Page 53 - Koi Net - On-Line Koi Magazine - Issue 92

gene characteristics the chances are bigger compared case in reality right now. The effects are real, without a
to the situation where one really beautiful, but double
recessive gene Koi is used and combined to a
somewhat lesser Koi with dominant genes. This last
aspect is really the same for all breeders and should be
left out of this discussion about the origins of your Koi.
The number of used parent couples is relevant though
because that can be controlled. And this is a matter of
budget and choices. Budget, how much can you afford
to setup your farm? And choices, am I going to breed
only Kohaku or am I going to breed one parent couple
per variety? The last decision will again decrease the
chances for a good Koi for each variety.
This brings me to the last aspect. A good one and
budget. A breeder has expenses for purchasing parent
stock, food, water, heating, personnel, building and so
on. Besides all this he has to put a margin on each Koi
as a month’s pay for himself, and a reasonable margin
BUDGET, HOW as profit or for company growth can be expected and is
MUCH CAN normal. Every breeder decides what margins per Koi he
finds acceptable and this explains possible differences
YOU AFFORD between two similar Koi from different breeders.
Whether this margin is achieved from many £5 Koi or
TO SETUP several £1,000 Koi is the breeder’s choice. He
YOUR FARM? ultimately decides how the farm’s water is used. The
very few Top Koi from each breed are always kept by
every breeder and should thus also be kept out of the
arguments in this article. So the breeder has a very
large influence on the price for his Koi. Does he find a
spot where water costs next to nothing? The price goes
down. Can you make a better deal for all the food you
need? Price can go down.
For the end customer, the hobbyist in Europe, another
factor comes into play, which is transport. A dealer, with
again costs for food and building, also has costs for his
fares to Japan, has to pay the packing, transport costs,
VAT, etc, for the Koi travelling back home. A Koi that
has a certain value for the breeder in Japan is a lot
more expensive when finally available in a shop in
Europe and this increase is considerable. Water might
be more expensive in Europe but the difference in
transport costs could equalise the price for ultimately a
Koi of the same quality, whether its origin is Japanese
or European. I must admit that I can’t tell if that is the
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doubt, but to compare Koi with the same quality
requires a lot of knowledge on Koi quality. I simply do
not see enough Koi annually to be able to do this,
which brings me to my last point.
Being a hobbyist, I cannot afford future Grand
Champions which is the case for at least 99.9% of the
European Koi hobbyists. The whole reasoning that for
the absolute world best Koi one should still go to Japan
does stick because the very best parent stock simply
have not been sold and the best seedlings are of
astronomical value even as Tosai already. One cannot
simply go to Japan and purchase a Grand Champion!
However, for the largest group which consists of
hobbyists with a small or reasonable budget that simply
BEING A look for a nice Koi in their pond, this really works very
differently. In any sales tank one looks for a Koi with a
HOBBYIST, certain phenotype, which is how the Koi looks like at
I CANNOT that very moment with the price that comes with it. The
origin of the Koi, concerning breeder, or even country
AFFORD really makes no difference genetically speaking, or even
phenotypically speaking. You like it or you don’t. You
FUTURE pay the price or you don’t. Is the Koi in the tank next to
GRAND it more beautiful for the same amount of money than
that will determine your final choice?
CHAMPIONS
The possible future of the Koi, bloodlines and such can
play a role in the higher segment of Koi and for that you
need to ask the breeder questions. I myself speak
Dutch, some English and very little German, so my
preference would be to grab a beer with a Dutch
speaking, or English, or German speaking breeder and
talk with them before making my choice. The transfer of
knowledge would simply be a lot more effective. So
let’s be realistic, how much knowledge do you get from
Japan? Even if your Koi dealer is familier with a
particular breeder, he may only be purchasing a few
Koi, perhaps the breeder will find it uneconomical to
get an interpreter to enable you to share information
about the parent Koi, their bloodline and their future
potential. Where the tipping point lies between
purchasing Japanese Koi or Koi bred in another country
is somewhat unsure but if the prices of Japanese Koi
continue to rise due to exchange rates and other Asian
influences, perhaps the balance will shift in favour of
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