Download the May / June, 2010 PDF - Pond Trade Magazine

the scales appear only along thedorsal line, or backbone, andpossibly along the lateral lines.Look for the dark centeredscales and clean Platinum skinto identify the Doitsu Kujaku.Due to the diverse lineageof Kujaku culling its offspring isquite a challenge. Not only dothe young Kujaku resemble‘pond mutts’ at an early age,many of their siblings are ofvarious varieties. We can alsofind Ogon, Kikusui, Kohaku,Aka Matsuba, Gin Matsuba,Asagi, Hariwake just to name afew from a single pairing ofKujaku breeder koi. Then addin the variable of Doitsu scalesand the task of culling100,000+ babies is not for thefaint of heart.Some possible varieties found within a Kujaku spawn.Making Beautiful Babies...At Kloubec Koi Farm we generally designate two or threemud-ponds to hold the enormous number of Kujaku fry thatwe hatch most every year. (Photo 1 of three-day-old Kujakufry) Nursery mud-ponds are prepared to receive the young fry.Each pond is drained and cleaned of any remaining fish. TheThey’re Alive! …(Now get to work!)A first culling is done around the 45-day mark. It is duringthis stage when we begin to see which little fish will exhibit agood metallic sheen. Any fish with defects are discarded duringthe first cull. Notice the different varieties. Not only are wereviewing every Kujaku, we have to evaluate the others todetermine if they are worthy of stocking back into a mud-pond.Some of the koi are obvious at this age, but many are not. Atthis time any inferior fish will not make the cut. Back to themud-pond they go. After restocking the koi are fed three to fivetimes per day.At the second cull you can definitely see the vast assortmentof varieties. This sample of culled fish is ready to go back intoa mud pond. Before long it will be time to cull them again.1. Kujaku frypond bottoms will be dredged if necessary. Filtered water willre-fill each pond, and fertilizer added to produce the perfectbloom. The fry are stocked out into the ponds at dusk. Thenwe take a sigh of relief before we start to anguish over theiruncertain survival.May/June 2010POND Trade Magazine19