Miyabi Koi Farm

06/18/2026

A 2025 YKJ growout showa was picked up by its owner today and is headed down to Georgia!

06/17/2026

Less than a week until the first major Sanke cull.

I’m already seeing a few fry that I think will make it through, but now it’s your turn.

Which ones would you keep at this stage, and why? What traits are you looking for in such young fish?

Let’s see if your picks survive the cull!

06/16/2026

Yesterday we moved our newly hatched Kohaku fry into their mud pond, and this morning I got a chance to check on the Sanke fry from an earlier spawning during feeding time.

So far, they appear to be doing very well, and numbers look strong. I’m already starting to see sumi developing, the beginnings of patterns emerging, and perhaps most encouraging of all, some very clean mouth breaks.

It’s still early and there’s a long way to go, but these first signs are encouraging. This pairing may have been the right one to try.

Nature always gets the final vote, but so far I’m liking what I’m seeing.

06/15/2026

Spawning was a success, and the nursery is now full of tiny, hungry hatchlings. They may only be a few days old, but they're already swimming with purpose and acting like they own the place.

Somewhere in this crowd could be the next standout Kohaku. For now, they're all just little wiggles with big dreams.

Early next week, they'll be moved out to the mud pond for the next stage of growth, where they'll have more space to develop and thrive.

06/11/2026

Well… I think this spawning rope is officially out of rope and into “egg condominium” territory. 😄

The Kohaku pair did their job, and then some. Every strand seems to be covered with eggs. Now comes the waiting game as we watch for development over the next few days and keep fungus at bay.

It’s always amazing to me that each one of these tiny eggs has the potential to become a beautiful koi someday. Right now they all look pretty much the same, but hidden in there are future Kohaku, future show fish, and hopefully a few very special surprises.

Nature never gets old. 🎏🥚

06/10/2026

06/09/2026

16 days since hatch, and these little guys have now been in the mud pond for over 10 days. Growth has been steady, and it’s always fascinating to watch the changes that happen during these early stages.

When they first go into the pond, they all look pretty much the same—tiny yellow fish with very few clues about what they’ll become. Day by day, though, their individuality starts to emerge.

Early on, I check them daily to make sure they’re feeding well. One of the things I look for is the green or dark coloration in their digestive tract, which tells me they’re finding plenty of natural food in the pond.

Over the last few days, some exciting signs have started to appear. A number of fry are already showing all three colors of Sanke—white, red, and black. The sumi is just beginning to emerge on some of them. Sanke can take a little longer than Kohaku to reveal themselves, but the early indications are encouraging.

Their first culling is still about three weeks away, and it’s far too early to make any bold predictions, but I’m happy with what I’m seeing so far. The beni and sumi both appear to be transferring well, and I already see a few mouth breaks developing. If these youngsters continue on their current path, I have a feeling we’ll see a good number of interesting patterns come harvest time.

For now, all we can do is keep feeding, keep growing, and enjoy watching the story unfold.

06/05/2026

Fresh off the farm and headed for bigger water soon!

This group is approximately 20 Matsue Kohaku from the new parent fish “Setsurin,” and I have to admit, these are going to be a fascinating batch to watch develop.

At first glance, they already show many of the classic Sensuke traits that Matsue is known for: strong bodies, excellent skin quality, and that clean, bright shiroji that Kohaku enthusiasts are always chasing. But here’s where things get interesting: the introduction of a Dainichi female into the lineage has brought along maruzome beni, giving some of these youngsters a very different look than what many people expect from traditional Matsue bloodlines.

In other words, they’re carrying a little bit of an identity crisis right now, and I’m here for it.

Will they grow into classic Matsue-style Kohaku? Will the Dainichi influence make itself known? Will they decide to keep us guessing until nisai? Stay tuned.

These youngsters will soon be moving into the second-largest mud pond, where they’ll be joined by a mix of Shiro Utsuri, Sanke, Goshiki, and a few other odds and ends that somehow always seem to find their way into the ponds despite my best efforts at planning.

The fish have their summer vacation booked. Now we sit back, cross our fingers, and let Mother Nature do her thing.

06/01/2026

Another Tri-State Young Koi Show is in the books, and what a fantastic weekend it was.

First and foremost, I want to congratulate the owners of several fish that did exceptionally well at the show.

🏆 Charlie Angelillo took Best in Variety (Size 1 Sanke) with a Sanke that was bred right here at Miyabi Koi Farm. That award was especially meaningful to me because Charlie took a chance on one of my own fish and believed in it enough to put it into competition.

🏆 Ed Walters and his wife took the Chairman’s Show Award with a Shiro Utsuri bred right here at Miyabi Koi Farm. Seeing a Miyabi-bred fish earn one of the show’s most prestigious awards was a tremendous honor and a highlight of the entire weekend. Moments like that make all the long hours, muddy boots, and late nights worthwhile. (I think if being a Shiro Utsuri proves to be much for it going forward, that it might make an excellent Bekko someday 😉)

🏆 Bob Schlecht took both Second and Third Best in Variety (Size 1 Sanke) with two Matsue Sanke imported from Japan and supplied by Miyabi Koi Farm.

