WHAT HAPPENS IF THE KOI PATTERN CHANGES?
Koi are living jewels and will transform influenced by external factors.
You may receive a Koi Update when the farm team does a health check on your koi before shipping.
“Koi Pattern Changes”
Once we receive your order, it gets sent to the farm to pull from our big ponds and placed into the shipping area about one week before shipment date.
During this step, the farm will check the health status and any changes in the body and pattern.
Koi are living jewels, they change.
If there are any drastic or major visual pattern changes since the last photo, customer service will contact you with a Koi Update to confirm that you would like to proceed with the order.
Please note: This update is provided as a courtesy, if there is a significant change to the value customer service will provide an offer. Otherwise, any CANCELLATIONS due to the UPDATE are subject to a 20% restocking fee. For the health and safety of moving koi for shipment, koi purchases are final sale and non-refundable.
Here are examples of updates we have experienced:
Koi Pattern Change Type: SUMI (Variable change)
Please do not worry. Sumi changes depending on various factors such as changes in: 1) water hardness, 2) water temperature, 3) minerals, etc. Because of this, sumi development can change seasonally.
[Sumi quality also depends on the genetics, see video here of MR KODAMA explaining this]
Here is an example below of how water affects sumi.
From cold Autumn temperatures in Niigata, to the warmer water of Hawaii, then to our customer's pond in Texas --- all in the span of 5 months! NIIGATA:
HAWAII:
CUSTOMERS POND:
In this example Sumi strengthened to create a stronger netting pattern.
SPRING:
SUMMER:
Koi Pattern Change Type: HI/RED (Non-Variable change)
In some cases the Hi/Red of a koi will fade due to stress, even scooping a koi can be stressful! In most cases, red color or Hi will not come back.
Therefore, we do our best to prevent postponing shipments that will increase the chance of pattern change due to moving stress.
Customer service will let you know if there is a significant change to the value and provide an offer.
If you decide to cancel the order, we provide a store credit only (minus a restocking fee).
[To maintain Hi/Red or Orange colors in koi, we highly recommend using our Mr. Kodama Koi Food Color Up ]
Koi Pattern Change Type: Loss of scale (Regenerative)
In some cases, koi will lose a scale. Don’t worry as scales regrow in about 6 months. Kodama Koi Farm will not discount a koi because of this fact.
Koi Pattern Change Type: Broken Fin (Regenerative)
In some cases, koi will break a fin due to injury. Fin spines usually regrow in about 6-12 months. Kodama Koi Farm will not discount a koi because of this fact.
Koi will not lose value due to a broken fin. If you look at this Champion Kohaku, the pectoral fins had been broken earlier in its life:
Example: Kohaku from Champion Koi Poster
