Big Rose Kohaku

[dtbh]

Today I netted my Big Rose kohaku to take some photographs after a long "lay-off" and I thought I'll share the progress of this koi with you.

Bought in Nov 2005 as a nissai (61.5cm) from SFF, it has been in my pond since. I am pleasantly surprised that she is now 76.5cm and I just love how her body is developing. Hope you like her too.

At purchase


Today at 76.5cm


To hopefully show the nice fukurin

[kevin]

Wow

That is a stunning fish and congratulations for getting her so big and kept her condition-whats the secret?

I shall be visiting Japn for first time in October and SFF, hope I can afford the visit!!!

Regards

Kevin

[Birdman]

Very nice, you have done well.

[PapaBear]

I've always enjoyed seeing this one How often do you get to see a beni fish pattern swimming down the length of a nice big body like that Length and girth both coming together very nicely, and the pattern just grows with the fish. Excellent.

[Eugeneg]

[quote=dtbh;84491]Today I netted my Big Rose kohaku to take some photographs after a long "lay-off" and I thought I'll share the progress of this koi with you.

Nice to see the progress thanks for sending . This fish is a little to big for your pond if you were kind to it you would send it to my pond each summer .
Sometimes I wonder how koi are raised itjust does not make sense to raise a fish the first 2 winters in Japan at tremendous heating costs and then sell to Malesia or South africa as a nissai . When they really should be raised in Malesia from the 5 month age then shipped around the world or back to Japan at the age of 3 when a dormancy can be given to get full potential of fish .
Regards
Eugene

[dick benbow]

With Kentaro's Rose line, it reminds of of a sausage that is just stuffed as tight as it can be! Amazing body shape and nice beni. Thanks for posting

[dtbh]

Thank you all for viewing and leaving your comments. Much appreciated.

Quote: Originally Posted by kevin Wow That is a stunning fish and congratulations for getting her so big and kept her condition-whats the secret? I shall be visiting Japn for first time in October and SFF, hope I can afford the visit!!! Kevin

If you are in Hiroshima, SFF is a must visit.

I feed my kois 5-8x a day....used to do it 8-9x/day. I have a very big filter to cope (2.5x the size of my pond...an overkill). This kois eats very well which must be the reason why it has grown so well.

Thanks a lot, Kevin. All the best to you in your coming trip and happy hunting!

Quote: Originally Posted by Birdman Very nice, you have done well.

Thanks Birdman. I hope she'll continue to surprise.

Quote: Originally Posted by PapaBear I've always enjoyed seeing this one How often do you get to see a beni fish pattern swimming down the length of a nice big body like that Length and girth both coming together very nicely, and the pattern just grows with the fish. Excellent.

Not many people liked the pattern at purchase. I normally try to look beyond that and imagine her putting on girth. With that I think the front patch of beni will become more interesting....very much like what you said she having a pattern that'll grow with the fish.

Thanks PapaBear! I am glad you share my opinion.

Quote: Originally Posted by Eugeneg Nice to see the progress thanks for sending . This fish is a little to big for your pond if you were kind to it you would send it to my pond each summer . Sometimes I wonder how koi are raised itjust does not make sense to raise a fish the first 2 winters in Japan at tremendous heating costs and then sell to Malesia or South africa as a nissai . When they really should be raised in Malesia from the 5 month age then shipped around the world or back to Japan at the age of 3 when a dormancy can be given to get full potential of fish . Regards Eugene

You may be right. This koi may soon be too big for my pond which is just about 20 tons. This Big Rose will grow beyond 80cm and in a bigger pond should reach near 90cm.

Quote: Originally Posted by dick benbow With Kentaro's Rose line, it reminds of of a sausage that is just stuffed as tight as it can be! Amazing body shape and nice beni. Thanks for posting

I have always liked this lineage esp from Big Rose. Unfortunately Kentaro told me that she would be paired with a sanke from that year onwards. That should be good news for those who like sankes (Hwong has a wonderful Big Rose sanke that I saw yesterday).

Thanks Dick for your thoughts!

[JasPR]

Nice fish. And I'm sure she is agreat source of pride for you. You did an excellent job of keeping her youthful looking. Beyond that I'm not getting the comments that are being made by the group????

