KoiQuestion‘s Koi Development Project

Within the Nishikigoi world there is an awful lot of talk about development. About body, beni, skin quality, growth potential, bloodlines, nutrition and keeping conditions. Every dealer has experiences. Every hobbyist develops their own vision. At every bowl, predictions are made about what a Koi might become later. But remarkably, those same fish often disappear from view soon after they are sold.

We are going to follow the Koi not 1 or 2, but as long as possible

A photo upon purchase. Maybe another update as Nisai. Very occasionally another comparison a few years later. But rarely does a complete and honestly documented development story emerge in which expectations, reality and circumstances are actually juxtaposed. And perhaps that is not so strange. Because development is capricious. Sometimes even confrontational.

The promising Tosai that everyone was completely convinced of turns out to be stagnant three years later. The doubt fish that hardly anyone paid attention to suddenly grows into the most interesting Koi of the entire batch. A Kohaku whose beni was thought to be collapsing remains surprisingly stable, while that very other fish with “ironclad pigment” slowly begins to recede. These are the moments where the hobby becomes truly interesting.

Not when everything goes according to expectations, but precisely when development deviates from what we thought we saw. This is exactly why this project is not only about tracking Koi, but especially about setting expectations. From the very first moment. This way we build a collective frame of reference based on real expectations and real results of specific characteristics, bloodlines and varieties.

All the unexpected and less beautiful development is also made visible

Not only at KoiQuestion are we raving about this project, but the enthusiasm is just as, if not greater at the participating dealers. And that is exactly what we need with this project! All dealers indicated almost immediately that they wanted to participate, which shows that these dealers, despite being on the commercial side of the hobby, are also passionate hobbyists.

Why, you may think, doesn’t it mainly provide the dealers with publicity?

As you know, KoiQuestion stands for knowledge sharing and in sharing this knowledge, its own independence is an essential foundation.

What exactly are we going to do?

So the unique thing about this project is that both sponsors and non-sponsors will participate and every development will be shown. Whether it is positive or completely negative. We want to tell and show the real story. So not just the successes. The development of Koi, especially from Tosai onwards, does not consist of success stories. And that is precisely why there is so much to learn from this.

We will take a professional approach. The recordings will be done with professional equipment to guarantee quality, picture and audio. And that is Joe Wouters, well entrusted. Besides “KoiQast”, the new Poscast of KoiQuestion, Joe will also be closely involved in this project. After all, this kind of content is exactly the reason Joe joined KoiQuestion.

Not only with the dealers will we cooperate. We will also cooperate with the hobbyists who purchased the Koi in question. Together with these hobbyists and the dealer all Tosai selected for this project will be extensively discussed at the bowl. Construction/frame, skin quality, pigment and pattern will be discussed extensively. Everything will be focused on the expectations for the future. What does everyone expect this fish to do in the future. Why did the hobbyist specifically choose this fish? What are the strengths and what are the risk points.

After a season the Koi will be discussed again as Nisai and we will see if the expectations were met. Did the fish develop as expected or were we wrong. Could we have predicted this or is it a complete surprise. What were the keeping conditions and how did they affect the development. Could other conditions perhaps have had a different result. How will the Koi develop further to Sansai and what are the expectations for this.

In this way we hope to follow as many fish as possible, over several years in different ponds and facilities. Not to see who can best develop their Koi, or who has the best knowledge, but to be able to learn something from them. For what could be more fun and instructive than seeing a Tosai develop into perhaps Jumbo size, or into a fish that will later be highly regarded at Show’s. For many hobbyists the development is the best part of the hobby. And apart from the fish in your own pond you see very little of this. This way the entire Koi Community can follow the developments. Exactly that is what KoiQuestion stands for.

A nice bonus is that a picture may then also emerge in keeping conditions versus development. Do we see on the whole, for example, a clear difference between heated ponds and unheated ponds. Or ponds that go through a cold winter versus ponds that are heated through the winter and feed through or just stop feeding. And what about growth retardation. Is this still catching up versus fish from the same batch or breeding.

The videos will be shared on our own YouTube channel and the channel of the dealers participating in the project. In addition, there will be a regular article as you expect from us. We will also take pictures of all the fish.

The dealers participating are:

• Weskoi

• Veldhoven Koi Farm

• TheKoiPage

• AB Koi Marum

• Brothers Koi Co.

• Kaizen Koi

• Oosterhout Koi

Keep an eye on these dealers’ WhatsApp groups and other socials for more news or if you are interested in joining as a hobbyist. And of course, subscribe to our YouTube channel now.