I would like to start breeding Kohaku only from hopefully 2010 so what I would like to know is where can I get a breeding pair locally and what quality would be suggested (more towards bloodlines) if applicable to locally available koi.

My main Goal is not to generate income but to try and breed a champion over the years.

So I will need a breeding pair to start with and from those subsequant spawnings try and improve on quality.

So I would purely be a hobbiest constantly trying to improve quality.

My main Reason for looking for a decent breeding pair is that if I start with specklegoi I will never be able to better on that. If I have a fair Base to work from it is possible to go up or down in quality all based on experiance.

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly apreciated.

Breeding Kohaku might sound easy - but be warned it is a great challenge!

I started my own bloodline a few years ago - with great success.

For a female I chose a Torazo Kohaku - nobody can ever beat the quality of a Torazo Kohaku, the bloodline is one of the oldest in Japan and therefore reliable.

As a male I chose a Hilisawa Kohaku. Hilisawa is known to produce Gosanke of good quality reaching over 1 metre in length.

The first "babies" will be three years old this coming season and seem to be doing exactly what I hoped. The are growing extremely well (Hilisawa) with a good quality hi and amazing body shape.

I will make sure to post some pics in August when that dam is harvested.

Kind Regards

Lee-Ann

Lee - Ann

What about the pics?

Hi bubbles,

I am not an expert in koi breeding, but i will try my best to answer your question.

In my opinion, one should select a kohaku breeding pair with high skin and colour quality rather than the pattern.

But since most Tosai on sale have been feed with colour enhance food which you can't see it's real colour. Also, when you buy a Tosai no one can

be sure you are buying a male or a female kohaku. But buying a lot of Tosai and hoping you will have an ideal breeding pair would be an expensive

gamble.

So the idea is to buy a lot of +-6cm kohaku with bad pattern that a breeder with good breeding stock will cull, remember to buy from

DIFFERENT bloodlines and make sure they are not genetically related. Than grow them on and cull those one that are grow slowly and cull those

with bad skin or colour quality. At the end you can select your breeding pair from the one that you didn't cull.

When selecting +-6cm kohaku, i believe those one with well defined edge between the Hi (red) and the white will become a more suitable breeding stock in the future. Please look at the picture below:



I am not an professional koi breeder, but i can still help you with i said.

regards,
SAS

Thanks for youre reply sas it is much apreciated and as I start to get stock I'll be sure to pm or post some pics.

I can unfortunately not see the pic you are refering to in youre last post.

bubbles wrote:

Thanks for youre reply sas it is much apreciated and as I start to get stock I'll be sure to pm or post some pics.

I can unfortunately not see the pic you are refering to in youre last post.

Hi bubbles,

Here i try to post the photo again, tell me if you can see the photo or not:



The photo is not very good, if you don't get what i mean from the photo. Tell me and i will try to take better photo to show you what i meant.

And i am looking forward to see the pictures you will post.

regards,
SAS

Thank you sas I can see the picture now but am unshure of the diffrence between good and bad, here is what I understand from youre explenation and picture : The red and white must clearly be devided and musnt look like there is underlying red.

bubbles wrote:

Thank you sas I can see the picture now but am unshure of the diffrence between good and bad, here is what I understand from youre explenation and picture : The red and white must clearly be devided and musnt look like there is underlying red.

Hi bubbles,

Yes, what you said is what i meant. I will take a better photo and post it here.

regards,
SAS

Hi bubbles,

I post another photo:



Tell me do you see the difference, if it is unclear to you. I can go and try to take some more photos again.

regards,
SAS

Some more photos:

A better picture:

Hi Sas

We will be culling our Kohaku spawning soon maybe you and bubbles should attend the culling session. When selecting brood stock you select the gene pool of the bloodline if you select a kohaku that have only one hi spot the hi gene in the fish is weak. You are seleckting the wrong fish. When it comes to the future and brood stock. The one that you say is bad is the only one with a future and good genes at this age in the photo’s.

When you select brood stock you must look at the following.

Body shape
Skin QT
Body Conformation
Standard of the Variety
Balance of Pattern
Colour strength

If you look at your Sanke, if the hi on the tail section go away the fish will be of balance and to match black. I think the hi on the tail might go away over time.

Sorry only the koi in the bottom left corner that you marked as bad is good all the rest are low grade koi with weak genes. They don’t have any value or future and will not make the best brood stock.

I am sorry, but I will cull them all!

Hi Collin I would love to attend a culling session unfortunately I am based in CT so I dont think it would be possible however I would apreciate it if you could post some pics of a few of youre culls and those that you keep with a brief explenation if at all possible.

Hi Bubbles

I think it might be possible just remember I am 'n koi farmer and not a Photographer.

Understood

I do apreciate the fact that you would be willing to give advice to hobbiests as a professional breeder thanx

Collin wrote:

Sorry only the koi in the bottom left corner that you marked as bad is good all the rest are low grade koi with weak genes. They don’t have any value or future and will not make the best brood stock.

Hi Collin,

Thanks for your reply.

As i said i am not a professional breeder, so i guess your advices are right.

I would love to meet you and attend a culling session, but i stay in CT. If you can please post some pictures of your culling session.

regards,
SAS

UPDATE :

Ok Finally I didnt get to Purely Kohaku Breeding pair but I have with a friends help spawned my Female Sanke with 2 male kohaku and one male sanke. The males used are from my friends personal breeding stock so he retained majority of the eggs and I got my share The eggs hatched on the 25th of December 2008 so I will start posting pics of my fry and those I deem fit to keep but 1st I'll have to catch that female and post her pic, you have to see her I think she is a real beaut.

Anyway so on my to do list :

1st. Net and photograph my Female sanke before 25'eish January
2nd. Take pics of fry and consult some of the forumers and breeders on when and what to cull.
3rd. Have a Jack on the rocks while relaxing after this ordeal

Ps. I am very much looking forward to this cause it will be a new experiance for me even though I spawn shubunkin and sarassa comets I dont think its quite the same.

Pps. @Collin is there any problem viral or bacterial that causes death of fry after using the same rearing tank year after year without the use of lime or chlorine ??

Hi Bubbles

Yes, it is almost the same as you eating from the same plate year after year with out washing it. In the fry's case you will get problems with bacteria and fungus.

Viral should not be a problem unless you have had a viral carrying fish in it just be for you introduced the fry or eggs.