The body is good, the growth rate for a 14 year old fish is normal. Most females of a good lineage are 28- 32 inches at this age.
In addition, this fish was 24 1/2 inches at 24 months. And has grown another 6 inches in 12 years?! This proves that forced growth technique in one and two year olds is an illusion as the fish simply slows and grows to normal adult size after age 4. Yet one pays up for the promise of a 96 cm monster.
The beni is beginning to decline in this fish. The kiwa is retreating on the edges. The beni is good quality but thinning. At least this is how it appears in this photo.
Finally, the pattern is of an inazuma type and is considered primitive by most breeders as a type. It is of least value due to lack of wrap over the body ( this is harder to get) and/or stepped pattern ( that is harder to get also). In show fish that have inazuma, the majority are males. But the females can get very far also IF the inazuma moves across the body ( from right to left and left to right) and balances the koi as opposed to just running down the backbone.
Again, my apologies. My intent was not to upset you or take any pride away from your fish. You have done an excellent job in keeping this fish- really excellent. But the kudos were building to a real lesson in misteaching and I thought I should correct the record. Koi is a learning experience and it is important to stay on the right path. - JR

[Eugeneg]

I feed my kois 5-8x a day....used to do it 8-9x/day. I have a very big filter to cope (2.5x the size of my pond...an overkill). This kois eats very well which must be the reason why it has grown so well.

The growth of your fish is quite normal and considering that it has been very well fed during its life span is not likely to go over 85cm . As compared to a Nigata climate has been force fed . Rose is great for breeding but after that it is an ugly looking fish . I think that fish at that age can not be fed too much and only for 6months . Then you should have a dormancy period for 3 monyhs and lightly fed for next 3 months so eggs are not produced in large number or the body will not keep its shape . I certainly would like to have a fish like that butfor breeding .
Regards
Eugene

[dtbh]

Quote: Originally Posted by JasPR Nice fish. And I'm sure she is agreat source of pride for you. You did an excellent job of keeping her youthful looking. Beyond that I'm not getting the comments that are being made by the group???? The body is good, the growth rate for a 14 year old fish is normal. Most females of a good lineage are 28- 32 inches at this age. In addition, this fish was 24 1/2 inches at 24 months. And has grown another 6 inches in 12 years?! This proves that forced growth technique in one and two year olds is an illusion as the fish simply slows and grows to normal adult size after age 4. Yet one pays up for the promise of a 96 cm monster. The beni is beginning to decline in this fish. The kiwa is retreating on the edges. The beni is good quality but thinning. At least this is how it appears in this photo. Finally, the pattern is of an inazuma type and is considered primitive by most breeders as a type. It is of least value due to lack of wrap over the body ( this is harder to get) and/or stepped pattern ( that is harder to get also). In show fish that have inazuma, the majority are males. But the females can get very far also IF the inazuma moves across the body ( from right to left and left to right) and balances the koi as opposed to just running down the backbone. Again, my apologies. My intent was not to upset you or take any pride away from your fish. You have done an excellent job in keeping this fish- really excellent. But the kudos were building to a real lesson in misteaching and I thought I should correct the record. Koi is a learning experience and it is important to stay on the right path. - JR

Thank you JR for highlighting my error in my purchase date. It should be 2005 instead of "95...my bad. This koi is only 4+yr old. No need to apologise JR. Each feedback is a learning experience. For that I am really thankful.

The photo does not do justice to her beni. I must agree it had thinned a bit considering the growth but it is still of very good quality. This is one of the many reasons why I advice hobbyists not to buy kois merely by looking at the photos.

I fully agree that the pattern of this koi is her weak point. I am a "body structure" enthusiast and that was the over-riding factor why I bought this koi. If the pattern is any better I would have to pay thro' my nose. As it is she already burnt a fairly big hole in my pocket.

Thanks again JR. Always nice to hear you views.

Quote: Originally Posted by Eugeneg I feed my kois 5-8x a day....used to do it 8-9x/day. I have a very big filter to cope (2.5x the size of my pond...an overkill). This kois eats very well which must be the reason why it has grown so well. The growth of your fish is quite normal and considering that it has been very well fed during its life span is not likely to go over 85cm . As compared to a Nigata climate has been force fed . Rose is great for breeding but after that it is an ugly looking fish . I think that fish at that age can not be fed too much and only for 6months . Then you should have a dormancy period for 3 monyhs and lightly fed for next 3 months so eggs are not produced in large number or the body will not keep its shape . I certainly would like to have a fish like that butfor breeding . Regards Eugene

I used to feed very aggressively given our hot climate the whole year round. I have since pulled back a bit with most days feeding 5x/day each time just enough for them to finish within a few minutes. Moreover I have started to stop feeding during weekends to give both my kois and filter a rest.