Top 15 Nisai Koi Picks from Byer Koi Farm’s 12th September 2025 Release
In this blog post, I’m excited to share my top 15 picks from this week’s nisai release. This release features BKF koi from the first two of our four nisai pond harvests. Bred here at Byer Koi Farm in 2024, these koi are now completing their second summer and showing some truly impressive development.
👉 You can find full details of the release - here
👉 And don’t forget — from 8pm on Friday night (12th September 2025), the new koi will be live on our Individual Koi for Sale page. Here’s a direct link with the newest koi sorted right to the top: - koi for sale - newest koi at the top.
Now, let’s explore my top picks!
Top Nisai Harvest Picks - Byer Koi Farm - Kumonryu
We first stumbled across Kumonryu several years ago in one of our spawnings — and to our surprise, they looked remarkably good. That’s worth noting, because Kumonryu are renowned (and sometimes dreaded) for their unpredictable patterns. Their sumi tends to shift and move, often changing dramatically with the seasons. Yet even in those early days, the quality of what we produced looked promising. We decided to keep production low at first, giving ourselves time to understand what potential this line really had.
Fast forward a few years, and we discovered something special: on our Kumonryu, the patterns set at tosai stage are far more stable than the variety is typically known for. While many enthusiasts enjoy the ever-changing, “living canvas” quality of Kumonryu, we’ve become particularly fond of the stable-pattern type that our line consistently produces. From nisai right through to yonsai, we’ve found the patterns hardly shift at all.
With that in mind, in 2024 we ran a much larger spawning, producing a stronger batch of this fascinating variety. Many of these Kumonryu caught the eye of enthusiasts during our tosai release in the spring. Now, we’re excited to share 10 stunning Kumonryu nisai in this week’s harvest and online release.
The top three of these rank among the very best koi we’re offering today — regardless of variety.
Let’s take a closer look…
Strong frame, with a broad head and shoulders and a body profile that has volume through the length of the body. The sumi (black) and shiroji (white) are fantastic and contrast with each other spectacularly. The sumi (black) head pattern is like ink has been dribbled over the head.
Classic Kumonryu dragon style of pattern. With the jagged linear pattern. Again, very neat kiwa (pattern edge), and great colour too.
This Kumonryu has particularly good shiroji (white) and with the strong sumi (black), the contrast is amazing. Symmetrical pattern, and the white head and tail stop balance each other.
Top Nisai Harvest Picks - Byer Koi Farm - Goshiki
In February 2023, I travelled to Japan (see the japan trip summary blog) in search of new broodstock to help us expand production and introduce new varieties here at Byer Koi Farm. One of the varieties we set our sights on was Goshiki.
On that trip, we purchased three females and around six males. Our first spawning attempt in 2023 didn’t go to plan, but we tried again in 2024 — and this time, two females spawned successfully. One of them in particular produced exactly the type of Goshiki we’ve been aiming for, and we couldn’t be happier with the results. The floating beni (red) combined with the blue and charcoal robing has given us some truly beautiful fish.
This autumn, I’ll be heading back to Niigata, and one of my main goals will be to source more Goshiki broodstock. With these additions, we’ll be able to expand our production further and refine this exciting line even more.
Good volume through the body, and very good quality beni (red). Robing developing nicely across the white ground. A simple pattern, but does the job taking your eye from the nose to the tail.
Lovely stepped pattern, and also which great beni (red) too. The robing is developing on the white ground, leaving the red to appear floating - so called , floating beni. The robing on this Goshiki is less developed than on the one above. We would expect it to develop in the same way.
An open pattern with many small beni (red) pattern markings. The beni is floating, and robing developing on the white ground. You can see the robing forming at the trailing edge of the scales in some areas which is exactly what we'd want to see!
Finally, a Goshiki where the robing is more developed than the others - but still not fully developed in the 'kuro' dark style of robing we expect on these Goshiki. Fantastic menu (red), and attractive four step pattern with the kuchibeni (red on the nose or lips) adding character!
