Feeding, Finishing and Life Span

[ppp]

JR posted under another parish that following too aggressive a feeding routine may often shorten the life of a koi (hope I didn't misinterpret you there, JR?). As a relative newbie who has not yet seen the full cycle of koi keeping, I am curious as to the following.

Take a base case situation of an aggressively fed koi. It reaches its peak size (let's just say 85cm) at the age of 7 (at which time its skin quality and colours also peak), lives for another 3 years and dies at age 10.

If I reduce the feeding routine significantly from the start and, let's just say, succeed in prolonging the koi's life span to 15 years instead of 10 years, can I envisage a situation where the koi's skin and colours already peaked at age 7 when the koi was only, say, 75cm - which is too small to compete for GC - and when the koi finally reaches its peak size of 85cm at age 10, the skin and colour quality has already gone downhill? In such a case, the koi never really fulfilled its potential (together anyway), did it?

The next question then would be, IF feeding 3% of body weight is considered to have adverse effects on the life span of a koi, what is the maximum that one can feed without unnecessarily inadvertently shortening the life of the koi whilst at the same time still be on track for the koi to attain its full potential albeit at a later age?

I realise that there may not be an altogether scientific answer to these questions, but all input would be greatly appreciated.

[B.Scott]

Much depends on genetics of the fish. 12 years of age isn't necessarily over the hill for a koi. If I recall correctly there was a 12 year old GC in Japan about 10-11 years ago. With a well cared for fish I would expect the peak to come around 10, not 7 yrs of age.

B.Scott

[MikeM]

I think we have a couple of things going on at the same time. First, a fish raised for the purpose of being a major prize winner, and therefore more highly priced, has just one goal in life: Win the GC trophy. Judges are impressed by fat, voluminous koi, not lean ones that will have double the life span. The quicker the fish reaches the length and girth required, the more likely the lustre of youth will be there. And the quicker its future is predictable, the sooner the fish can be converted to cash. Japanese culture values patience more than western culture, but not so much as to wait a dozen years for the prize that can be won in seven. (Luke: Close your ears, I don't want to hear it all again. ) These top koi in the world are bought to win a major trophy. That is their purpose. So, the farmer produces what the market wants, when it wants it, which is "now". Two years later when the fish dies early, who really cares? The trophy and honors have been won. The honor of the grand win is accomplishment of the life goal for the koi. A long life without such honor is a lesser life in that sense.... Hmmmm.... Kind of like 'The Way of the Samurai'.

[Ronin-Koi]

In addition to the good points that MikeM made, I'll throw out one other that favors trying to get the koi up to peak show conditions quickly. At the higher ranks, the koi are so competitive that every little flaw or imperfection matters. So the longer the breeder or dealer has to grow that fish out to "finish" it, I would think translates into risk that something might happen to it... a scrape, a lost scale, tumor, etc. This may not be the best thing for the koi and isn't for the average hobbyist, but I can see a case for it.

- Wayne, noticed that his favorite koi bumped its head yesterday... he's not sure how it got it, but its there, and he hopes it heals quickly. If this were a $XX K GC contender, he'd probably freak out.

[ppp]

Thanks for your replies, guys.

Scott, I do realise that, but I was just giving an example of a particular koi with a given set of genetics, would take Path A if fed aggressively and Path B if fed more moderately, all other things being equal.

MikeM, what you say makes sense to me . But then again, few people have koi ponds consisting entirely of GC potential kois. How would one feed the GC potential koi more than the rest of the fish in the pond? So would you recommend feeding the entire pond 3% of body weight? With the "accidental" effect of shortening the lives of the rest of the koi in the pond?

Wayne, yes your point is noted. More time means more risk of injury/disease whatever.

Hope others can chime in as well.....Er, JR?

[MikeM]

ppp: The koi hobby has many aspects, and koikeepers are drawn to it for different reasons. If a person's goal is to show and win major prizes, that leads in one direction. If the goal is to have a pond of beautiful koi, the course is a bit different. If the goal is simply having pet fish that are enjoyed, the path is different again. Everything involved from pond design, fish selection, stocking level, feeding and all the rest should reflect the goal in mind. I think the frustrations come from wanting to accomplish many goals, but not being focused on any one goal. For most of us, raising a GC level koi is beyond the capability of our ponds. Or, we acquire more koi than is appropriate to raise any of them to a GC level. If your goal is to raise one potential GC to peak perfection, then the other koi in the pond are merely companion fish for the potential contender. Their longevity should not be the concern. If all the koi are important to their keeper in their own right, then lowering the chance of success of one winning a trophy is not so important. Of course, it all has to do with the level of competition involved. In Japan a koi lacking girth is going to be at a much greater disadvantage than one intended to be shown in the U.S.

My only recommendation is that people should do what lets them enjoy their hobby.