Buying Baby Koi – Part 2

BABY KOI PART 2

How to Increase Your Knowledge of Koi
By: Chai Taevanitcharoen

1) Get knowledge from books or magazines.

Try magazines such as Rinko or Koi USA. If you are a member of the Z.N.A. Koi Club, Nichirin is a great resource.

For beginners, try the Manual to Nishikigoi, by Dr. Kuroki.  After reading the articles, use the koi pictures as learning tools.

There are many pictures of winning koi from different koi shows around the world.  While looking at these pictures, imagine yourself as the judge.

Compare the fish.  For example, compare a grand champion, which, is 75 Bu.  Look for any 75 Bu fish, give or take a size. Ask yourself if you agree or disagree with the judge.

Be sure to ask yourself why it is a grand champion and why the others are not.  Which fish did you like better?  Try to find the differences in quality, body conformation, and pattern.

What are the differences in the quality and pattern of fish that compete in Japan’s big koi shows and other koi shows around the world?  Ask yourself, “If I can only buy one of these fish in the magazine, which one would I buy, and why?”

Consider these reasons for purchasing the fish, quality, body conformation, pattern, body structure, and fins.

In the back section of some magazines, fish are often for sale.  Some have the price and size labeled.  Imagine yourself as the buyer.

Which one would you buy and why?

Also ask yourself, if you can buy only one, which one would rather buy; a fully developed fish or a tategoi?  This way, you can train and improve your eyes at the same time.

You may come up with questions for experienced koi-keepers or judges.  If you look at pictures without comparing and thinking, the magazine will become just a magazine; not a learning tool.

Breeders and dealers learn by watching fish day in and day out; culling, comparing, and grading the fish.  As they watch the fish progress they learn why some fish never grow to be show champions and why some do.  They also learn why some colors appear and disappear.

This is what makes breeders and dealers so knowledgeable.

**Warning:  When assessing koi from pictures, the details of the picture are not easily noticed.  The quality of color, clarity of sashi (the front, leading edge of the pattern), kiwa (the sharpness of the pattern’s edge), and tobi hi (red spots), especially around the abdomen, and deformities are often difficult to see.

2) Visit Koi Shows

Visit koi shows as often as possible.

When you’re at the koi shows don’t just look from tank to tank.

Once again, imagine yourself as the judge and analyze each winning fish, from Grand Champion, runner up, best mature, best young, best baby, best in size– all the way from the first place fish to the third place fish– each category and each size.  Determine which fish looks the best or worst (from your point of view).

Compare and contrast fish, especially quality of color– red, white, black, the kiwa, and sheen (in Hikari family), etc.

Also, compare body conformation and ask yourself if you agree or disagree with the judges.  If possible, ask the judges, senior Koi keepers, and trustworthy dealer’s questions.

Remember to keep an open mind.

3) Visit knowledgeable koi keepers’ and dealers’ ponds.

If you only see and compare fish from your own pond, you won’t realize that there are better and worse fish out there.  Comparing your fish to other people’s fish will reinforce learning and increase your desire to own quality fish.

Visit koi dealers as often as possible.   You will see many types and qualities of fish in one place.

Try to pick out a fish with the best quality of hi, black, white, sheen, fins, body conformation, body structure, and fins in each category, but not necessarily pattern at this time.  Concentrate first on the quality of color.

It is not necessary to purchase the fish.  The more often you visit and the longer you observe the better.

Looking at 100-500 fish in each tank and trying to compare the best and worst quality fish in each tank will help increase your knowledge.  Your greatest challenge will be the ability to choose a koi with the best and worst color, body, and fins quality among a group of koi of varying categories.  Koi knowledge will come to you sooner than you think.

If you’re willing to learn, a dealer is the best place.

4) Get involved in Koi shows.

Be a bag handler or fish handler during the judging. Listen to the judges discuss how one Koi is better than another.  You will get the opportunity to see many excellent koi and meet knowledgeable koi keepers.

