Mine are starting to turn very blue already. This usually doesn't start happening till Spring. At this rate,they will be royal blue by Summer☺. Is anyone else noticing this ?
Pond Fish:Anyone else have "Blue Angels"?
Hi Posy,
I have koi that are the same color. Mine tend to be that way after they are born. I didn't know that they are called "blue Angels" . Is that the name you have given them or is that the correct terminology?
It's my understanding that a true Koi will never have even a slight tint of blue. The Blue Angels are always in the Shubunkin Goldfish family and any cross breeding with Koi eliminates the blue tint. I have watched it in my pond and I am pretty sure any cross breeding is doing just that.
Do you have a pic of a Koi with the Blue tint? For the past three years the breeding that is taking place somewhat haphazardly, I confess, has resulted in some of the off spring from the Angels being almost completely Royal Blue with some black by mid summer.I was so surprised to see the Angel in the pic above looking so blue this time of year that I thought someone might have it happening as well.
Oh, I forgot to tell you. I had some other name for them,can't remember it right now.
The name is from Totalily and they are a Water Plant and Fish Store in Spencer,NY.
It must be the true name because I looked on the internet and they are called Shubunkin Blue Angels.
Backspace,
I too have koi that have blue on them. Mine fall under different types. I have an Utsuri that is blue with a much darker blue - almost a navy pattern and I also have a Shushi with quite a bit of a lighter blue on him (I am at work, otherwise I would attach a picture). Many of the koi do have blues as part of their colorations.
The colors and types all have Japanese names. Hi means red, Ahi means blue, etc. My attachment shows different koi with their names and colors. http://www.japan-nishikigoi.org/keitou.html
Carolyn
Lucille - how are you? Apparently I was posting the same time you were!
Backspace - I think I can attach a picture I pulled from an email I sent to Rich. My sushui is in this picture. He has quite a bit of light blue on him. Actually, my husband specfically chose this little guy because he had more blue. I know as he matures though, that his markings could change. The sushui is the one just to the right of the larger white bekko.
Carolyn
Sorry Carolyn. I should have said the kind of Koi I have will not get blue from cross breeding with the blue angels.The color blue of the Shubunkin is quite different than the color blue of those in Koi.
Your Blue Koi is beautiful Carolyn☺
I forgot about those expensive Blue Koi backspace. Mine are just inexpensive and probably in bred. I only have 2 real Koi and they are both girls. I have gotten so used to the goings on in my own pond, I forgot others have a different mix in theirs.
Carolyn, will your blue Koi spawn with Koi that are not blue and then have blue here and there on the off- spring? Oh, I am so confused by the endless possibilities of color and size☺
Lu, if you are confused, I'm beyond help. lol. I've several shabunkins, that are blue, and some are red with black dots, and some that are blue/red in b/w.
Ok, this is a question: Do Koi breed with shabunkin? I've offsprings in the pond, but I'm not certain they're shabunkins, gold fish or Koi.
Kim
Hey Kim! Oh thank goodness you showed up for moral support. I think I am getting information overload☺ It is my understanding that they do cross breed. I saw it on a site(I think her site name was Judy's Pond) which while they stated they were not a professional by any means,they had been observing this and concluded that the ones that looked like the shape of Koi with no barbels were a combination of goldfish and koi. They said a true koi always has barbels. Shubunkins are goldfish in the comet goldfish family. I've been calling the ones I think are crossbreeds, Koikins,just to help add to my utter confusion☺
I bet Confucius has something to say about all this☺
LU
LOL with you Lu, Confucius must have visited me quite often lately. Ok, terminalogy analysis please, what's the term "barbels" means? The whiskers that Koi have and other gold fish don't?
Kim
Lucille - a couple of years ago we had some fantail goldfish and the one was quite blue - just like your shubunkin. She was also a breeding machine.... I have to ask - how do you keep the populations down? I know when I had goldfish, it seemed like every month from April to October there were new goldfish babies.
What happens colorwise when your goldfish and koi crossbreed? Do they go back to the natural browns or do they take on the colors the goldfish and koi have? Can you post some pictures of the crosses? I would love to see them.
I too, cannot believe how much information is out there. I know that they are continually introducing new ones with all the fancy Japanese names that I have trouble pronouncing. I can't keep up myself. I have had to ask Rich a couple of times, what kind some of my koi are.
Keep in touch.
Carolyn
OH you so smart Kim. It took me a year and a month of Sundays to find out those whiskers are called barbels☺And.......somewhere I read that the Fumanchu Mustache that the old Chinamen grow that hang down on each side of their top lip, is representative of the barbels on Koi and they do it to venerate Koi which are considered sacred in their culture.
Every time I see one of those little Ivory Chinamen that are oft times sitting in bonsai, pots,I think of Koi. I used to have one,but I broke it in a million pieces 40 years ago.I
bought a $50 bonsai when I was traveling and it died. so I threw it out and forgot to save the Chinaman. Too bad,so sad☺
I seem to be full of useless information today and if I don't go do the rest of the dishes and laundry, my name will be mud☻
As far as gold fish, I've observed this fascinating fact. One time last year. I had this charcoal/grayish appearing fish. I thought it was a "mino" (sp.?). Well, the fish kept growing bigger and bigger. Once it attained a size of a gold fish, then it gradually turns gold! Yep, solid gold at about the size 4". So Mid-night, mutant Mino, is actually a true gold fish. It's happy as a bug in the rug, and making more babies, that first looked like black 'mino' then eventually turn gold.
Ahhh, Lu, next time I see those chinamen (the procelaom dolls), I may just buy one and send them to you. lol.
Kim
Hi again Carolyn, I have a book with all the names and categories for Koi,but I gave up trying to give them names to match the breeds. You are doing it much better than I was able to. Then, trying to explain the name,well I gave up. Now the ones that have names are just regular pet names like Figgi and Hamlet,Glitter,etc.
I'll try to post some pics , but I already put all the brown ones,which I think are Comets that just didn't turn orange,and lots of other goldfish,crossed or not, in the Packer Pond last Fall.
The two Koi stay the same colors,they just keep getting bigger and bigger.
Remember, My pond has been hatching hundreds upon hundreds of fish 2 or 3 times a year, and I keep hauling bucket after bucket of fish to that big pond and I am tired of it.
I want to figure out a way to stop the reproduction cycle completely in my pond.The fish I have now will probably outlive me. I wonder if fish can be neutered?
Take care and Happy Ponding,
Lucille
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Lucille,
now that you mention it, I am remembering you did tell me that before. I know that going to just koi, we dont' have as many fry as when we had goldfish too, but it is still a problem. We have been trying to figure out all winter how we are going to keep the fry to a minimum. It is awful trying to catch them.
Good luck - I'd love to see your pictures.
Carolyn
OH KIM,thank you,but save your money. I am so clumsy,I will just break them.
Remember my cute little $7.00 frog I had sitting with my Cactus? Well, 2 mornings ago,before it was light, I took the cactus out for some air and forgot he was there,he fell and his foot broke off☻I will try gluing his foot back on, but see what I mean?
It is hopeless,the more I try to be careful,the worse I get☻
gotta go,Bye for now,
LU