Hi All

Since i have been keeping Koi i have always heard people saying that you need current in your pond to achive good body shapes and growth and so i designed my pond that way.

Today i was browsing the INPC wesbite and found the following.

Quote :

The body conformation of fish such as sweetfish and trout which live in mountain streams are long and thin because it is affected by strong currents. However, since Nishikigoi live in water without flow, their body becomes spindle-like. A well-formed spindle shape not only decreases the water pressure on Nishikigoi but is said to be the most beautiful body conformation.
The picture is of a brand Nishikigoi called “Daiya-no-Kamen (Diamond Mask)”. It has an ideal spindle-shape with a perfect balance among the head, body and tail. It has a dominating presence and is very elegant.

Does this mean that current can affect the shape of you koi badly or am i just reading to much into this?

I am no koi specialist but general knowledge about fish would dictate that current will affect shape ... however the koi is basically a carp and carp is not stream fish. So I would think that strong current will effect stress levels more than body shape. So I am not too sure how much current will effect body shape ... if you train a Rottweiller hard he will become more muscular but will never look like a Doberman

I think feeding will have a bigger effect on shape.

Just my thoughts on it.