
Originally Posted by
yerrag
What are these traits? What are traits you must have, and what are those traits that aren't necessarily as critical? Let's consider traits such as pattern, conformation, quality of shiroji, of beni, of sumi, lustre, body shape, etc.
Would a breeder be able to achieve roughly similar success rates if he were to just breed a pair of gosankes that exhibit superior traits, without having to use koi of very defined patterns, as he would with parent koi of highly refined patterns?
Quality of pattern, as we know, is very much a random (for lack of a better word, ok maybe better than random) characteristic. In terms of randomness, is body shape just as random as quality of body shape? And for that matter, all the other traits?
Would a GC koi, possessing the best of all attributes, fare much better in producing superior offsprings than a simply outstanding koi whose pattern is much less refined, if both female koi are paired with the same male parent koi?
Say a breeder won GC. In the process of winning, this GC went thru many chemical conditioning regimen, many long fasts, many shows requiring long spells in a bag in its lifetime, and isn't as virile or as healthy, accounting for its relatively short life span, wouldn't it make more sense to use the GC's more fortunate and more healthy but less beautiful sibling to sire offsprings? It would make a lot of sense that GC's make less ideal parents, based on this reasoning.
A koi fry's quality is very much dependent on the quality of health of its parent, and given the 'tough love' given to a GC's storied but short and life-draining life, a breeder would promote the GC's lineage but have in stock its unseen but more virile and healthy siblings as parents for future generations.