Will the sumi come back?

[西湖上人]

I brought this Showa in from Japan in May/Jun 07 and she used to have beautiful sumi pattern, however, the sumi gradually faded away in my pond. Although it picked up again later on, but it is not the same now as it used to be. Pls see attached two photos, one taken in Jun and the other in Oct.
BTW, she was 70cm when brought in and now 75cm.
I am wondering if anyone has had the same experience before and pls give me some prediction.
Cheers!

[Brady Brandwood]

What is the age, and what are your PH, ammonia, temp, nitrite readings and size of pond and stocking rate?

From first glance I would say yes, the sumi will return, though slightly different.

Best Wishes,
Brady Brandwood

[koiscales]

Same thing happened just lately to my male Sanke only mine is more faded.

KS

[西湖上人]

Quote: Originally Posted by Brady Brandwood What is the age, and what are your PH, ammonia, temp, nitrite readings and size of pond and stocking rate? From first glance I would say yes, the sumi will return, though slightly different. Best Wishes, Brady Brandwood

Hi Brady,she is 5 years' old. The PH in my pond is 7-7.2, temp now is around 10 degree centigrade (the highest will be around 32 in the hottest days and the lowest will be around 6). The pond holds 45 tons of water and the average number of fish I have in the pond since she arrived in June is about 6-7. Now I have 13 fish, ranging from 40cm to 75cm and she is the biggest in the pond and the 2nd largest is 62cm.
I have not had the accurate readings of nitrite, ammonia, etc. I have checked hardness in a water lab during the summer days and the reading was 85, which was quite unbelievable, because I use underground water and I was expecting a much higher reading (the hardness of the tap water should be around 110, as I believe).
Anyways, thanks for your encouragement!
BTW, she has grown from 70cm to 75cm since June, which makes me very happy.

Yi

[西湖上人]

Hi Brady, sorry but you mentioned the sumi would come back but in a slightly different way. Can you pls elaborate?

Thanks,
Yi