Tri color type (yes I know I not using correct terms) Quality and development

[MICKAUS]

Ok for the Showa/Sanke/Tri color (going by looks not breed really) type for my pond I am trying to not overdo it with my cash so am after some comments on a cheaper option for me.
Here's what available for a decent price,
$175 @ 17cm + shipping

Here's some more expensive fish that were available in my area that show what I would really like,
$450 + shipping @ 27cm

$968 @ 31cm + shipping

Will the young one developed nicely? or will it never be the quality of the more expensive options?
These are probably all cheap options for Koi for some people but just trying to get some nice fish that I like for myself.

Cheers
Mick

[fly4koi]

I don't know how the local price goes down there, if I had to pick probably the 2nd one, it looks like a doitsu and the color pattern is okay and price seem okay.

[coolwon]

Locally bred or snuck into the country?

Lots of, and balanced patterns!

Patience fish, with lots of good food and healthy water.

My choice.

1st Showa

2 2nd Sanke

3 1st Sanke

I happen to like original old bold style Showa.

Balanced, Sumi checker pattern, down the length of the body.

Lovely, over the face Sumi pattern.

Might even be a female, looking at a very slight curve in, just before the vent and tapering away to the peduncle.

[MICKAUS]

Thanks for the input, Unfortunately (or fortunately) The bottom two are sold.
The 3rd one if definitely outside of my budget but probably my favorite, I like the large patches of color and good amounts of each color.
For the second one if I had purchased, I'd have to keep the purchase price to myself, I like the pattern but probably would avoid due to being scale less, the one fish I have on order is a Platinum Doitsu here,

[MICKAUS]

Does anyone know how the cheap 17cm one will develop? Its now $30 off, so cheaper still.
I've never had koi before as I've been living in a state that they were illegal.

[MICKAUS]

How hard will it be to get koi like this?

[fly4koi]

Does anyone know how the cheap 17cm one will develop? Its now $30 off, so cheaper still.
I've never had koi before as I've been living in a state that they were illegal.

Hard to say but typically they mature into 60-90cm.

[fly4koi]

Upper one looks like a gold fish, what variety do they call the bottom one?

[MICKAUS]

Hard to say but typically they mature into 60-90cm.

I meant if color would be stable or whether it would change as it grows?

[MICKAUS]

Upper one looks like a gold fish, what variety do they call the bottom one?

Are you talking about the Showa/Sanke? The top 2 weren't actually named, the bottom was labeled Showa.
As for the dark fish I have no idea what varieties they would be called.

[kdh]

Upper one looks like a gold fish, what variety do they call the bottom one?

guessing a very bad aka matsuba the other is a butterfly with a very bad body.

[MICKAUS]

guessing a very bad aka matsuba the other is a butterfly with a very bad body.

Thanks for that, I'm more used to Goldfish, was sold as a female butterfly so I assumed that was eggs.

As for color I was going for 1 x platinum white, 1 x Black, Orange and white, and 1 x mostly black.

Going to start off with 3 small Koi for my first adventure into keeping Koi.

[fly4koi]

I meant if color would be stable or whether it would change as it grows?

It would change a little but don't expect it to change into something "better" if that's what you are asking. How much is it if you don't mind sharing? Again I have no idea how much kois are in Australia.

[fly4koi]

Are you talking about the Showa/Sanke? The top 2 weren't actually named, the bottom was labeled Showa.
As for the dark fish I have no idea what varieties they would be called.

Referring to the 2 dark colored fish.

[coolwon]

Living in a harder pond water might lighten the dark color?

My pond water is soft. My blacks are really black!

A strong body,lovely pectorals,thick peduncle to propel the sturdy fish.

Guessing a uniform scalation as far as one can see.

I would think a female.

A solid uniform abdomen tapering in just before the vent.

See the slight depression, outlined by the shadow on the pond bottom.

Not a skinny, racing male body shape.

A beautiful copper/bronze Matsuba.

Body shape,is number one, in the judges eyes.

Could be a winner on the day.

The butterfly could have a tumor,difficult to make out. being in the dark fish.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[KingstonKoi]

MICKAUS, I think you’re asking about the first fish in your original post above. If I’m translating the measurements right, it is about a 7” koi that is now on sale for about US $100. (Need to put things in our terms here in order to work through an answer.)

The body confirmation appears good for a 7” fish. Its overall shape is nice and the tail stem doesn’t thin down too much. And the pectoral fins do not have any damage to them. When eye appears to protrude a little more than the other, but it just appears to be the camera angle. So onto the coloring.

Right now its coloration is well balanced as far as the orange goes, and a bit one-sided for the black. The main thing, though is that neither colors are clearly formed. You can see that the scales around the edges are lighter for both colors. Two things could happen. They could fill in, and solidify like the those of the fish in the second picture. Or they could remain less defined like the Koi in the third picture. Actually, a third thing could happen, which is that the orange fades out completely leaving you with a black-and-white fish. Without knowing the breeder and/or the parent Koi, it could go either way. If the fish was 12 to 15” long, you’d have a better idea how it was going to turn out.

So the question to ask yourself is. . . . At this sale price, would I be happy with the fish if its coloration remained exactly as it is now or even faded out some. Do I have the space and would I be happy keeping it if it continues to look exactly like it does now.? Or do I want something that looks like the second in the pictures above? In which case it might be better to wait and look for a fish in a price range you like that has a more solid colored pattern at this size. Having bought both types, I’ve had one predominantly orange fish with a little bit of black coloring that turned into a platinum fish about two years after I bought it. The orange disappeared completely. And I bought a very strongly colored 9 inch fish with a clear and well defined orange and black pattern that stayed the same as he grew out over the last three years.

A lot depends upon the size of your pond (many Koi can you have at the end of the day if they were to reach 20 inches or more). And your budget.

Good luck and let us know what you decide and how the fish turns out.

[coolwon]

Sanke Taisho Sanshoku
#1 This fish is more a Sanke than a Showa, going by the stripes running to the end of its pectoral fins. Japanese refer to them as Tejima

stripes.

With some very faint underlying black and white on the nose.No heavy black on the head.Therefore a SANKE

Pic 2 Is a Sanke,striped pectorals,no black on the head. Tejima stripes.

Showa Sanshoku
Pic 3 Showa, have solid black armpits,where the pectoral fins meet the body.

Pic three is a Showa,the black pecs will become white, as the dark black recedes, Japanese Motoguru

into each of the pectoral fin joints.

This Showa has a lovely black head pattern, leading from the forehead to its mouth. Japanese Menware

Highly sort after, when you are looking at Showa for the future.

[MICKAUS]

I now have these fish in my pond,





I am happy with them so that's what matters.
The Platinum Dositu is my favorite, the Black Butterfly koi I will eventually move on its not very visible in the pond.

[MICKAUS]

Giving this a crack,

[Matt24]

Congratulations on your fish. How big does that variety of catfish get?

I used to have an albino blue channel catfish with my koi when I had a smaller pond. It got along with the koi fine, and ate their food. I moved it to a big mud pond when it was 4 years old and 25". It had outgrown my other koi and I needed to reduce the fish loading.