Hikari koi food - The Profession's Choice!

When purchasing anything, you look for certain qualities. When purchasing real estate? it's LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION .  When purchasing koi, it's QUALITY, QUALITY,QUALITY, QUALITY. I like to call them the FOUR Q's.

1. Quality of Color.
2. Quality of Body
3. Quality of Pattern.
4. Quality of Fins.

During koi-talk, the word "quality" is always the main topic. Often, people learn from different sources and develop their own opinions. Everyone, from breeders to hobbyists,understands and looks at quality in different ways. I believe that breeders are the
most knowledgeable in recognizing quality. I find myself trying to learn their techniques. How do they develop an eye for quality? They cull fish by the millions, watch them grow and change,and pass on this knowledge from generation to generation. Their process of learning qualities,by trial and error, is no different than ours. But, because they are able to observe far more koi than a hobbyist could imagine, they are able to understand true quality better than we can.

Breeders and dealers will sell different grades of koi at different prices. It's up to the hobbyist to distinguishdifferent grades of koi. Once you learn enough about quality, you'll understand that coming home empty-handed from koi shopping may be a sign of progress.

Koi prices are based on many factors. Quality is the most significant determinant of price. If you rely on brand names and bloodlines as a sign of an excellent fish, the ou tcome could be very disappointing.

Since quality is the most significant factor in determining price, it is the first thing we should learn about. The Four Q's I consider to be the most important factors when purchasing koi are Quality of Color, Quality of Body, Quality of Pattern, and Quality of Fins.

QUALITY OF COLOR

Color is the most important of the Four Q's. Fish are born with their own, individual degree of color (i.e. red, white, black, sheen, etc.), even if they come from the same parents. Both parents being All-Japan Champions will not guarantee that their offspring will have a high quality of color. To explain Quality of Color, Quality increases as the color thickness in the skin increases and the evenness of the color is more important than its hue. First we can learn about:

RED

A light color tone doesn't mean poor quality and a dark red color tone does notguarantee high quality. I'll use a Kohaku as an example. Whether the Kohaku has a light ordark shade of red, most of us have seen that the pattern will break up as the fish grows. The fishmay even turn white with age or the red remains an orange color. To assess the quality of red onthe Kohaku, gently bend the fish so that the scales spread apart. Then, compare the color of thescale to the color of the rim of the scale.

Difficulty in seeing the outline of the scales means that the color of the red is on thescales and in the skin. If you see that the rims of the scales are white, this means that there is nored in the skin itself.

Sometimes you'll notice that the rims of the scales are a lighter red color. This meansthat the red color in the skin is lighter than the red color in the scale. Remember, check your fishfrom head to tail. If you see that the color tone a few or each scale is uneven, it may indicateunstable red. Sometimes colored fish food can be the cause.

If you choose a fish that has an even color tone with scales that are harder to see, youmay have better luck.

WHITE

A soft, shiny, translucent white is desirable. The shade of whiteshould be even from head to tail, without any pink intrusions or a yellowish hue tothe head. The perfect white can be difficult to achieve because it can be affectedby several factors. I have found that females tend to have a better white thanmales. Also, colored food, poor water conditions, and poor health may make your koi's white to have a yellowish hue. To gain a better understanding of white, try and compareone fish?s white to another.

BLACK

Black is the most difficult color to understand and assess. Whenblack is fully developed, each scale should be evenly colored and have a lacquerlikeshine. It should be difficult to see the edges of the scales and the pattern musthave clearly defined edges (kiwa).

When possible, the black should be assessed on white. Blurred insertion atthe front of the black pattern (sashi) is desirable. Good black develops fromblue-black and slowly spreads from skin to scale. When black is fully developedthe whole scale will be even in color and shiny. The color tone of black should bethe same when on a red or white area of the fish. Top quality black will not fade orcamouflage when the fish is startled. Evaluate the color black on red carefullybecause the color red makes the black look richer.You may come across a fish whose black pattern is beneath a layer of white scales. This isreferred to as ?sinking black?. If you can find a single, solid, shiny black scale, chances are theblack beneath the layer of white scales will develop to be solid and shiny black.

SHEEN

refers to the metallic shine of the scales. The metallic shade is either goldor platinum. You all know that for the Hikari, the shinier, the better. Ideally, the shine shouldbe consistent from the mouth to the tip of the tail. This includes the nose, cheeks, gill plates, andall fin tips. I try to use the sun to reflect the fish?s sheen.
 
Kiwa is the edge of the entire pattern. The front edge may sometimes look blurry (sashi). Theback and lower borders of the pattern should have sharp edges and have the same color tonethroughout the pattern. Kiwa in doitsu (non-scale fish) must be sharp all the way around thepattern. Often seen, fish show signs of weakness in red, starting from the bottom end ofthe pattern. Most people don?t look for this weakness toward the bottom part of the red pattern.

Sashi

Sashi is where the colored (red, black, yellow, brown, etc.) scale isinserted under the white scale at the front of the pattern, giving a blurryappearance. Sashi is normally one to two scales wide. As the fish grow older, thesashi gets smaller. Tategoi should have sashi. Doitsu (non-scale fish) will not.(Some bloodlines may not have Sashi).

Poor quality of color

Red

1.  Black specks or spots (shimi).
2.  Uneven color tone. (including doitsu.)  3)  Indistinct kiwa. (Some bloodlines may not have sharp kiwa when young.)
3. Easily visible scale edges.
4. When the fish turns (bends), scale edge look white or much lighter than thecolor of its scales.

