thoughts on this showa from kodama?

[Ethan25]

14" SHOWA High Quality Live Koi Fish - eBay (item 260261423552 end time Jul-15-08 18:12:21 PDT)

somewhat interested in bidding. Looks to have a nice hi plate and strong beni. THe sumi on the tail region is nice and dark, and the sumi doesn't seem to have started much on the front half except a bit on the nose....

what do you think?

[PapaBear]

Why not get in touch with Brett, Brady, or Matt if you are looking for a nice Showa??? The Kodama fish isn't bad looking, but it will teach you little about the details of good Koi. It is a male fish that is 75% finished today. No details about the breeder, only the prefecture it came from which means it could be from any number of breeders. By going with a fish from a known breeder you can not only learn how that breeders fish perform, but also details about particular bloodlines. All 3 of these guys breed showa every bit as good as anything Kodama is selling, and you can get a decent female from them for about the same money as Kodama will sell you a male for...

[Ethan25]

Quote: Originally Posted by PapaBear Why not get in touch with Brett, Brady, or Matt if you are looking for a nice Showa??? The Kodama fish isn't bad looking, but it will teach you little about the details of good Koi. It is a male fish that is 75% finished today. No details about the breeder, only the prefecture it came from which means it could be from any number of breeders. By going with a fish from a known breeder you can not only learn how that breeders fish perform, but also details about particular bloodlines. All 3 of these guys breed showa every bit as good as anything Kodama is selling, and you can get a decent female from them for about the same money as Kodama will sell you a male for...

One of the benefits was going to be the free shipping with this fish. I was going to take a chance on getting it for the $230 starting bid, and with free shipping, my cost would be the $230 total. A nice tosai from Brett, Brady or Matt that would be comparable would be more than that I'd think with shipping, and I CANNOT spend a lot of money right now with a family....

is it really pretty much finished?

[PapaBear]

It's just my opinion, but to me the beni is most of the way home, the sumi in the tail tube is at least 75% done, and the facial sumi is barely getting started. If it is a typical male, the finish will come early anyway, and I'm betting the beni will be on its way down by the time the facial sumi catches up to the tail tube. Maybe someone else can enlighten us both.

[l113892]

Nice body. Great size for a tosai. Very attractive koi at this price.

[CarolinaGirl]

Great price for a pretty tosai, IF it's really tosai (which I sort of doubt). I am really leary of nice looking fish that are cheap. And if the shipping is free, then the fish is REALLY cheap. The Japanese (and all other breeders) are no dummies....they price fish accordingly.

Sorry....I'd steer clear of this one if you want a fish for the future.

[dick benbow]

another consideration that has to be weighed is that it appears to be gin rin. Awfully hard to detect a quality GR from a photo, yet so critical even tho most seem to focus in on a pattern.

If I were looking at it for myself i would be rolling the koi over to look at the black in the fins underneath. This will help to understand how much more sumi is coming on the front half. I do like the black eyes which tells me that black is strong in the koi on the head

[l113892]

Ahhhh.......

Some new fish tricks from Dick. I had never heard predicting future black using those indicators. Cool.

Mike Pfeffer

[aquitori]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ethan25 14" SHOWA High Quality Live Koi Fish - eBay (item 260261423552 end time Jul-15-08 18:12:21 PDT) somewhat interested in bidding. Looks to have a nice hi plate and strong beni. THe sumi on the tail region is nice and dark, and the sumi doesn't seem to have started much on the front half except a bit on the nose.... what do you think?

The one thing that worries me with Kodama is the fact he buys from all over the place in Japan. It says on the auction from "Niigata Breeder" which one? If Kodama was on top of the game he should know where the fish is from.

Okay, not to take anything away from the fish, it is a nice male showa with good Gin Rin.

[Ethan25]

I emailed to find out which breeder.