These koi all went into grow-out pond #8 back in may at 21 to 29 centimeters or 8 inches to 11 inches, and today they come out at a pretty consistent 46 centimeters or 18 inches.

The heritage of these young kohakus goes back to Hiroshima, Japan, on the Father’s side,... and a farm in Niigata with a long history, on the Mother’s side,... both sides being considered jumbo lineages.

For a tosai to make it into pond #8 for the summer it has to have something special,... and by the time it goes in in may it will have been looked over closely 6 times since it’s birth 12 months earlier.

The kiwa of my kohakus moves outward as it develops, and the hi patterning expands and grows with the fish.  in this video footage we can see the beni is still immature, and the kiwa is still developing.

A koi that has the potential to grow to jumbo size has a certain type of bone structure, and this body type can be seen early on,... in the shape of the face, the length of the face, the size of the mouth, and the shape of the shoulder, back and tail tube.  If you’ve ever seen a Great Dane puppy you’ll know the slightly exaggerated look,... of a body that will fill out and become proportionate later in life.  

These kohakus have skin that is high in guanine, producing a bright glossy skin quality, even after the body has grown large, and the skin has grown between the scales producing fukurin.  These koi are all given a salt bath and put into a filtered pond for the winter.

(YouTube link for those who aren't able to access the link above)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIGwP6JnHK4