March 10th, 2010
Line breeding is the deliberate and selective inbreeding in order to concentrate desired traits. The net result is the improvement of the line over time. However, an outcome of inbreeding is the concentration of undesirable traits. The most common impact is the decline in growth rates, size and vigour. The Japanese have overcome this problem by the use of magoi (food carp) as an outcross to Nishikigoi. In Australia, magoi are not available. An alternative is to outcross to koi that are close to magoi, ie. a wild type appearance. Single coloured koi are suitable. The largest and fastest growing types available are from ogon, kawarimono, karasu and chagoi genetics.
Here is an example of three koi from two different spawnings that hatched within a few days of each other. The two smaller koi are from the same koromo spawn. The larger one is from a chagoi x chagoi spawn. All three were raised in the same water, fed the same food and kept seperate using a netted enclosure. Most of the other koi from both spawns grew to a similar degree. This demonstrates how much the ‘wilder’ type genes can produce a better growth rate.
Posted in Culling & Development | No Comments »
March 8th, 2010
Here are some one and two year olds matsukawabake from the goshiki x hijaro spawning.
Posted in Matsukawabake | No Comments »
March 7th, 2010
In 2007 I commenced my breeding program in the search for a kuro goshiki with dense black sumi with a kohaku-like pattern. The first cross was a male goshiki x female hijaro. The result was a mix of chagoi, ochiba, koromo, goshiki & a range of matsukawabake. Unfortunately, the hi on most was not very good and disappeared in the first and second year. I repeated the spawning in 2008, but this time I focused on the matsukawabake as those were the best koi in both years. Despite the failing hi, the results led me to look to producing a beni and goshiki matsukawabake. In 2009 I put a 2 year old male matsukawabake from the 2007 spawn with a female kohaku as a test spawning to see if it was easier to produce beni matsukawabake with stable hi from a different line. This was a small spawning with maybe 100 or so hatching. This low rate is probably due to the males age. The size of the spawn is not going to be big enough to determine if the set is the right one and will need to be revisited next season.
Here are some photos from the 2009 spawn.
At this age the appearance of sumi is immature & they look ordinary. There is alot of change ahead for these koi as the pattern is going to change many times over the coming years.
A little hi has been carried across and if it is stable, will give me something to work with in a few years.
I will need to photograph this last one later in the year as it is carrying some more hi below the lateral line.
Posted in Culling & Development, Matsukawabake | No Comments »
March 6th, 2010
Today I had a chance to measure a few koi in preparation for the AKA & KSA shows in a few months.
Both koi continue to grow. My Hikari Utsurimono is now 73cm and the Shiro Utsuri has now turned 60cm.
Unless the Shiro returns her sumi to the head and deepens on the body, I will hold her back from showing until next year. Every spawning season, she loses a considerable amount of the black colour. It usually returns as the water cools into autumn. I am impressed by her white & hope her skin quality can continue to improve.
I know Hiakri Utsurimono rarely feature on the internet or in koi magazines. Few impress. They are often at their best in the smaller sizes. The better ones with great sheen, often have duller grey sumi as the guanine interfers with the passage of light. Those with darker sumi usually have less sheen and therefore appear blacker. Less guanine means the less the light is broken up. This variety typically grows slower than others and the sheen is not up to the same intensity of Ogon or Kujaku. As they age, it is usual for the sheen to breakdown. This can be most evident on the head due to the lack of scale and fukrin. I find it declines first on the cheeks and gill plates.
My lady is now just over 11 years old. She has grown 8cm in the past year. I have no idea why she has had a sudden growth spurt. She is hardly perfect. She has plenty of stray hi now; a symptom of her age. Her one grace of appreciation is her lovely sheen for such an old girl.
Posted in General, Oiyagoi | No Comments »
March 5th, 2010
I recently posted this picture with the hope that perhaps this koi might make the start of a kuro goshiki ochiba shigure.
You may remember this koi has siblings with the many themes of matsukawabake. I knew there was always the possibility that it would develop along those lines.
There is also the chance that the brown in this black based koi would turn to orange or red.
I took this photo a few days ago as it shows a dramatic change in the shifting sumi.
In the side view you can see the sumi and brown battling for dominance. Given the sumi will likely change again, it is impossible to say who will win. For now the brown is barely visible with the sumi masking the appearance.
At this stage I am disappointed with the body shape. The body falls too deep. The back is far too high and gives the tail area a short appearance.
Posted in Culling & Development, Goshiki | No Comments »
March 4th, 2010
GOAL 1 - produce kuro goshiki ie. a kohaku pattern over dense black.
These koi are not currently produced in Australia. Our kuro goshiki typically have dark grey base.
