Mid September Update

Since my last blog, and as usual, we've had the good, the bad and the ugly.

Lets start with the good.

I've finally cleared out my tosai growing on tank! hooray! I'll be taking a few of them to the All England koi show this weekend, I've decided on a few to move on and and that's been in progress on Ebay. And, two were narrow decisions whether to move on or keep, and I've decided to keep them for now so these two have gone back into the growing on tank:

40cm last weekend

For the next two months - I'll also heat up the females tank and that will give me a chance to keep growing around 15 of last year's kohakus; and then I'll make a final decision around November time which will ones will get those extra few growing on months in the grow on tank, as I cool the females tank down for the winter months.

the All England Show is my personal favorite of the year in the UK, but it's also the one where I am most unlikely to win any prizes, such is the competition - particularly in kohaku! I'm pitching myself against the toughest kohaku line up likely to be present at any show this year - with other exhibitors sparing no expense in bringing some of the best kohakus to the show. Great for the show - and the visitors!

I'm not expecting to win any prizes, and with just kohaku's and tancho available to me.. I'll probably take 5 or 6 koi to the show. they will come back into the females tank after the show. I'll share pics of those after the show.
Other good news ... the fry from Elle currently growing on in the fry pond outside.. are just about large enough to harvest with the seine net. There must be a few thousand there which is great news and gives me a chance to sample that new brood set genetic combo.

Ok, bad news.

I lost one of my male brood fish - one of the males used in the May 14 spawning. The root cause I suspect was a year ago - you may remember I had to close the females pond down in June last year; such a pain it was, and tough deiciosn to take at a crucial moment in the year. The result was my whole collection being housed in a 12ft diameter, 3 ft water depth pond - way over stocked. It was a difficult decision, but the right one for my collection as a whole. And once the females pond was back up and running, everythig returned to normal. Except that in the period where my whole collection was in one pond, a couple of fish picked up small knocks. I expected them to heal up as they usually do, but on the male kohaku - a raised scale became infected, which I hadnt noticed. One spotted in September, I sedated the fish and pulled the scale out, cleanred the area and treated topically. But - I suspect the damage was already done at that point because a year later, and despite several sets of treatments this year - the fish was clearly suffering badly from septicemia and I removed it.

And, finally,

Two of my favorite fish from the May 14 spawning have developed secondary hi; on one, the secondary hi is on the body! Totally gutting because, other than the new colouring... I would certainly have taken them to the show this weekend! They were at that level! I'll show you pictures so you can see what I mean, when i get a chance to photograph them.

Now.... these potential show fish, are destined for eBay! Gutting.