Koi colour

[Ta2ude]

This may be a stupid question but here it goes.
I was wondering what, if anything affects the colour of the fish? It seems like the red on my Showa is getting a little paler or less red. I was wondering if this could be because of the food I am feeding or if it is just the natural progression of this fish. :-?

[Terri]

Hi ta2ude, one main 'ingredient' for good vibrant colour is provided by mother nature,... sunlight. Lack of natural light and colours tend to fade somewhat.

Diet... foods fed, like krill and shrimp, will add to red colouring. Commercial foods offer 'colour enhancers' which are directed at the red pigment, some natural some not. Fish fed colour enhancing foods should have good reds but might pink up white and does nothing for black. If food is switched to a non-colouring food you may see the reds become 'pale' over time... It's my view that colour enhancing foods are not a 'good thing' as they may mask the genetic potienal of a given fish, and IMHO this type of food should not be fed to young koi.

Water hardnes can also factor in, it's said that hard water is not great for red pigment, very good for black though.

Genetics... good stable colour comes from proven parent stock but even this is no guarantee ALL offspring will have stable colouring.

Water quality is important for overall fish health, a healthy happy fish has good colour if all other 'ingredients' are met...

Sorry, no real answer to why you showa is fading, but I hazard a guess that natural light is the leading factor.

[Ta2ude]

Thanks Terri ...it's nothing extreme but I did think I noticed some colour change. I do have flourescent grow lights over the tank but they obviuosly aren't the same as sunshine. Water hardness may be a big part of it though as our water is very hard here. I was more concerned if it was a sign of a potential health problem. All of my water readings are good other than the hardness.

[Jackie Ramo]

My fish pale over the winter. i've always assumed it was lack of sunlight during our winters. Certainly they brighten right up again come spring. The inside fish seem brighter than the outside ones with warmer water but the light quotant is the same as there are no lights over the greenhouse pond.

The only colour enhancing food I feed is shrimp :grin:

Terri is right though, some fish just fade, stronger reds at a young age are reported to weaken as the fish gets older. The orange/red fish are reported to darken up with age. Not something my fish have done in particular but I do have one that was more yellow than even orange and now his name is Simply Red as the colour has deepened. If his black deepens so more he will be quite a striking pond mutt.

[Busy B]

What kind of a bulb do you have in the fixture Ta2?

[jack]

I started using KOI CLAY a few years back and it has really inhanced the colors of our koi .I guess it adds needed salts and minerals .
Were very pleased with it .
regards ...Jack

[Ta2ude]

What kind of a bulb do you have in the fixture Ta2?

It's a grow light that you would use for indoor plants......u know the pinky kinda ones.

[Ian]

Showa's go through stages and years to develop their colours so the black and or white might be changing faster than the red. Something also to consider is that quick growth spurts can lighten the red. But when in doubt check water quality... I do find that with the grow bulbs the colours do start to fade during winter as there is no real substitute for sunlight.

[Ta2ude]

Showa's go through stages and years to develop their colours so the black and or white might be changing faster than the red. Something also to consider is that quick growth spurts can lighten the red. But when in doubt check water quality... I do find that with the grow bulbs the colours do start to fade during winter as there is no real substitute for sunlight.

I have been going to post a recent picture for you to compare with your photos Ian as I have also thought that there was a bit more white evolving. It's pretty interesting watching the fish go through their changes. The very very rare Canadian born doitsu shiro utsuri with the ginrin scales also seems to be transforming.
!wow!

[Koidaddy]

What exactly is koi clay? I've read many posts about adding this stuff to your pond, but what does it actually do?

Chris :grin: