Pick 'n' Mix

At around 00.30 I headed out towards Wakatochi where Isa Koi Farm's spawning set up is located - http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/412 - about a 10 minute drive from my apartment.

When I arrived Mitsunori san had just removed the first of the females from the holding net, pictured in the link above, which had contained 3 females and 3 males.

Hide was called at 1am and the morning's spawning commenced.

First up the female was stripped of her eggs.

As you can see, the abdomen is left somewhat hollow.

Isa do something I've not seen carried out elsewhere.  After the first lot of eggs are stripped a tube is placed in the vent in order that ringer solution can be squirted inside the Koi to rinse out remaining eggs.  Also, after the last of the eggs are removed more solution is squirted inside as though to 're-inflate' the internal cavities.

The eggs from the first female, of Isa origin, were mixed with sperm from a male from Marudo and also with sperm from the new Dainichi male.

As this process was going on more splashing was evident from the holding net as the second female started to release her eggs.

The female, pictured below, is not an Isa Koi.  It was bred by Migita Koi Farm, in Tochigi Prefecture, and is owned by Katsuo Shibayama.  Katsuo Shibayama owned 'Sakura' the Dainichi Showa when she won the All Japan Grand Champion prize in 2007.

Her eggs were gently removed before her cavity was quickly rinsed with ringer solution.  The process was a little more 'light handed' than with their own Koi as such it was possible that some eggs remained.  She was returned to the holding net with the males where she was soon being persued releasing the final eggs, which was when the picture below was taken.  Meanwhile her eggs were artificially mixed with the sperm of the Dainichi male. The Marudo male can be seen to her side below.

At 5.30am with little sign of the final female, an old Isa Koi, seen in the picture below wasn't getting much of a look in and wasn't likely to it seemed with the other female in full flow, as such I departed.

Following the spawning of the new Torazo oyagoi the other day - http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/411 - it was great to see some more new blood being injected into Niigata Nishikigoi.

In just a few hours the following crosses were made:

Isa (f) x Marudo (m)

Isa (f) x Dainichi (m)

Migita (f) x Dainichi (m)

and when the final female releases her eggs it will add:

Isa (f) x Dainichi (m)

Isa (f) x Isa (m)

Take your choice, what flavour do you fancy?