Which Kagura is Better?

[ppp]

Just like your comments as to which of the following 2 female Kagura (Murata) is the better long term fish. They're aki nisai, about 35cm.

[PapaBear]

I'm leaning toward B. Bigger pattern, same quality of shiroji/beni as A, same body conformation.
B should become better balanced as it grows to maturity as the big pattern will then fit the fish. A will likely become more imbalanced as it puts on size.

[MikeM]

Yes, not much difference except pattern. Prefer B for pattern. A is imbalanced now from left to right. In regard to the peduncle area, the sideways angle of the pic of A makes comparison tricky, but I think B may have superior body structure also.

[aquitori]

Would like to see the shade of beni in the sun, it would give a better sense of depth.

[Koimann]

They look more like Maruyama than Murata.Both have good structure,prefer B.

[aquitori]

I would go with Kohak A, better conformation and better overall lenght. Kohaku B is just too short in lenght in ratio to head lenght. But when it comes to selection of shiroji quality it is hard to say without seeing the koi in sunlight.

[ppp]

Yes, both are Maruyama fish, mother Murata bloodline and father Kagura bloodline. Maruyama uses several pairings for their kohaku breeding, including Kamiya-Kagura.

My wife prefers the unique pattern on F1 but personally, I prefer F2 - its pattern would be fantastic on a big body. That is, if the fish performs.

Haven't had the chance to measure them yet, but in reality F2 is actually much smaller (I estimate 30cm) than F1 (I estimate 38cm) despite them coming from the same spawning. Having had them in my pond for a week now, I notice that F2 eats sinking food but not floating food. F1 eats both.

I hope F2's growth rate will catch up in due course. Its body structure is conducive for a big fish.

[ppp]

By the way, Maruyama himself rates F1 as better than F2, but both are supposedly tategoi.

[KoiCop]

ppp . . .

Nice fish. Between the two, there's something for everybody!

I'm with Tony on wanting to see better pix -- and will wait before choosing myself.

[koiczar]

I agree, better photos would likely tell a different story. But based on what I can "see" I would take fish B.

A's beni is already showing signs of being stretched too far. Look closely at the right shoulder area. The sashi has split lines already into the beni, as does the left side mid dorsal hi at the bottom edge. B shows slightly slower growth, which at this time doesn't necessarily mean a bad thing. These are both tosai remember. If Murata, just 12 months old. The Kamiya x Kagura are now 11 months. My avatar is a 22" nisai Kamiya x Kagura I purchased in January. Due to a slight deformity, it's going to be sent to a breeder for oyagoi for next year. Maruyama thought VERY HIGHLY of this fish until he bowled it for me to see. The excitement in his voice when I pointed to it quickly gave way to disappointment upon bowling it. It's one of the most beautiful nisai I had seen in a few years. The beni and shiroji on this fish are amazing.The price would have been in the high 4 figures, but due to the deformity, he practically gave it to me. Russ said, "you probably saved it's life", and I agree. Just thought I would take a chance on it being something "temporary" but it has gotten worse. The left shoulder is larger than the right and makes the fish look like it's crooked. Oh well, live and learn. I think it has potential as an oyagoi because of the genetics within the fish. Hopefully, the deformity is not genetic as well. We shall see!

Mike