Our Customers’ Koi: Before and After
If you are a regular reader of our koi blog, the name Craig Caldwell might sound familiar to you.
Craig won a prestigious award at the BKKS National Koi Show this year with one of our Showa's, bred from our 'MGS' female. This koi is one from her last batch of babies, as we lost the mum in 2023. You can read about Craig's Showa win at the BKKS National Koi Show here: https://www.byerkoifarm.co.uk/blogs/blog/big-wins-for-adam-byer-koi-farm-at-the-2024-bkks-national-koi-show?_pos=1&_sid=f889decf2&_ss=r
The same Showa won an equivalent award at the Scottish Koi Show and also scooped a special mention at the show being named 'Best Tategoi'. This is an award given at some koi shows to koi that show the most potential for future development. This is an important accolade, as it indicates not only the current quality of the koi but also its promise for future growth, colour development, and body shape improvement.
This week, Craig sent through update videos of this Showa, and also a few other koi he purchased from us this year including a nisai Mukashi Ogon from our Opaline line, and a Hi Utsuri from the tosai we imported from Shinoda.
All 3 koi have done incredibly well! So I wanted to show you the transformations so you can see what our koi can do in customers' ponds.
Lets start with the Mukashi. We donated the Mukashi Ogon (Opaline line) at nisai to the Great British Koi Show, which the organisers auctioned off to raise money to help run the show. Craig says he won it for £200, which is a bargain for one of our top quality nisai Mukashi's.
Here's the Mukashi, at the auction, at the end of August '24:
And here it is again after a few months in Craig's capable hands, mid November '24:
The Mukashi has grown from 40cm to 52cm and retained a consistent vanilla colour, with a clean head. A nisai Mukashi Ogon in the right care, might grow 10-15cm across a whole year. Craig's achieved 12cm in less than half a season.
Check out the body development which is equally impressive to the rapid growth rate. The volume has increased along the length of the koi and because the koi has a great shape and frame, the additional volume is being held really well and improving the overall look of the koi. It’s a testament to how well the koi is growing, and this can often be attributed to not just genetics but also the high-quality care it’s received.
Fukurin is a feature on the highest quality of koi. It tends to develop over time. It is skin that grows around the scales making them look like the dimples in a golf ball. This 3D effect adds texture to the koi and highlights its body as light shifts across it while it moves.
I'm left wondering how this Mukashi will go in Craig's care. Perhaps a future koi show jumbo champion? We shall see. It's certainly a show stopper!
We have a great range of Mukashi's available to choose from here at Byer Koi Farm in the shop, and we have some of the best of the tosai from this year catalogued and these are also available online too. If you wanted to secure one of these, take a look at our range on the website here: Mukashi Ogons Available Now. Any individual koi listed on the website purchased over the winter, can be left here at Byer Koi Farm until the spring. A heads up on our harvest activity next month; In December '24 we will be harvesting this year's Mukashi nisai, and also a small range of very select sansai too.
The aforementioned Showa is also doing well.
Showa is one of the traditional 'Big Three' koi varieties, known for its stunning contrast of white, black (sumi), and red (hi) colors. The Showa's ability to develop sumi (black markings) over time is part of what makes it so exciting for koi enthusiasts. Here's Craig's Showa when he received the koi in the spring, at around 25cm:
And now, mid November '24 at 42cm.
The sumi is developing very well. Most of it remains kage, slowly coming through and staying in neatly formed pattern markings. The trailing edge of the shoulder sumi pattern marking is extremely attractive. It's a sharp line, at the trailing edge of consistent sumi. In some places cutting across scales, and in other places going around the edge of scales. I love it!
If you love Showa, you might also enjoy our Showa koi variety spotlight. It's a 15-20 minute read, an in depth analysis of the Showa variety and includes a buying guide too. Find it on our website here: https://www.byerkoifarm.co.uk/blogs/blog/koi-variety-spotlight-showa-bold-and-powerful-the-magnificent-three-coloured-koi
Finally, we have Craig's Hi Utsuri. Craig purchased this Shinoda Hi Utsuri for £50 from our website following one of our online koi releases in early spring '24. It was 17cm at the point of purchase.
Here's how it looked on the website:
Now, at mid November '24, this koi is an incredible 43cm! And as well as substantial growth, the colour and sumi have transformed. Here's the koi now:
How wonderful is that! And this koi is still young at nisai so has plenty more potential left too.
If you are curious about how beni (red) colour develops on a hi utsuri, then this example demonstrates the change perfectly. And we can expect its sumi and beni (red) colour to continue to develop as it matures. In the next year, it will likely grow further, perhaps exceeding 50 cm, and its striking black-and-orange/red pattern will become even more defined.
If you are interested in Shinoda's provenance for breeding Hi Utsuri, check out my footage of his feature pond where it's possible to see Shinoda's Hi Utsuri as large as 1m! This was one of the most enjoyable ponds to take in when I was in Japan last year. Even though it's not a pond I would be buying from, it shows the supreme qualities in Shinoda Hi Utsuri. See my video of this pond on the blog here: https://www.byerkoifarm.co.uk/blogs/blog/discover-the-top-koi-ponds-at-5-of-japans-best-breeders-a-visual-tour-of-10-stunning-videos?_pos=1&_sid=28518f2a9&_ss=r
I am heading to Japan once again early in the new year, and I'll pop in to Shinoda and check out this year's tosai Hi Utsuri's. If their tosai Hi Utsuri from this year meet our high standards, we’ll be bringing back a new batch for sale in spring '25 — keep an eye out for these stunning fish in our future online releases!
As well as the genetics and buying from a reputable breeder / supplier (like Adam Byer Koi Farm ! ), proper care also plays a significant role in the development of koi. Water quality and food quality also factor in. And underpinning all of that, practicing a good husbandry regime is very important to ensure your koi are in good condition and therefore able to benefit the very most from the warmest months of the year.
The key is maintaining stable water parameters, feeding high-quality food designed for growth, and avoiding stress in the koi’s environment.
Reviewing the before and after videos Craig's sent through, it's easy to see that Craig's chosen great koi and has brought them on extremely well. He's clearly practicing top level koi husbandry.
