Can you name Koi color patterns?

[CountryEscape]

My sister in AZ has a very interesting koi, and I'm hoping someone can identify the color. She calls it "Little Boy Blue" and states it is a "rare Japanese koi", so I guess this is what she was told when she purchased it. However, I'm not finding anything that is that dark of a blue. I would have called it black, but with the bright red belly, I have it pegged as a Shusui. The pattern info I have on Shusui says "dark blue net like pattern on dorsal topline and red belly", so it seems to fit.


Also, she has this gorgeous red butterfly, but those "wings" are much longer and more flowing than any butterfly I've seen. Is it some different type as well?


She calls this one "Fred", and I'm sure it's a Kumonryu. It has gained more white on his head and she loves it! It also has some red spots coming on it's belly.

 

[fishin4cars]

CE, I'll try and see what I can do on identifying the first one. I can't but I may can find someone that can help. The second could be refered to as a benigoi. although that wouldn't be 100% accurate because it should be all deep orange not white but on LF's it's common for the tips of the fins to change to a different tone due to the lack of blood that can enter the tiny stretched out veins, and that one is very stretched! No different kind still a Long fin / butterfly Koi just with longer fins than some. the third pic is actually a Beni Kumonryu. Only difference is a Beni will have some orange markings and the Kumonryu will only have black and white. The orange is pretty much going to stay where it is. The black is what changes, usually more black in the winter and less in the summer but that is not 100% true all the time. I'll see what I can find out on the first one. I like it, interesting color combination!

 

[j.w]

That first one I would have named Uncle Sam

 

[fishin4cars]

I ask a couple of people that deal with koi and they all say dark colored Shusui. Although it's a unique fish the ideal shusui should be light blue or white with blue or beni markings.

 

[CountryEscape]

Thanks for your input, Larkin. I agree totally with you on the Shusui. She bought it at some type of high priced shop, was told it was a "Japanese koi, very rare, and blue is the only color that breeds all colors". I have no idea if this is correct or not. She says it is a deep metal blue/gray color, but it sure looks black in the pics. And, she was concerned I would post the city where she lives, says people come and steal koi in the middle of the night when they know there are some rare ones in people's ponds. I think it's the heron and those other birds they have in that area. She has pics of one sitting on her 6' wall, waiting for her to get into the house! Give me a break. She's like that, always assumes the worst. I think she realizes now that her missing fish were likely from birds coming for dinner.
Her Kumonyru was "saved" from a pet shop where it was in a too small tank for it's size. I think she said it was about 6" when she bought him, and has grown quite a lot in the year. Seems my fish are growing faster than hers, though. Maybe smaller fish grow fast for a while, then slow down. At least I hope they slow down! My 4"ers are now 8" at least, and the 8"er is at least 12" now. I sure don't want them doing that every year. I'll be needing to sell some. Maybe I'll put them in my farm pond and let them go at it. Only problem there is that my pond overflows into the road ditch, and with a heavy rainfall, that drains into the local creeks, and I don't want to get in trouble for introducing koi into rivers. So, will first have to correct the overflow problem, or make it so that fish cannot flow out. I know that will be impossible to keep the fry from floating away, though. Just need to keep them close in my koi pond, I guess.

 

[whiskey]

hi countryescape pond overflow problem why not try a screen, like a sieve, on outlet sure you could make blockage [ water out - fish in ]