Ozekoi.com

Johnnifer – This is your life !

This article belongs to Ozekoi. No distribution and reproduction allowed without permission from Ozekoi.

 Over the years in this hobby, there are some real ‘Tategoi’ that make this hobby that much more interesting. Following the progress and to apply it for future selection references is probably the hardest learning path in selecting true “tategoi”. Too many of “Koi Keepers” are too impatient and too easily focus for the negative points without ever allowing themselves to understand the true deeper quality and the potential of the Koi lurking underneath. Having said that owning a Koi is like having a beautiful painting with the artist coming to your house daily to add and change the picture.

Sometimes you like the changes, sometimes you don’t.

 I got this showa in 1994 (my novice years as I started in 1992) from Australian Koi Farm as a birthday gift. Originally it was called Jennifer (lets leave it at that), not until recently that I decided it was stupid to call a male Showa (a good one at “it” too) a girl name, hence “Johnnifer”.

What makes this Koi is so special, is the fact that I learnt so much from him. Lesson One : A true high quality Koi does not get affected by its water environment as much as a lower quality one. This Koi has gone through hell from the day I had more fish than water in my first pond to an acid incident and to still survive it all where he is in my main pond now.

He has the kind of Black quality in Showa that are rare in Australia. I know he would have been a top local show fish and probably would have grown bigger if he was kept in optimum condition from day one.

 Johnnifer in 1995 at 32cm:

Sumi is unfinished, Hi is thin, light and uneven, the type of fish that a lot of people would happily critized.

1996, 42cm:

Pictures are not clear, but it is obvious that the Sumi has not changed much in 12 months, Hi may have starting to re-assemble itself to a tighter pattern, still very much on the light and uneven shade. Black spots on the head are definitely a positive sign of what to come. Still the type of Koi that most of us would say “Thanks but no thanks” given the opportunity to own.

1999, 54cm:

Sashi and Kiwa is finishing nicely and the Sumi is showing its true quality in parts of the pattern. Shame that I do not have photos of the 1997 and 1998. This photo is taken after the year of the real bad water quality problem. He starts to show his bad past treatments and age.

2000, 55cm:

1cm of growth in 12 months !!?? After drying the tears from my eyes, I realized I have confirmed that there is very close relation between growth and health and I am blaming it solely on my water conditions. But still all three colours emerges nicely, unfortunate about the left Sumi pattern that are still underlying.

2001, 58cm:

Old age and bad past is showing on the pectoral fins and head now, but his true quality still shines through nicely

2003, approx 65cm.

Used mainly as my Showa breeder, his quality has passed on to the yearlings bred in 2000 and 2001. Especially with the 2000 spawning, his trademark of blotchy black when young are very much apparent on all of the babies. Now that they are almost 4 years old, all are showing the signs of finishing into the shiny, thick and lacquered black. Interestingly, the 2001 spawning (with a different female) resulted with the quality finished black from pretty much 6 months old. It will be most interesting to see how the two spawning results will be when both are matured and finished. Some of the babies can be seen on the Koi for Sale page.

  "Knowledge of the behaviour of our Koi line" is the one thing I found rather lacking in our Hobby in Australia, most of us are backyard breeders, but not many of us really study the progress from yearlings to adulthood of our Koi. If we want to be able to make more intelligent prediction of our Koi (like our Japanese friends), then we better start doing so.

There will be more of this in the future. I hope this type of article will help other Koi fanatics to appreciate the art of Koi.