“How many koi do you have?” Probably more than I should. The koi collection changes frequently for a number of reasons. First – a koi might get sick and die. Second – the koi has a flaw that makes it the first to go to make room for some other koi. Third – the koi is not developing the way I thought it would (kind of like failure to progress.) Here’s where the koi collection stands today.

Upper Pond
This pond is for the larger female koi. They live a lazy life and enjoy eating the algae.

1. Irene was purchased as a little tosai. She was frequently found with her head stuck under a rock the first summer she was with us. A little on the short side but we like her. she received a judge’s award at the 2016 show.

2. Sumiko is a steady grower and features white shoulders that some people like. Some people will also think she needs a little more sumi areas. She is still young so we’ll watch for development.

3. Natsumi is a traditional looking shiro utsuri, always a good eater. A checkered pattern might have been nicer.

4. Miyu is pleasant and gentle. I will hope that she develops more solid patches of sumi. If not, she may not show well but is very pleasing to look at – nice, balanced pattern.

5. I will keep Lily for at least two or three years to see if her sumi will come back and if her tail tube will thicken up a bit, giving her a better body line. Maybe some motoguru might come in as well… she came out of the mud pond with sumi and it looks like it’s there under the skin. Sumi can come and go on a shiro.

6. Mio is a pretty large Kohaku and I hope to keep her in good shape. I like this type of Kohaku pattern.

7. The Lone Ranger developed an odd shape this winter…a little thin in the tail and a fat pot belly. Not sure if she will grow into a better body shape.

8. Lewis is most likely a male. We are rehoming Lewis since his pattern (the netting) doesn’t appear to be coming in very strong. And of course, no boys in this pond.

9. Carmen was a koi we purchased at the Koi Acres auction last year. She got a scratch on her head this winter and it’s annoying to see. It could turn back into the thick orange color but it’s a gamble. She will be rehomed this week to a friend.

10. Carmen’s replacement…

11. This Kohaku was purchased as a tosai. Might be a rehome candidate next year depending on how the beni looks and if he/she gets another shim(little black spot). A tad small in this pond compared to the rest.

12. Sanke with an odd pattern, which is something we like- hoping she will fatten up. She adds some nice color to my pond.

Lower Pond
The lower pond is where we will be keeping males and younger koi.

13 & 14 are the Konishi Karashigois originally named Bert and Ernie. I think they need some friendliness training. They are supposed to be smarter than most koi, gentle and quick to learn hand feeding. Augustus (who used to be Bert) is about half and inch longer than a Woodrow and has a more even, yellow look.

15. Purchased as a tosai for study…was all white during the summer months.

16. Purchased as a tosai, Baby Champion, koi show 2016. I’m hoping Billy the kid will continue to grow and keep improving on his/her sumi.

17. Purchased as a tosai for study…was all white during the summer months.

18. Purchased at the chicago koi show in 2016, developed some orange spots on head. I’ll keep Roxie another year to see if the spots get incorporated into sumi or possibly fade. Nice body and pattern but the spots mean she will most likely will be rehomed next year.

19. Rehoming due to a few off scales. You would like to see nice even rows of scales but Luigi has about eight scales that are a different shade and mar the look for me.

20. My little kuchibeni koi…I used to think that having a bunch of kuchibeni Kohaku might be fun. We did not have many expectations of her since she was just a random tosai but she’s doing fine right now.

21. August usually turns dark brown/purple,during the summer. Only carries the gray and gold look in the winter months.

22. Best in size 2…watching pattern development, particularly if the red goes into the tail. Little tosai that look good early generally do not pan into a good looking older koi. Or at least mine don’t.

23 & 24 two new showa to study for the next five years. Showas are like shiros and take a few years to develop.

25. Something different which we always enjoy…when Takahiro Omosako visited our home, he recognized his special right away.

26 & 27 purchased some tosai at the Louisville Koi show, just because. I wasn’t planning on buying any more tosai but you can see I have bought a couple this year. I think it’s a lot of fun to gamble and watch a little koi develop. There are many things you can’t control, like genetics, but you can manipulate feeding and keeping the water environment to the best of your ability.

28. Purchased for color in the lower pond. I’ve noticed that this koi pretty much does whatever he wants. Mows down the little tosai if they are in his way.

29,30,31,32 – study koi to watch the goshiki variety. I think one of the best ways to study a type of koi is to buy a few different if you have the space. It might be that none of these will be keepers in two or three years.

33. Inbound koi- Kaede…new variety from Oyama koi farm. Haven’t heard if it is a male or female. About 18 inches and possibly the only one in the uznited States. I’ve named this koi Grey Poupon.