Carolynn: How many fish do you have in your pond? They really are pretty. That reddy/orange one really catches my eye. Who is your supplier?
Do I have bad luck or is this normal???
Butterflys, three of my favorites.
Snapple,
Love the one on the lower right. I have wanted one similar only yellow with the shushi type zipper going down the back. I find that I am partial to the long fins, however a mix of both the long and the short fins is nice. I think they compliment each other. Is the fish on the left a matsuba or is it the way the light is on her body?
Linda. ironically when I bought the hi asagi, he was of the same coloring, but he was almost like a reverse tancho. His markings have changed considerably. He is probably my favorite fish and one of the few that has been brave enough to eat right out of my hand on a regular basis.
I get my fish in Upstate NY. If you want I can give you her information - don't know if they mail fish - they might. I would think in the Chicago area though that you would have more available to you than I do We are rural, although that seems to be changing too.
There were about 15 koi in our pond. With the small fry I don't know at this point how many we have. We know that we need to thin them out again. With the exeception of 2 of the small fry, the rest will go to a friend that owns a nursery and sells pond plants as well as fish.
Such gorgeous fish! Carolyn, how many gallons is your pond?
Elizabeth
Elizabeth,
Thank you. We are 5000 gallons. I am feeling the itch to have another pond, but I really don't have anywhere to put it.
No. it's not a matsuba. I've got one, but every time I take the camera out to the pond the big boys crowd him out of the picture. He's about 1/3 the size of the rest since I've only had him for 2 yrs. The rest are 5-7 yrs. One is 8yrs. Most are over 18"-24". One is close to 30" That's body length without the tail fins. They eat a ton in the summer. I added a GinRin Yellow/Black youngster this early August. It was so stunning I couldn't pass it up, although only about 5". I'm not really sure what this koi is. It is metallic, mostly yellow with sharp black markings. I think it will take about a year to get an idea of breed. For now it looks like a Gin Rin Ki Utsuri. As those are rare I believe the coloration on this one will change. I only see it at night. It's terribly shy and doesn't come out from under the water liliys except in total darkness. It's probably overwhelmed by the size of its companions.
Snapple,
I'd love to see more pictures. The Gin Rin Ki Utsuri sounds beautiful!
Carolyn