Where to look for signs of weakness in red

Bottom of pattern, below lateral line. (Usually is the weakest part of the redpattern.)Toward tail end of fish. Color tone should be consistent from front part offish to the tail end. (Red is commonly weak at the tail end.)

White

1.  Pink areas.
2.  Uneven color.
3.  Dirty appearance.
4.  Body of the fish white but the head yellowish

 

Black

1. Camouflaging.
2. Black uneven within the scale. (Warning: At time of assessment, it ispossible that the black is still developing. As mentioned before, try to findwhere the black has already developed, even if it?s just a half or singlescale, and make assessment from there.)
3. Can see red through black.
4. Dull color.
5. Looks like a net or soot, and is dull. This net-like black is on top of the skin and looks black. (Don?t get confused with boke. Boke is a net-like black that is under the skin and looks blue.)

Sheen

1.  Dull (non-metallic) around the nose, gill plates, and fin tips.Where to look for signs of weakness:At the tail. Looks dull like a non-metallic fish. (The shinier the tail, thebetter.) The cheeks, nose has dull spots.

 

2. QUALITY OF PATTERN

Just as an artist paints a picture, nature paints patterns on a fish. There are no two alike.Everyone has their own judgments of beauty, but there are some portraits or paintings thatpeople can unanimously like. The same goes for patterns of koi. However, if someone accidentally splashes some paint on a painting that you like, how will you now evaluate that piece of art?

•   Red to the nose, no further than the eyes; white mouth and nose.
•   No red below the eyes or on the cheeks,
•   White pattern cut/break across the neck or shoulder.
•   Red should go down to but not father than the lateral line.
•   White at the tail joint.
•   Popular pattern Marutan (round head pattern); Sandan (three step), Yondan(four step), and Inazuma (lightning).
•   Black on white is preferred to black on red (Showa and Sanke).

Poor quality of pattern.

Keep in mind that these guidelines range in degree of importance, depending on the type of fish. For example, a Shiroutsuri or Shiro bekko with red eyes, fins, or tail will lessen its value. Due to their being two-color-fish (black and white), red becomes a third color, which shouldn't be there.

•    Shimi (black spots) on the fish.
•    Red color or red speckles on stomach. (Kohaku, Showa, Sanke.)
•    Scattered sumi (black) on Sanke or Showa. (Makes the fish look dirty.)
•    Tobi hi (red spots on one or two scales.)
•    Red fins or tail.
•    Red on eye(s).
•    Too many black stripes on the fins, including tail, of Sanke. One, two, orthree stripes are acceptable.
•    Striped fins, both pectoral fins are white, or one white and one with motogoro.(Showa and Shiroutsuri.)

3. BODY QUALITY

 We have beauty contests. For example, Mr. Universe or Ms. U.S.A. Anatomy plays a big role in competitions such as these. I have never seen contestants with deformities or missing limbs. With fish, anatomy is similarly important. Evaluating the body of smaller fish is not as important as it is with larger fish. Big fish with body quality will look powerful and impressive, even if it is just a one-color-fish (i.e. Chagoi).

•   Smooth symmetrical curve from the tip of the mouth to the tail on both sides when viewed from above.
•   Big mouth, big head, wide shoulders, thick tail joint.
•   Tall height. (Look at the fish from the side, at eye-level.)

Poor quality of body

•    Pointed mouth
•    Head too small, short, or large for the body.
•    Body is too short.
•    Flat cheeks or too bowed.
•    Tip of the gill plate curves out or bowed out.
•    Tail joint is too skinny or too small.

4. FIN QUALITY

Similar to how beautiful frames enhance the appeal of a portrait or painting, beautiful finsadd to the elegance of a fish.

•    Smooth, round, curved pectoral fins of even size.
•    Straight dorsal fin.
•    Round, even-size anal fins.
•    Tail fin- top and bottom halves must be even and straight.

Poor quality of fins:

•   Pointed pectoral fins.
•   Front bone of pectoral fin has kinks or uneven curves, or not the full length.
•   Pectoral fins too large or too small for the body.
•   Uneven pectoral, anal, and tail fins.
•   Splits in any fins, often seen in dorsal and split in the center of tail fins.(Sometimes, split fins heal in the future.)
•   V in the tail fin is too deep.

 
Keep in mind that there are no perfect fish. Not even all the top class Japan champions satisfy all four Q's. But, if you bet on the quality of color first, you will have better odds at having a trophy fish, or at least the fish you bought whose pattern won't disappear as easily. Fish are expensive. Without understanding the quality, and if you rely only on brand name and bloodline, the outcome can be real disappointing.

Any fish with serious deformities is considered a low quality fish. Some deformities aremore significant than others are. Every deformity has a certain degree of importance. Somedeformities only decrease the value of the fish, while others may make the fish be of little valueat all.

When buying fish that you don't intend to grow large, (if you have a small pond), thecolor and pattern are most important, followed by body and fins. When buying fish intended togrow large, the color and body are most important, followed by pattern and fins. Theintangibles, imposing appearance and elegance must also be factored into the equation.

Reading books and articles is a basic part of learning about koi. So are looking at fishand asking questions, but I find that comparison is the best learning tool. Having aknowledgeable teacher is always a plus. For example, how many of you have had someoneactually bend a fish to show you that one red was better than another? Or flip the fish upsidedown to show you the gender, or that the fish had mouth or head deformities? There's a lot tolearn about koi. Each variety of koi has different characteristics. You should learn one type of koi's traits at a time. Try to observe the best of each type and compare it to the worst.