Please evaluate several kohaku and ginrin showa!!!

[Brutuscz]

Hi...Definitely need some help!!! The ginrin showa are from Takahashi. The kohaku are from Marudo. all are in the 6-8 inch range. I do not know ages, birth dates or anything like that. I am deciding which to keep and grow out for myself and which to send packing. So far...I like the first kohaku and the first showa. Please let me know your opinions...as always, I appreciate them a great deal!!!


Lets call them kohaku1, kohaku2(2pics of that one), showa 1,2,3,4

[Brutuscz]

Here is a group photo...if it helps!!!

[dick benbow]

Working from left to right,
I like the uniformity of the beni on the first kohaku. It doesn't have a pattern obviously, But I think it's more stable. The second kohaku has a much better pattern but really not sure of the beni quality/stability. Lean toward the first one.
The Gin rins are always difficult to offer an opinion from a photo. GR does not photo well. That really is the priority cause a good pattern on a so-so GR when entered in GR doesn't cut it. Yet to enter it in showa and not GR is to already admit that it has one fault going against it already.....that said
the first one on the left has to my eye a pointy head. I don't care for that.
I like the last two better because of the white in the face which is important. Maybe lean toward the next to last.
But for GR look carefully at where the GR goes thru the different color patches. If some places have a soft spot and not as clear as others stay away from that one. You want uniformity between all the colors......fun thinking about the possibilities!

[CarolinaGirl]

Kohaku:
I like the body on #1 better. #2 has a more interesting pattern, but the beni looks weak in a couple of places. I would pass on both though, unless they are really cheap, in which case I'd pick #1.

Showa:
#1 has a pointy nose. #2 has a nice body, but is way too dark for my taste. At such a young age and to be so dark, it may be male and it also may be REALLY dark as a mature fish. #3 has the best body of the group. It's got a little too much pattern, but still a pretty fish. #4 has the best pattern at this age.

[Dan Blatt]

I don't care for any one of them...sorry...JMHO.

[koifishgirl]

If I was going to keep any it would be koi 2 and three. Reason just for the learning experience.

[Sangreaal]

For what it's worth,

I don't care for either of the kohaks--both have thin skin and poor shiro, which trumps even conformation at this stage in my book. From what I've learned so far from my own fish, if they don't have decent skin at 5" (no transparencies), it's not going to be forthcoming. Also note the red motoguro and the spashes of red down low on kohaku #2's face in the second pic--it could turn sanke further down the road. Bummer if you wanted a kohaku....

Out of the ginrin showas, I like #2 the best. It has the best conformation of the four and possibly the best ginrin. I'm not put off with the amount of sumi on it at all--at 6-8" it's still in it's baby stage and I anticipate a lot of rising and falling sumi in the coming years even without familiarity with the bloodline. It's a balanced fish conformation and pattern-wise, and if I were to guess (even with the amount of sumi), a female in a crowd of males.

Marie

[Brutuscz]

This is helping me a great deal. I am keeping the first kohaku as planned. I will also keep the showa #3. My issues and questions:
1 Will showa #3 develop adequate motogoro..I see the first ray of the pec fin is clear?
2 On showa #4...the beni is weak in the area I have circled. What do you think will come of this? This is my only concern with keeping this one.

Thanks again for the help!!

[dick benbow]

Sorry if I sound like a broken record but if your intent is to keep a koi past 24 inches and then show them, faults like red in the pec, motoguro missing, no tail stop ( remember it must be 2 cm's or else) becomes less of a fault as when the koi is smaller when most then are judged on pattern. Showas take a while to come into their own, so many are offed the first or second year after purchase only to be viewed by the original owner several years down the road. "gee, that's a nice showa where'd you get that"? from you! ..

[KoiCop]

Bob . . .

Sorry, but no keepers here. Don't see anything for show now and nothing to grow on, either. I'm sure you can do much better down the road.