Goshiki Development

[koibooi]

Some advice please as I do not know this veriety. I know this is a poor photo but is it normal for a Goshiki to develop white around the hi plates as in this photo? Is this a good or a bad thing?

[MikeM]

I've not see this before. Can you say whether the white edge is forming due to the red retracting around the edges, or is the sumi next to the red 'going down'? Probably requires close study of photos to decide which. If the Hi is fading and leaving white steps, it is going to be a very unusual fish.

[PapaBear]

I don't have a clue either, but if that border continues to define itself cleanly it will be a very striking look. Rather handsome IMO.

[Jeff Speck]

I side with the theory that the red is retracting. Here are some development pics of a goshiki that I have kept for a few years. Got it from a bargain tosai tank, breeder unknown, has been a very slow grower, but I do like the reticulation. When the red recedes on goshiki, it leaves a ghost outline.

[Jeff Speck]

However--

This goshiki was young champion at San Diego in 2007. The judges were extremely effusive about the white outlining of the hi plates. To hear them talk, it was a rare miracle.

Honestly, I questioned their opinion. To me it just looked like and over-the-hill male.

[Nancy M.]

Here is a pic of my lil goshiki I bought it March 2007 she was 6" she had the white outline. Her she is today 13".

[RayJordan]

Goshiki is one of the most diverse and interesting varities of koi. Goshiki can be quite unique and beautiful. Goshiki can be mixed with lots of other types of koi to give an amazing range of looks from almost kohaku looking with just a slight grey base color to the old orginal kuro goshiki that has solid black base color. The newer styles have gained more white spreading genetics and can be an amazing mix of white, grey, matsuba, black, and red. I have a Nishikigoi Monthly (Shinkokai in Japanese only) from last year that has a article about hiroi goshiki that shows an amazing range of goshiki and goromo types from a single parent pairing. Quite a study in the scale of looks within the goshiki group. Here is a photo of a goshiki with the white spreading genetics I am referring to.

[luke frisbee]

I had a goshiki that lost its hi and it was white underneath

[Super Kindai]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jeff Speck However-- This goshiki was young champion at San Diego in 2007. The judges were extremely effusive about the white outlining of the hi plates. To hear them talk, it was a rare miracle. Honestly, I questioned their opinion. To me it just looked like and over-the-hill male.

I agree with you. that goshiki was an eye catching fish at that time but the beni/hiban obviously was retracting... unfortunately.

[Jeff Speck]

My conjecture:

1--When the beni retracts, we get the white areas absent of pigment.
2--However, particularly with a younger goshiki such as Nancy's, there is still hope that with another winter, the sumi will fill in those white areas. The real question as always gets back to the quality of the red and will it continue to retract?
3--Perhaps this is a common sight on younger goshiki of the darker variety. At the end of the growing season, the hi plate has not kept pace with the growth of the fish. But by spring, the sumi has closed in again.
4--I will say that two of my Hosokai goshikis (bought as tosai and possessed one full year) have not shown this so far. So I don't know if I would buy a young goshiki with the visible outlining, but I'm leaning towards not.

I'm dancing in the dark here, so hopefully some more experienced folks will confirm or deny.