Top Nisai Harvest Picks - Byer Koi Farm - Doitsu Metallic Ochiba
Our Doitsu Ochiba have become well known on the UK koi scene, and we've been working on brood sets for the metallic variant too. We finally cracked it in 2024, and have 6 nisai in this week's release. Two of which are in my top 15 picks.
Check out the extremely sharp kiwa (pattern edge), which is a very high quality feature. The colour is also particularly rich on this koi, and the butterfly / bow shaped pattern on the shoulder is lovely. Coupled with a clean metallic head, and clean pectoral fins too, this is a wonderful example.
Also very clean, and crisp kiwa; and with a pattern that balances left to right and front to back, but in an unconventional way. It's more akin to the mirroring you might see in utsuri types (see our Showa koi variety guide) , and looks amazing with the tan pattern on bright metallic base. Clean pecs too add to the overall impression.
Top Nisai Harvest Picks - Byer Koi Farm - Doitsu Metallic Aragoke
Another variety we are well known for, and we have several in this release including the soragoi and ochiba types.
I've pulled one into my top 15 for this release, because of it's wild but balanced scales. Each with the black trailing edge that we are known for too! A lovely detail on this interesting koi.
Top Nisai Harvest Picks - Byer Koi Farm - Kikisui
This is another new variety for us here at Byer Koi Farm, and benefiting from the new brood stock we purchased on the trip to Japan in Feb 2023.
I've pulled two into my top 15 picks for this release.
The first is one of the smaller Kikisui in the harvest, but is the leading example because of it's fantastic pattern with deep bend (red) and the crispy kiwa (edges) to the pattern. All on a bright white metallic base and clean shiny pectoral fins too.
This is a much larger example, with all the same colour and kiwa (pattern edge) quality , also great metallic lustre too. A kindai, open style, pattern.
Top Nisai Harvest Picks - Byer Koi Farm - Doitsu Ochiba
Doitsu Ochiba has become one of the core varieties in our breeding program and a line we continue to refine with each season. Earlier this year, we made the strategic decision to release the majority of our best tategoi as higher-value tosai in the spring. This allowed customers early access to our top selections, but it also meant we carried fewer Doitsu Ochiba through to nisai this year.
Even with reduced numbers, three individuals have stood out strongly enough to feature in our Top Nisai Harvest Picks. Their presence here is a reflection of the consistency within our Ochiba line and the direction we are taking as we continue to shape and strengthen this variety at Byer Koi Farm.
The first, is this extremely attractive Doitsu Ochiba with an open and balanced pattern. Each pattern marking is neat and tidy, well distributed along the length of the body, balancing front to back and left to right. Whether the koi is swimming towards you, or away from you, the koi looks great which ever direction it is swimming in. Fantastic kiwa (pattern edges), and a consistent tan colour throughout. One of the prettiest koi in the harvest.
Our Doitsu Ochiba can be classified into three broad pattern types. I plan to write a detailed spotlight on it this winter, but I can give you a heads up on it in summary now. We have the open pattern, kindai types like the first one profiled. And this second example, is another pattern type - which is where the pattern sits solely on the side - similar to shusui. But where the pattern has a wave to the shape, so that when viewed from the side, it looks like a mountain range. This was inspired by a family holiday to the lake district in the UK and also a world heritage site, where the autumn setting and typical autumn view is of the rolling hills covered in brown bracken and silhouetted by the grey cloud-covered sky. Read on the website blog about some of the origins of our breeding programme.
This koi is a very good example of this particular pattern style.
Here are a couple of side shots which help to show it:
The koi looks great from above, and if you have a pond with a window, you get to see the pattern as we intended it.
I've featured this Doitsu Ochiba in the top picks because of the black outline on the tan pattern marking.
Conclusion
That brings us to the end of our Top 15 Nisai Picks for tonight’s release.
It’s been a real pleasure to share these koi with you — each one represents years of careful breeding and selection here at Byer Koi Farm. All 15 will be available as part of tonight’s online release, going live at 8pm.
These koi are truly one-of-a-kind. If you’ve got your eye on a favourite, make sure you’re ready when the release goes live — we expect the best of these to be snapped up quickly.
Thank you for following along, and best of luck finding your next koi from this very special harvest!
