Are TRI COLOR Koi unusual?

ZEROPILOT

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I have about 10 Koi in my pond.
I purchased all of them when they were very small. None more than $7.
Lately I've noticed that one of them has become much more "fancy".
It is gold with black spots. Kind of a metallic gold. My only gold Koi. But what's new is the fact that he now has bright orange scales in random areas also. I've never seen that before and my water is always crystal clear.
Hes about 8" long. But I haven't been able to lure him into the calm area of the pond for a good photo.
My question is, is color changing common in Koi?
(I've had Cichlids do this.)
Also, is a 3 color Koi a more valuable fish?
I ask because as my Koi get large, I sometimes sell them to keepers with larger ponds and replace them with small ones.
I've never had a 3 color Koi. And this guy is striking.
Thanks.
 

mrsclem

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Koi like to change colors! I was always told that after 5 years ofage, that was it. Nope! Have a 10-12 year old who started out purple, went to blue, developed a lot of black markings and is now getting patches of orange. The most common koi are the red, black & white.
 

ZEROPILOT

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Here's the little guy
 

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Very nice!
it is very common for a koi to change color and patterns, and often because of that they even change name (I bought a Sanke that's now a Bekko).
Some type of koi change more often, and drastically than others.
Show quality is not determined by how colorful a koi is, but on type of koi, quality of colors, patterns, body form etc..each kind has a specific checklist...but no matter what, the value of a koi is still whatever amount one is willing to pay.
 
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My experience is that once a Koi gets to about 8 inches in length its colour is pretty much set for life (some small markings will come and go). If it is 3 colour then I find the red is the colour that is most likely to go away. I like white, red and black koi a lot but some that started off like that are now all white or white and black. I have one that is 3 colours and will stay that way as it is over a foot long now. My metallic ones seem to keep their colour and lustre pretty well as they get bigger. Generally I find that whatever is the smallest amount of colour (like a red patch) is the part that is most likely to go away until the fish is about 6 inches big.
 
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I read an article a while back that said the reason our garden variety koi change colors as they mature is because of very poor blood lines. Unless you pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for for quality koi there is no telling what the parents were. Many breeders just throw a bunch of koi in a pond and let them with whoever and whatever. Kind of like getting a dog from the pound or paying high dollar for an AKC purebred dog.
 
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I read an article a while back that said the reason our garden variety koi change colors as they mature is because of very poor blood lines. Unless you pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for for quality koi there is no telling what the parents were. Many breeders just throw a bunch of koi in a pond and let them with whoever and whatever. Kind of like getting a dog from the pound or paying high dollar for an AKC purebred dog.

I'm sure there's truth to that. However, even high value koi change colors as they mature. The trick is knowing what the outcome will be when they reach full growth.
 

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