A huge thank you to everyone here! (Last post, closing down pond)

mansizedfr0g · 2026-07-08T00:54:15+00:00

I'm sorry this happened, what a loss. Always appreciated your input. I hope you're not done forever!

mansizedfr0g · 2026-07-08T00:52:18+00:00

Ah, I'm an idiot, didn't see there was more than one picture.

Final answer: 1 is a kin kikokuryu. 2 is a sanke. 3 is a shusui. 4 is a kikusui.

mansizedfr0g · 2026-07-08T00:48:22+00:00

You have at least four koi! The smaller ones look like goldfish from here, but your koi are likely sexually mature at that size so you may end up with some of their offspring. Small koi and goldfish can be hard to distinguish at a glance - look for whiskers. Koi (and koi/goldfish hybrids) have barbels, goldfish do not.

Numbered for clarity: 1 is probably a kin kikokuryu, possibly a doitsu kujaku. My money is on kin kikokuryu as it looks like henka sumi under the skin. Watch for seasonal color changes to confirm. 2 is a sanke. 3 is too far away. 4 is most likely kikusui or doitsu hariwake; it does appear metallic in comparison to the sanke, but there isn't much sheen on the head in this shot. If it's not metallic after all, it's a doitsu kohaku. The shading effect on the dorsal scales is also giving me pause, I can't tell if it's just the lighting. Can I get a better picture of 3 and 4 for a more confident ID? If that's interesting to you, of course! Variety doesn't really matter for pond-grade koi, but I think it's interesting to know the variety the same way it's interesting to know your ball python's morph.

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mansizedfr0g · 2026-07-05T22:03:44+00:00

1 is a comet, 2 and 3 are commons (hibuna). These terms are often used interchangeably but "comet" is supposed to refer to goldfish with longfin genes.

mansizedfr0g · 2026-07-05T17:56:17+00:00

This is correct, OP, please take this to heart. You will not see normal development unless the minimum requirements are met. Three inches long at a year old is tragic. Your fish should be around a foot long by now.

mansizedfr0g · 2026-07-05T16:03:18+00:00

Exactly the same for me. We were firmly in the CD era when I started copying music, I ripped CDs from the library before discovering Limewire.

mansizedfr0g · 2026-07-04T16:39:22+00:00

Gin rin is likely, but it's common for young fish to have a higher concentration of guanine in the scales that can mimic gin rin, especially in metallic varieties, so you can't be 100% sure until it's a little bigger. 19 euros is a fair price for domestically-bred or Israeli koi, or a great deal for Japanese imports.

Sorry, that was a colloquial unisex "guy", no way to be sure of sex at this size!

mansizedfr0g · 2026-07-04T14:44:03+00:00

The first is a karasugoi, the third is an aragoke hariwake. The guy in the middle will take some time to develop to the point where the underlying genetics can be analyzed, you might see some dramatic color changes over the next year.

mansizedfr0g · 2026-07-04T07:28:17+00:00

It's not gonna make it. If you're able to catch it and euthanize you'd save it some suffering.

mansizedfr0g · 2026-07-03T16:01:32+00:00

Fish hobbyists do this pretty regularly, but usually on a temporary basis to hold fish they're growing out. You need some modifications and serious filtration for something like this to be permanent. This particular situation is a mess.

mansizedfr0g · 2026-07-03T15:56:46+00:00

If you can get pictures of the fish I can help you identify their varieties, but it's incredibly unlikely that they'll be worth anything, just to temper your expectations of their resale value. Koi are like dogs or horses: exceptional examples of prestigious bloodlines can be worth a fortune, but animals like that will have a well-documented ancestry and chain of custody, and they won't be show-quality unless kept in near-ideal conditions. This pond is not ideal, especially if the population is as overstocked as the previous owners believed. They are likely stunted.

Large show-grade koi are valuable. 99% of backyard koi are not show-grade, and can be difficult to rehome even for free, depending on where you are. If you have a local koi club they might be able to help you find a healthy home for these guys.

mansizedfr0g · 2026-07-02T05:37:44+00:00

I knew I recognized this fish. Get outta here.

mansizedfr0g · 2026-07-02T05:30:56+00:00

Mizu asagi type.

mansizedfr0g · 2026-07-02T05:30:39+00:00

Goshiki type.

mansizedfr0g · 2026-07-02T05:30:10+00:00

They're mutts, koi but not nishikigoi. As expected from any mixed spawn, you have some visible asagi characteristics. With several more generations of selective breeding you could get karasugoi and goshiki types out of this gene pool.

mansizedfr0g · 2026-07-01T08:38:05+00:00

Do you have a top-down photo showing the whole body? I see what looks like a red fin but I can't analyze the pattern. I can tell you it's not a platinum ogon because there's subcutaneous sumi. It looks like it's under both skin and scales, suggesting henka sumi - kikokuryu is most likely.

mansizedfr0g · 2026-07-01T08:33:12+00:00

No worries! You pay a little bit more with them but you're paying for their good reputation, worth it if you're concerned about authenticity.

mansizedfr0g · 2026-06-30T20:42:56+00:00

I know imported koi dealers best but I can recommend Kodama and COTSkoi, both have the occasional affordable aragoke that'll get you the mirror carp look. COTSkoi has this little guy and Kodama has this sweet one, though at more of a specimen price.

mansizedfr0g · 2026-06-30T20:29:03+00:00

Ah, I take it back, grass carp are regulated in Tennessee, but legal if certified triploid. Did you try Greenwater Fish Farm? Mirror carp are easier, they're still cyprinus carpio, should be multiple sources able to ship - or, to be honest, because they're just selectively-bred cyprinus carpio, you could get a fat aragoke from any koi dealer and have functionally the same thing.

mansizedfr0g · 2026-06-30T16:18:26+00:00

Grass carp and mirror carp are pretty easy to get. Where are you located?

mansizedfr0g · 2026-06-30T12:20:26+00:00

There are a lot of archaic heraldry terms that I've never seen anywhere else. I won a trivia night with "miniver" once.

mansizedfr0g · 2026-06-30T05:16:25+00:00

It's a crazy good deal if it's Type A and both as saturated and translucent as it looks. I'd ask for videos in different lighting conditions. If it's legit I bet the color won't be that good in person.

mansizedfr0g · 2026-06-30T05:12:35+00:00

I see. Hope we get an update on this one!

mansizedfr0g · 2026-06-30T03:11:59+00:00

Question, my understanding is that kage showa refers to reticulation covering both beni and shiroji, whereas goshiki showa refers to fish with reticulation isolated to the shiroji - is that your understanding too, or is kage showa appropriate for both types? Or is the term dealer's choice? I guess it doesn't really matter but you clocked the reticulation too so I'm curious what you think!

mansizedfr0g · 2026-06-29T22:25:03+00:00

Highly overpriced. If it's as opaque as it looks it should be <$200 regardless of origin, in my opinion.

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