How old is that koi?

[lildude]

so the terms.

Aki tosai = end of first year
Haru tosai = beginning of first year
and so on?

Please correct me if I am wrong.

[bekko]

Quote: I was thinking to myself, "dang, these are pretty big koi for 3-4 months old"!

You can tell by the intensity of the color.

-s te

[PapaBear]

Quote: Originally Posted by LammiKoi Wow, it looks like this is another way for dealers to rip people that are new to the hobby off. I was at a koi shop a few days ago looking for a potential baby champion. It just so happened that the dealer just received a shipment of koi btwn 4-6 inches long. I asked how old they were and he said that they were tosai that just hatched in March/April of this year. I was thinking to myself, "dang, these are pretty big koi for 3-4 months old"! Are these really tosai that are born in March/April of 2007 or are they really nisai born in spring/summer of 2006?

Spring shipments can be from an early spring hatch or last fall, either of which would still be tosai. Even in our tiny little spawn from this may, grown in a fry tank far below the standards used by the Japanese breeders, we have quite a few fish that are 3-5 inches long at barely 2 months old. If a rank amateur like me can grow a flock spawn that easily you can bet the Japanese have no trouble doing the same from a planned spawn of high quality parent stock. (I've gotta thin them out to make room for the 1 month olds that are getting a bit crowded in their tank too)

[MikeM]

Close, Lil' but not quite. Ake-nisai refers to a tosai that is moving into its second season, but not there yet. I've not seen the phrasing ake-tosai used. They are in their first season once hatched. ...BTW, I think "aki" is the romanji for "autumn" ?? Maybe somebody knows.

[RayJordan]

It is hard to imagine that koi available for sale in mid summer were spawned this same spring. They may have been spawned last fall or last spring.

One clue can be the nature of a baby koi's fins. Most of the time baby koi, especially gosanke white based koi, will have clear fins for the first year.

[lildude]

Quote: Originally Posted by MikeM Close, Lil' but not quite. Ake-nisai refers to a tosai that is moving into its second season, but not there yet. I've not seen the phrasing ake-tosai used. They are in their first season once hatched. ...BTW, I think "aki" is the romanji for "autumn" ?? Maybe somebody knows.

oh ok, so haru (spring) plays no roles in the japanese names...?
Yes, aki is the romaji for autumn. but its a little confusing to understand.
Aki nisai. usually I would understand fall 2 year old, End of 2 year old?
but I have a lot to learn

[Super Kindai]

Lammikoi.
Accually, 4-6" by 3-4 month old is normal size and it would be possible if the dealer received a shipment from somewhere in a warmer region like Hawaii or South Asia...... but I think these fish that you saw a few days ago were not imported from Japan. March/April is still too cold to breed and new born tosai will be available for sale by the end of Aug - Sept.

Shimegai is a technique to maintain the size of the small koi, for example 8" 3 years old, and finish the color by color food. Those koi are very strong for koi show compatetion.
Jumbo tosai could be reached over 20" by March/April. It's not so many but almost 24" of the super jumbo tosai is available too. That's WOW

[Super Kindai]

Quote: Originally Posted by lildude oh ok, so haru (spring) plays no roles in the japanese names...? Yes, aki is the romaji for autumn. but its a little confusing to understand. Aki nisai. usually I would understand fall 2 year old, End of 2 year old? but I have a lot to learn

It's called AKE..... instead of AKI......
( Ake = to become, to begin＝ 明け. Aki = autumn = 秋 )

[lildude]

I am tieing 明け to 明日, similar kanji. but mean different things, but the first kanji 明 is similar in both respects.. are there any other terms that the japanese use to describe the progress of each year?

[Super Kindai]

Quote: Originally Posted by lildude I am tieing 明け to 明日, similar kanji. but mean different things, but the first kanji 明 is similar in both respects.. are there any other terms that the japanese use to describe the progress of each year?

What do you mean " the progress of each year"? Are you talking about season? (Sorry, English is not my first language...)