Originally Posted by
koiman1950
Bob
First, these, unfortunately, are NOT my fish. I took these pics at the AJKS in 2006. The first fish was a Kokugyo winner at, I believe, 75cm and the second fish is "The Mask" who was the GC at the show that year.
In the first pic, look at the right side of the fish and notice the same type of issue going on. Separated scales with underlying beni showing through. Also, the mask shows a bit of this as well on the right side. I believe it is two scales.
On your fish, as it is younger than the other two I posted, appears to have underlying beni showing through as a sign of the transition between hard water and soft water conditions. When the water is hard, the color cells seem to "flatten" and when the water is soft, it allows the color cells to "stand up" more and give a more youthful look. I think your fish is in a transition period and as the shiroji thickens it will go away. It's really hard to put a finger on from photos as a in-person 3D look is always better to judge these type of issues from.
Mike