cm in July 2007 and measured 64cm in Sep 2008. F2 was only 32cm in July 2007 and measured 55cm in Sep 2008. F1 seems to be growing better, with its long body shape. In real life, it looks almost twice as big (in terms of volume) compared to F2. Somehow I feel a little disappointed that F2 has not caught up on its 9cm deficit, although it has grown the same number of centimetres as F1 over the 15 months. I have a number of Maruyama kohakus and they were all past 60cm by this age. Maybe F2's relatively short (stubby?) body shape will be telling? Anyway, patience will have to be the key for F2. It has a beautiful big fish pattern, so I hope it can one day grow into a big fish in order to show off its big fish pattern!

Hope you experts out there can help me evaluate the relative development of these 2 koi?

Thanks!

Cheers,
Paul
http://www.youtube.com/user/hooinc

[luke frisbee]

GREAT? dang it....I read the whole thread just to find out it is 15 months old..
I preferred the second koi because of the thicker tailtube (and secondly the big girl pattern).
But I would have gone with the first one based on the bigger size and same spawn and the fact it was supporting itself by eating ALL the food offered...big koi know they are growing and will risk going to the surface (and staying if needed) to get all the food their body is demanding....
i still like the first one even though she doesn't have the tailtube mass of the other and her pattern is "unique".

[ppp]

Thanks for your reply, Luke. I meant this as a thread to study the development of 2 koi from the same spawn. Perhaps Maruyamas are not common/popular in the US, therefore not much interest?

One thing I note about Maruyama kohakus, they have a tendency to develop shimmies. 2 out of my 4 Maruyama kohakus have got shimmies. Well, one each. If you look carefully, F2 has a tiny one near the dorsal fin. Friends with Maruyama kohakus have made the same observation on their fish.

Cheers,
Paul
YouTube - hooinc's Channel

[Flounder]

Impressive pond you got there, 100 tons.

Thanks for the update on these 2, you're getting amazing growth on them.

[ppp]

Quote: Originally Posted by Flounder Impressive pond you got there, 100 tons. Thanks for the update on these 2, you're getting amazing growth on them.

Thanks, Flounder, for your comments. My pond is modern and functional. No landscaping involved at all. Neither I nor my wife have green fingers (everything we plant dies!!), so we concentrate on the koi.

Actually in the tropics where I live (land of eternal summer!), good growth rates are normal. Koi have ravenous appetites in our water temperatures because they tend to be more active and their metabolic rates are higher. These 2 kohakus grew 23cm in 15 months. I've had a Rose Symbol male kohaku that grew from 24cm to 49cm in just 5 months in my pond. And many other hobbyists here have registered even better growth than I have. Maybe more so for ogons and chagoi, but even then...


Cheers,
Paul
YouTube - hooinc's Channel

[Flounder]

Saw your youtube video and couldn't believe the noises that the frogs made!

[ppp]

Quote: Originally Posted by Flounder Saw your youtube video and couldn't believe the noises that the frogs made!

Haha, yes. That was on one of the night time videos. Frogs come to mate occasionally (maybe once a month?), usually on a wet day. I've tried to make my pond "frog proof" with walls and netting, but somehow one or two will still find their way into the pond. They will never find a way to get out though, and I have to fish them out or they will end up dying inside. Hate frogs, they carry parasites (fish lice etc).

Cheers,
Paul
YouTube - hooinc's Channel

[MikeM]

The second one did not grow as much, but I keep going back to her. I like her best. I cannot explain why. It's just 'something'. You've grown both very nicely.