5) Buy fish for study.
This is the best way to learn about koi and Tategoi.

Always compare, observe, and ask questions from knowledgeable koi keepers and dealers and judges.  Buy fish to compare the differences in body structure, conformation, color, size and shape of all fins.  Notice the “SHEEN”- how shiny it is, sashi, the sharpness of kiwa, etc.

Learn how to distinguish between good-quality and poor-quality black, red, and white.  Check your fish’s progress and changes month by month, year by year.

This is what’s involved in learning and understanding quality and body conformation.

Each type of fish has its own characteristics of color and the way it changes, so be sure to observe color change accordingly.

Buy at least three yearlings of the same variety your choice from different dealers.  Do not spend a lot of money on any fish.

Take pictures of each fish before you release them into your pond.

Have a data sheet and record what kind of fish it is.  Record the colors- the white, red, black, etc.

Also record the shape, size, and any other information you decide to compare.

Seeing how these fish develop will help you understand how that variety changes over time. After 1-3 years of studying these fish, sell or trade them, especially if they are not very good fish.

Buy a new type of fish and keep repeating the cycle.  Remember the words “compare” and “observe” as keys to your knowledge.

No book in the world will teach you better or faster than your own experiences.

6) Improve the quality of fish in your pond as your eyes improve.

Get rid of your fish when you think you bought a better fish. Improve your eyes by observing better quality fish.

You may get too attached to your fish, but in order to improve your eyes and control population, you have to get rid of it!

7) Take your fish to shows.

Don’t be embarrassed because you don’t have a winning fish.  You’ll be surprised how much knowledge you will gain by comparing your fish to other fish at the show, including the winning fish of the category you had entered.

Ask judges or knowledgeable koi keepers questions.  Comparing and asking questions will help you understand what it takes to win at the show.  Don’t let yourself believe money will buy the trophy.

Sometimes, if there is only one fish in a category, it is an automatic first place winner for that category.  In these cases I would strongly suggest you investigate why your fish won.

Your fish may have placed because there was no other fish entered in this same category, despite your fish having poor quality or a bad deformity.

I personally don’t agree with this award method because most owners of winning fish will not learn to improve his or her knowledge of koi.  In their excitement they fail to see a “sympathy” award.  This is not the way to learn how to appreciate koi. ….

Warning– at the show, when you ask questions of the judge, you may not get a straight answer because the judge may be afraid the owner of the fish will get offended.  Don’t put the judge on the spot.  Try to approach the judge in an inquisitive manner.

Learn to be a good  sport about wining and losing.

8) Breed koi.

If you have the room and the time, try to breed koi yourself.

Notice how baby koi’s color appears and disappears while it’s developing.  Compare the similarities and differences of quality of the same offspring.

Understand it may be difficult to breed a trophy fish.  You will learn, appreciate, and respect Nishikigoi a lot more, because it is so difficult to find high-quality fish out of one breeding.  Understand that offspring of the same parents will not always have equally good or bad qualities

9) Price of koi

Don’t let the price of koi stop you from searching for more knowledge.

An old timer once said,  “The more you know, the less you spend on a quality fish.”

Many times low cost fish ($10-$25) win first place.

Occasionally, best in size at some of the biggest koi shows in the US.

Recently, at one of the major koi shows, a fish that cost the owner $450 competed with an $8000 fish for Grand Champion. Only because of the finish of the hi (red), the $450 fish lost out.  Instead, the fish won “Best Mature”.  I assume the owner of $450 fish was really joyful because his knowledge of koi paid off.

To the koi keeper that can afford more expensive fish, the old timer said, ” The more you know, the less disappointment you’ll have.”  Some people may spend a lot of money on a fish that’s worth something today, but  may not be worth as much tomorrow.

Remember, in the “koi world”, we learn new things about koi everyday.

HAPPY KOI HUNTING!