In the first year I crossed a male goshiki with this hijaro in an attempt to rebuild the sumi from the karasu clan
Here is an example of what I hope to produce
(http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com – photo by Mark Gardener)
My cross produced many matsukawabake and some goshiki and koromo that may be become the basis for future linebreeding.
GOAL 2 – produce Kuro Goshiki Ochiba Shigure
One result from the goshiki x hijaro spawn are some dark Ochiba Shigure. Therefore, I hope to also produce Kuro (black) Goshiki Ochiba Shigure, ie the tan coloured pattern over the dark goshiki sumi. I have no idea if Kuro Goshiki Ochiba Shigure is a real ‘variety’, but my friend Bindi said I should call them Autumn Goshiki.
Here is an example of one I am hopeful with. The tan is too brown for what I am hoping for, but it is a step closer. In the future I hope to lighten the brown to a milky tea colour.
GOAL 3 – produce a goshiki with a matsukawabake atmosphere.
This type is a little harder to describe – kohaku pattern over a light goshiki base and a lateral sumi pattern.
This year, some of the male koi from the first goshiki & hijaro cross will be spawned to commence the line breeding. Over the next few years I will be able to focus on the second and third generations. The development of this line will take place over the next few/many years to come.
Posted in Goshiki | No Comments »
March 3rd, 2010
Born: Unknown
Size: 50cm +
In order to rebuild the sumi of goshiki I have used this female with a male goshiki.
The cross also produced a number of matsukawabake. These will be used to produce beni matsukawabake.
She was retired in 2009. The photo was taken in April 2007, at 41cm.
Posted in Oiyagoi | No Comments »
March 3rd, 2010
Born: 1998
Size: 71cm as at September 2009
Size: 73cm as at March 2010
You can see she is showing her age in the scatter of hi. Her sheen is terrific for such an old, large girl. I find the sheen in this variety does not have the same intensity as in Ogon. In the future I hope to be able to find a suitable platinum to add into the line in order to increase the brightness of the metallic. I will be uploading some photos of her children and grandchildren in the future.
Posted in Oiyagoi | No Comments »
March 1st, 2010
I have read a number articles that suggest that white kumonryu are selected when culling in some lines and that black ones are chosen in others. I have also had it suggested that the koi to keep are those with some black and some white.
This kumonryu hatched on October 21st, 2009 and comes from a male kumonryu crossed with a female ki shusui. It is now 8cm. Up until 2 weeks ago it was a mostly black koi with hints of white on the head. It was then placed in a low light environment. This experiment was intended to reveal how easy it might be to influence the amount of sumi visible in poor light environments. I had similar success last year with placing a young shiro utsuri in a darkened environment for several months, during which time it lost all of it’s visible sumi. When the shiro was returned to a well lit pond, the sumi returned over several months to the original intensity & location.
The result on this koi has implications for culling and development. It is already known that black based koi will become greyer when placed a light coloured tub. I use this technique when culling Showa for example in order to better see the hi that might be obscured by the sumi. As the sumi fades, the hi below is revealled. When I cull Showa, I select those with a kohaku-like pattern and this is easier to see in a tub with a light background.
There are culling outcome implications if there is a relationship between photo period or light intensity and the amount of visible sumi. It may also have a bearing on the development of sumi in older koi and may provide the oppurtunity to artifically increase the amount of white on a kumonryu. I intend to test further the role of light in influencing sumi on this koi and some older koi in the future. You may want to undertake an experiment of this type yourself and I hope that when you do, you might share your outcomes.
Posted in Culling & Development | No Comments »
February 27th, 2010
Born: 2006
Size: 55cm as at September 2009
This male has an impressive confirmation, unlike any other male I have seen. It is the confirmation I would like to see in my other koi. His growth has been impressive in the first 2 years, reaching 45cm in September 2008.
He was sexually mature in 2008 when he was spawned with my Shiro Utsuri. I will put some photos from that spawning later. He was also spawned with a Goshiki Showa in 2009 and I intend to update that spawning later.
In Oz, few koi reach over 80cm and these are mainly Ogons. An occassional Gosanke will reach the 70+cm size, but by and large they are stopped in the 60s. This male is one a few koi I am using as an outcross, in order to develop a new line of koi with good growth rates, strong vigor, body shape and good size. Hopefully, this male will be able to produce some Gosanke, Goshiki & Utsuri koi with the potential to exceed 80cm in the future. The goal is inspired by what has already been achieved in Japan using magoi.
I know this is the start of a very long term breeding program of many years. It will be quite a journey.
Posted in Oiyagoi | No Comments »
