Hey Luke... showa update

[Terri]

Originaly posted at koivet a while back...

Ripper as our youngest son dubbed him. We got Ripper in spring 2003, as soon as I saw him I new I wanted to keep this young showa just to see how he would change.
June 2003 - taken shortly after we got him, love that shape!
http://backyardpuddle.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/06-29-03_202.jpg
Dec 2004 - call me crazy but I love his black as night eyes
http://backyardpuddle.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/dec-2004.jpg
June 2005
http://backyardpuddle.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/june-2005.jpg
I was quite happy with his progression in body shape - he has that torpedo shape I really like, and colour, that sumi was really starting to come up like lacqure,..and the red, well speaks for itself - and great white. Would Ripper place at a koi show? Doubtful but I really liked him.

The above picture taken in June 2005 will be the last one taken of Ripper, he died this past Saturday evening. He was not ill, actually healthy as a koi could be... it was an accident, he was spooked very badly and when fleeing injured himself..no one's fault just happenstance. Sucks but that's the way things go sometimes... I was looking forward to seeing him "finished".

[Doug Mc]

Terri
Really sorry to hear that about Ripper. :(

[Terri]

Thanks Doug

[Cinnamon]

Terri I am so sorry about your Ripper. That is such a sad story :(

[Jackie Ramo]

Terri, that is sad. Especially with all the other new fish in to care for, one more heartbreak... sorry a big hug to you. Still the fish looks great and I see why you liked him.

[Busy B]

Bummer Terri...Ripper was a beautiful fish...hope another comes along that will help to take his place.

[Terri]

Thanks everyone. While I was rather upset at the time, Busy's comment says it all - there will be anotehr showa that will catch my interest... lords knows we have enough to choose from atm ;-) Like most of us I tend to get rather attached to certain koi,... this I suppose is human nature(or nuture).

But Ripper's passing was not the reason I posted this thread. I think his progression was going quite well and any feed back from those who wish to offer it is welcomed. When I first saw Ripper his immature sumi pattern caught my eye. I tend to be drawn to traditional showa(old style) but only because I like the contast of heavy red and black - Ripper's red was not "old style" and that I liked.

[marla]

Terri, I'm sooooo sorry. I agree I think his colors came out beautiful. Being new at all this, I'm not sure what would be good markings, I just get from the heart, some just are really appealing from the begining.

[luke frisbee]

Terri,
you know the rule, DO NOT NAME THE KOI.

But Jeeez....especially don't name one R.I.P.per

and that koi was as tategoi as they get. i would have paid good money for that koi when it was a baby....I couldn't have afforded it at the status it had already achieved.
That fish was only at fault in the fact that I can't tell if the Hi was as good as you said.
EVERYTHING was there...SHAPE, SHIRO and pattern...time was needed to see if the sumi and hi could come up....and that menware! :frisbee:

[luke frisbee]

.."E tu Brute?"

Brutus before I killed him. I still look for him and it has been 21 months. ....

Sir and Honey...you gotta increase the size allowed for attachments...even my down-sized pics are too big for this site...grrrr

[Terri]

Size as in dimensions or as in kb? Since you asked like the gentleman that you are... I'll change the settings. EDIT*done you should be able to post now...*

And thanks Luke, I'll see if I can't dig up a couple of pics that might show the red a bit better - differently.

[luke frisbee]

Ok let's see if I can get a pic of my "so ugly he's cute Brutus...well it was "big enough to let me post this one

[Ian]

What a crappy ending to a young fish. To say the least it was a surprise that this one died. With one splash that was it, floated on it's side with some convulsions. No signs of tramma like a cut of abrasions on the head or body. It was like it broke it's back and severed all life in it. The koi just finished eating and were crusing for a stray pellet or two.
This koi was bred by Brady (Lotusland koi) and it may have been tategoi in the fall but could see it falling short and out of his tategoi list during it's first winter. Tategoi meaning best keepers under 1 year of age. For one reason it's size and growth was average to slow and another would be that it is a male koi. The sumi coming up was going to set the koi off nicely and menware(black pattern on face) was underneath as you can see in the pictures. A very disapointing loss to say the least and not somthing we are going to get use to any time soon.

[Jackie Ramo]

Ian, could it have had a heart attack? REC did a post mortem on a fish that died suddenly like that and the heart was found to be smaller than average.

[Ian]

Hey Jackie, Not to sure what happened but it seemed like it broke a connection somewhere? With a twitch it went from gill movement and mouth movement to absolute lifless. Twich again and life was there. It did this for a least 15 minutes in the bowl. Not what I would think a heart problem would do, but limited in knowledge as far as that goes. Should have done a post mort just to see if anything was abnormal but no stomach for it at that moment. Rose food :(

[Jackie Ramo]

I know the feeling of not wanting to do the post mort...always admired folks who manage to do it. But your description sounds more like heart than back, broken back would just be still. Darn fish, always something with them...

[luke frisbee]

Yeah autopsies done on my ol buds sounds very unappealing