To all of you, thank you. Not just for purchasing fish from me, but for believing in them.

Anyone who has been around the hobby for a while knows that many people automatically gravitate toward a fish once they hear a famous Japanese breeder’s name attached to it. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that as
Japan produces the finest koi in the world, and I will continue importing their beautiful fish for years to come.

But it means a great deal when someone looks beyond the breeder’s name, judges a koi on its own merits, and is willing to take a chance on a fish bred here in the United States. I know that’s a leap of faith for some people, and every time someone makes that leap, it motivates me to work even harder to improve my breeding program and continue raising the quality bar. For that, I am genuinely grateful.

I also want to thank everyone who stopped by the tanks throughout the weekend, offered encouragement, shared stories, and supported Miyabi Koi Farm. I was humbled by all the kind words and conversations.

Even more exciting, every fish we brought to the show found a new home and we completely sold out!

That level of support means the world to me, and I can’t thank everyone enough.

One story from the weekend really stuck with me.

Charlie stopped by my tanks and his eyes immediately landed on a Sanke. We talked about it for a while and eventually he asked, “Who’s the breeder?”

I paused for a second and told him, “Actually, that’s one of mine.”

He didn’t hesitate.

He started talking about the body, the pattern, sumi placement, the beni, and what he liked about the fish. I told him that I was really hoping it would end up with someone who would show it.

His response?

“Let’s do it. My tank is right over there.”

I asked him one more time if he was sure he wanted to show one of my fish.

“Absolutely,” he said. “I think it’ll do well.”

Later that evening, during dinner, the award sheets started making their way around the room. I was absolutely stunned to see that fish had taken Best in Variety For Size 1.

On the deck outside, I congratulated Charlie, and thanked him for taking a chance on me and on one of my fish.

He just smiled and said:

“I never thought it wouldn’t win.”

Sometimes a few simple words can mean a lot.

Now for the really funny story…

“Pierogi”

I had the pleasure of meeting Elliot and Angela during the show. They kept stopping by my tanks, and once I realized they appreciated a good joke, I knew we were going to get along just fine.

They picked out a few fish and immediately started giving them names. One Kin Showa apparently had a pirate vibe, so “Pirate” was born.

The next day they returned and were looking through the tanks again. Angela pointed out a Ginrin Chagoi and asked me about the “charogi”.

In my head that sounded suspiciously close to“pierogi.” 🥟

Now, if you know me, you know my brain occasionally grabs onto something and refuses to let go.

Within seconds I wasn’t thinking about koi anymore.

I was thinking about pierogies.

Angela mentioned that I was staying near several Polish delis and offered to order some. At that point I was fully committed to the idea. A short time later I found myself enjoying pierogies, wings, and latkes that absolutely hit the spot.

Fast forward to later that afternoon.

Angela had her eye on a little Ginrin Goshiki that had developed into a rather plump little fish.

I looked at it and said:

“You know... this one looks like a little pierogi.”

“Maybe one day it’ll grow into a jumbo dumpling.”

The laughter started immediately, and just like that the name stuck.

So now Angela owns two koi from the show:

🏴‍☠️ Pirate

🥟 Pierogi

And if I’m being completely honest, Pierogi might be my favorite koi name of the weekend.

Beyond the awards and the fish, what really stood out was the people.

I met hobbyists, vendors, old friends, and plenty of new faces. The conversations were great, the laughs were genuine, and it reminded me once again why this hobby is so special.

The club also deserves a tremendous amount of credit. Changing venues with limited notice is no small task, yet the show was organized, welcoming, and ran beautifully from start to finish. People often see the tanks and the awards, but they don’t always see the countless hours spent planning, setting up, tearing down, and solving problems behind the scenes.

To everyone who volunteered, organized, transported equipment, moved tanks, filled vats, handled paperwork, and made the weekend happen, you deserve a huge thank you.

Koi may bring us together, but it’s the people who keep us coming back.

For those of you on Long Island who weren’t able to make it to the show but would still like to see some of the koi that were exhibited, please reach out to Ed Walters. He brought home several Miyabi koi from the show, including the Chairman’s Show Award winner, and I’m sure they would make a wonderful addition to the right pond.

You can find him here:

https://www.facebook.com/share/1EkW1vkfqY/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Here’s to another great show, some beautiful fish, new friendships, a few well-earned awards, and at least one koi that will forever be known as Pierogi.

There was also a beautiful ending to the trip. Because we completely sold out, I didn’t have any fish to haul home. That gave me the opportunity to stop by Mitsuwa Marketplace in Edgewater, pick up some Japanese groceries, and treat myself to a sit-down tempura dinner before heading back.🍤

It was the perfect way to wrap up an unforgettable weekend.

And once again, thank you to everyone who stopped
by, supported Miyabi Koi Farm, purchased fish, shared a laugh, or simply said hello. We completely sold out before the end of the show, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the incredible support. 🙏

05/31/2026

We’ll be at The Tri-State Young Koi Show until the afternoon today. Hosted at The Maples 10 Ryerson Ave, Manorville, NY 11949

Stop by and say hi and take some of the beautiful koi we brought herehome with you today!