My SFF Sanke Development

[Erns]

I got a bit excited after seeing all the koi from the show in Japan so I shot a few pics of my new Sanke that I got in October. She has grown 2 cm in the last 3 months since she came here. She was in QT for a month where she did not grow at all so I think it's fair to say I got 2cm out of her for the last 2 months. She is now 21 months old. The beni is improving slowly but the sumi is something intresting and the shiro is very good in my eye. I'm still tying to learn how to best take pics of koi as it seems it's an art on its own.

I also took a few of my localy bred Yamabuki. She is almost 3 years old and 60 cm at the moment. I love her body but some may differ. She refused to pose! What do you think ?

[dick benbow]

was very impressed with both koi and especially the sanke. What A nice koi! Please keep us informed with her development. keep that nice body shape up

[Lomaponder]

Quote: Originally Posted by dick benbow was very impressed with both koi and especially the sanke. What A nice koi! Please keep us informed with her development. keep that nice body shape up

Dick Benbow,

I'm a newbie (be in for a little over year.)

I look at this beautiful sanke and see good fin coloration(solid white- no sumi), nice pattern and good body form. However, I also notice (in my eyes) that the sumi seems minimal in relation to the size of the fish. Is sumi the last color to come out? (I presume this to be a female). Or in a sanke, sumi is not necessary to be strong for the fish to have a strong showing?

Thank you in advance for your answers.

matt

[dick benbow]

Sumi can be a matter of genetics as well as water condition. Most serious students who
select show quality koi to develop will focus on the kind of water to encourage growth
and good skin (soft). Many top notch sanke's do not "finish" till they are 6-8 years depending on the genetics. The harder the water the better to push the development
of the sumi but to the disadvantage of other important aspecs (skin) (beni). When in the hands of a professional breeder grooming a koi for show, the focus is on growth,both body shape and length. When the koi has achieved the zenith of it's ability, it is then
finished off and enter in a show. A favorite sanke of mine from sakai-isawa that took GC was 20 plus years old. In my mind the longer a koi takes to reach it's potential the longer it stays fit.

[dick benbow]

Just as men's ties change in width and style, there is also some of that in koi popularity.
The pendulum a few years ago was all kichinai snake, minimal but well placed sumi. then matsunosuke got popular and the black was big and dominating. Now I notice the trend is swinging back towards "less is more".

But irregardless of the current "sty;e", allowing the sumi to develop with the koi and not rushed will allow the koi to be the best it can be.

[dick benbow]

lol, kichinai sanke

[Lomaponder]

There's a lot for me tolearn, but I'm up for the challenge. IMHO I think just a dash of sumi on a sanke is my preference.

I had that discussion about water with some and they don't seem to prescribe to th "soft vs. Hard" being much of a factor. I was asking in regards to a couple of SU's I have in my pond.

[dick benbow]

what's been fun to learn about sumi is that it's a moving target. When SU's first made their appearance, the sumi was so-so. When they were used to create showa, the sumi improved and then was used from showa to re-create shiro utsuri as they had fell in popularity. Since that time the showa's have been infused with sanke sumi and this has stirred the pot. Right now shiro sumi from different breeders can be close to 5 different kinds with different criteria for development. So it really takes an intensive study to get a hand on it. Don't be overwhelmed tho. use the ones in your ponds to learn from. personal observation is a strong study tool...

[Lomaponder]

That's what I plan to do.

Thank you

[KoiCop]

Very nice, Erns. Bright futures for both fish.