Kohaku 2003

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31/05/03

I placed a very special kohaku form our collection in one of the breeding tanks at Wrington. She is 6 years old and was imported into the UK in Autumn 1999. I purchased her two years ago in a pond clearance, she has been the number one favorite with my wife Lynn since her arrival and is nicknamed Kate, after Kate Moss as she's been in all the magazines!

She was in poor condition when I purchased her and spent the next year slowly coming back to full health. She was very under weight, was not interested in food, within a short time this had changed and the weight started to go on. She is bred by Hasegawa, imported by Infiltration and features on the Hasegawa advert in every months Nishikigoi International Magazine.

Perhaps stunted by bad koi keeping she has never made any real size being only 22" but has a very good frame. When she came into my collection the beni was poor and had started to recede, this has always been a problem and my forecast was that she would be shiro muji within a year. Well this has not happened yet but the beni is still going, but very slowly. Some scales on the kiwa are getting lighter, but most importantly her mask is going and will soon be a 'one eyed bandit'.

I have no idea as yet if she is suitable for breeding, but the only way to find out is to try. Male for this spawning are a little large for this female at 24" and 26" plus a small one of 12", so my plan is to catch the spawning part way through and hand strip eggs and milt. Left to their own devices, fertility will be poor as larger males are not as agile as small males and cannot get close enough to the female for egg fertilization. Two males largest and smallest from Hasegawa, the other from Marudo.

                                  The water is distorting the image a little, but these are the four koi

01/06/03

They were placed together at 4pm last evening, I had not expected any thing to happen on that first night, but I came over to Wrington at 5am next morning, just incase. On opening the door, I could smell that there had been a spawning and rushed over to the tank to stop the proceeds. I removed the female and anaesthetized her, dried her in a towel and held her over the previously prepared bowl. TO LATE, she was dry and it was all over. I should have got up earlier, I have heard of breeders in Japan staying up all night and this is something I shall have to consider for the future.

The four koi were removed from the tank and returned home that morning. I don't expect many fertile eggs and feel upset at the waste.

                                       Photo of the big Hasegawa male chasing Kate.

02/06/03

Malachite added.

03/06/03

Many, many eggs can be seen infertile.  

Posted 03/06/03

Copyright Maurice Cox 2003