If asked the above question, most serious koi keepers would answer something like, “well I suppose it’s possible, but not very likely,” or “only if you have a very large pond and can talk a Japanese breeder into selling you one of his best fish at such a young age.” Some hobbyists and dealers would tell you that it just isn’t possible. You’ll hear that if you want a grand champion, you must start by buying a three year old or older fish and grow it up from there. The common belief is that if you want to try and raise your own grand champion, you will need the following: A pond over 10,000 gallons, state of the art filtration, deep water of at least five feet (though six or seven would be better), a heater, lots of aeration, low stocking levels and of course the best fish you can afford. For the most part, I believe this too. In fact, I will be building just such a pond this very spring in my own backyard. But is such a pond necessary to raise a grand champion from a tosai (one-year-old koi)? Can a grand champion be raised in a moderately sized pond, with standard filtration, and from “reasonably” priced koi? The answer is yes. Yes, you can and yes, it has been done. Want proof? Read on!

Eight years ago I built my first pond. It was all of 700 gallons and a whopping 18” deep. Having been an avid aquarium keeper for 20 years prior, I knew I wanted fish in the pond and purchased some small koi. I soon developed a voracious appetite for information on koi (sound familiar?), and realized I wanted better quality fish and would eventually need a bigger pond. During that initial season I acquired three good quality Japanese bred fish to go along with my domestic “Heinz 57” varieties. The three imports consisted of a kohaku and two sankes. The fish were over-wintered in my basement as I planned the new pond. Early the next spring the pond was dug out to 42” deep and expanded to encompass 4000 gallons. The next five years were spent modifying the filtration, retrofitting items such as a surface skimmer and even adding a gas heater a few years ago.

One objective I maintained from the very beginning was to constantly try and improve the overall quality of my collection. Because a “reasonable” stocking rate was important to me (a holdover from my aquarium days), I found myself culling the pond every year, sometimes even twice a year. Somewhere along the way I decided fifteen fish was the maximum I should have in this pond. So, if I bought a new fish, one of the existing fish had to go. Each fish was given careful consideration based on quality, sex, growth and my personal taste.

Somehow, one particular sanke from the original two, made the cut every time. This fish didn’t have a particularly exceptional pattern, but it had everything else. The fish has shown an unbelievable propensity for growth. At times, the growth rate seemed almost exponential. The color developed better than I could have asked for. And the conformation, in my opinion, was outstanding. The fish was (and is) thick, robust and very well proportioned. All of this accomplished in a 42” deep, 4000 gallon, and until the last two years, unheated pond.

In November of last year I decided to show the fish. At this point it was 28.5” and growing. Judy Endsley assisted me with hauling the sanke to the Piedmont Koi and Water Garden Society show in Charlotte, NC. The show had 230 entries, many of which were go-sanke. 

On Nov 4th 2000, the judges, Dr. Gene Ewy, Dr. Lester Berkow and Doug Dahl named my homegrown sanke grand champion of show. What a thrill! There is no question that genetics played a huge roll in thesuccess of this fish. As I write this, there is no doubt in my mind that the fish is still growing. I fully expect the fish to grow to over 30”. Many koi will never attain anything close to that size no matter how good the environment is. The fact that the fish has maintained a youthful skin quality and bright color can be partially attributable to environment, but not completely.

Since I purchased this sanke seven years ago, I have bought fish that cost something north of 25x what I paid for this fish. There is a lot of truth to the saying “if you want quality, buy quality and it ain’t cheap.” Yet, is it possible to purchase a moderately priced koi and raise it to a large size in a moderately sized pond? Yes. Is it possible to win a major award with this fish? Yes. Are the odds against you? Probably, but there’s a tremendous amount you can learn from the process. Finally, are the personal rewards phenomenal? The answer is a resounding, unquestionable, yes!