Originally Posted by
koiman1950
Thanks for the detailed pond info. It sounds, based on your dimensions, that you have somewhere around 40,000gal. Based on what equipment you have installed, it sounds like the turnover is roughly every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. That's really not too bad considering the pond size. However, if you want to grow jumbo fish, I would look to trying to improve the turnover to no less than every 2 hours with good circulation.
As for the Kumonryu, the left gill plate seems to show that the fish was raised, when very young, in crowded conditions which can cause a "cupping" of the gill plates. This can hurt the conformation as the fish gets larger as this affliction only seems to be more visible when the fish gets to maturity and large. Looking at the body however, it appears, even if it does bulk up, that it will be a somewhat shorter/stumpier body style.
I know you have the room, but I'd seriously suggest you not buy anything else for at least another year. The reason(s) for this are: Your pond is very new and it takes roughly three summer seasons for a system to really mature. Second, it appears that you're also new to the hobby of koi, and as such, you will find that eye changes dramatically over the first 5 years. You'll notice this when you go to koi shows, and then return home and look in your pond at YOUR fish. Most hobbyists that are serious about the quality of fish they keep are shocked at what they see and I mean this in "less than happy" way. Take the time to study and learn about what makes a koi high quality, such as bone structure, skin quality (sheen/luster) and depth of color. These are three most important things to learn/understand. Pattern being subjective, is last on the list and, with high quality fish, comes with a premium price as these are usually seen as competitive specimens for show competition. They are also farther/fewer between. If you don't care to show your fish, then the pattern isn't as important, but you'll derive more satisfaction out of watching fish with the above listed attributes continue to grow/improve.