Some developmental photo's...Trying to learn and draw conclusions.

[Brutuscz]

I photographed a few today and compared them to old pictures. Several were going south and will get the walking papers soon. The kujaku really shocked me..went from 5 to 10 inches..got nice and thick. But, the melanism!!!! Never saw that coming. The showa is from matsunosuke and has never grown quickly. As you can see, the beni is not doing great. The hi utsuri really changed. On the left..4 inches and a nice little Ki Utsuri. I thought it had some potential. Man, I was dead wrong. On the right 16+inches..now a hi utsuri..and MESSY!!! The ginrin kohaku..It went from 3 to 5 inches...what the heck happened to this koi?? Never seen one do this...Healthy and eats like crazy. Just waay too chubby...looks like a golf ball!!! The shiro utsuri is from Marusho. I am thrilled!!! I couldn't capture it well with this photo. The shiro was like snow...the sumi like coal. Body is getting nice and thick. This one has injured itself several times. Jumping, breeding, etc. I thought I was going to lose this one several times...but it always responded well to injections. This koi is a pleasant surprise...looked amazing to see in person. Great head pattern. My pond seems to love sumi.
Anyway..for the sake of education...opinions and comments are welcome and encouraged. Anyone with developmental pics to add...please feel free.

[Russell Peters]

It is really nice to see the progress in the pictures. The only comment I have is that with the Matsunosuke showa the quality was never good to start with. You can see in the original picture how thin, broken up and bad the beni is. Beni like that will not get better. The quality of the sumi is not there either. I hope that you see this from the pictures so that when you decide to buy more Showa you will know the early warning signs a little better and not waste you time on another one with bad quality. I think that alone should have made the showa a good learning Koi for you. Thank you for the pictures.

[Brutuscz]

I agree 100% Russ. I bought that koi almost 2 years ago. It has always been healthy and a good eater...yet only grew 3 inches in 2 years!! I am still waiting to see sumi on the head. The beni looked a little better when I first acquired it(no pics from then)...but went south steadily. I actually feel bad getting rid of it..as it has taught me a great deal. But, as they say, onwards and upwards!!

[MikeM]

All the negatives you point out can be seen in the younger fish once you know what you are looking at, except the spread of sumi over the Kujaku. I'd appreciate comments on that from those more knowledgeable of Kujaku. ...Perhaps there is something the breeder would see, but is there something that would clue in the hobbyist.

[saratogatan]

the kohaku has something inside her belly. Likely tumor, enalrged organ or massive/large parasites.

stan

[PapaBear]

I'm with Stan on the Kohaku... That's just messed UP! Never seen one puffed up like that unless it had something seriously bad going on inside.
I'd like to hear some feedback on the Kujaku too. Looked to have a lot of potential, and still does if that stray sumi goes away.
Almost to mention the shiro. I LIKE that one. The Ki *** Hi utsuri is a disappointment, but good ones are hard to find at any size.

[aquitori]

Shiro is a keeper...Showa is still a dream(still a keeper for another year)...Kujaku is a dime a dozen(not very clean)...GinRin Kohak is a goner....

[Lam Nguyen]

I am curious to know what's inside the ginrin kohaku, too. I have never seen a koi like that. Wonder what's wrong with it.

[Brutuscz]

That ginrin is active, swimming, and eats like a horse. No sign of pineconing or anything at all. Other than looking like a golfball, it seems healthy???? It is kinda strange though!!!

[Russell Peters]

Quote: Originally Posted by Brutuscz That ginrin is active, swimming, and eats like a horse. No sign of pineconing or anything at all. Other than looking like a golfball, it seems healthy???? It is kinda strange though!!!

Could be gas.LOL Don't waste you time on the Showa any more. If you take a look at the before and after pics the beni did improve but is still week and you will not have a miracle in a year. It is done, cooked, finito, asta la vista baby.............