Kumonryu is a black and white koi with a constantly changing pattern. How do you select one that is of high quality at 6-7" ?
Any help will be appreciated.
Kumonryu is a black and white koi with a constantly changing pattern. How do you select one that is of high quality at 6-7" ?
Any help will be appreciated.
I think you have won half the battle with just that statement...
Like Ethan said try to find out as much about the bloodline as possible, I mean after all this is probably the most determining factor. Focus on good body confirmation and mind deformities that are notorious with this type of koi.
Look for good, strong sumi even if very little is showing.
Good luck!
Gene
WWKC Lifetime Pro Member #1
http://www.koiclay.com
The only failures are those that stop trying! There is a very thin line between procrastination and delayed gratification. You won't be happy with what you want, if you aren't happy with what you have. It's not what you are looking at, but where you are looking from.
You can not always tell what the future quality of the offspring by looking at the parents. Remember, genectics only give you the potential to have the same quality. There are signs to look for though. Conformation on youbg Koi can be very difficult and in Koi shows it is not the most important part of the judging criteria. You still want to look at the overall shape and body line and look for balance. Make sure all of its parts are there. Look for the sheen or lustre that represents quality. The most important guide I can give you is what to look for in Sumi. I am not just talking about depth and lustre, I am talking about how it looks overall. Is it spotty or speckly or is it thick and uniform? Sumi that is speckly, in Kumonryu, shows weakness.
Picking them young is difficult. Look for some sumi up that is jet black somewhere on the fish. They change so much, that it is very difficult to find a good one at a young age, it is more luck then anything. Everyone wants this (pic 1 )
But they start life like this (pic 2)
Matt
Matt Corino
Thanks for the input.
Water conditions play a huge role to, I got one from Matt many years ago, that started out with a nice pattern, and once in my pond lost all of it's sumi.
A second one I got out of his mudpond last year has kept a really cool pattern.
So I guess it's a crapshoot.
The more you think know, the less you learn.
MIKE S.
DISCLOSE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think the only thing you can look at on a Kumonryu is body conformation and if it catches your eye at the time of purchase as they are the ultimate chameleon of koi. So just sit back and enjoy the changes. Here is a 13" Beni-Kumonryu of ours.
I think Pond Digger was wondering about the word "mind" deformities. Is this a typo or do they have some kind of mental disabilities???
Also, in Matts pic of young Kumonryus, some of them look alot like Utsuris. Is there a way to tell if a young fish is a Kumonryu or not? Can we see some more pics of young ones, please?
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Cheers,
Ci
"mind" was a typo, but when you think about it Koi don't have very large brains so a simple deficiency could be devistating.
Kumonryu are always Doitsu and have "sheen" to them. Utsuri can be Doitsu or Wagoi but have no "sheen".
A scaled Kumonryu is called a Matsukawabake.
Kumonryu have become very popular here and this is a frequently asked question. I have some experience (good and bad) with them.
Firstly, as with selecting any Koi the conformation of the fish has to be good. The white must be pure white (not yellowish). Any black that is up on the fish should be strong and thick. The pattern will change but the pattern you can discern must be linear rather than flowery.Young ones often have yellow heads. I have seen these clean up as the fish grows but I have also seen them remain yellow.
This one turned out to be a good one.
Do they continue to change throughout their lifetime?
KD
Have You Hugged Your Koi Today?
I'm surprised more hasn't been said about water #'s . From my little knowledge , I thought this was important with Kumonryu .