The Great British Koi Show '25 - and Monthly News!
- World of Nishikigoi
- 5 hours ago
- 10 min read
Hello Koi Folk,
Once again, I thought I’d combine posts, this time, with the results from The Great British Koi Show and our Monthly News - to save spamming you!
Yes, I’m late to the party with the GBKS results, but I had a dreadful week and weekend, and I barely made the show. Thank you to everyone who checked up on me and took the time to look after me on Sunday. It meant a great deal. This is a free week that doesn’t clash with another show, so I thought you might like to see the World of Nishikigoi photos. I hope you enjoy.
I can’t comment too much on the show, as I wasn’t there, and when I was, I was too focused on getting my shots and staying standing! But I’m told the Yorkshire Section were happy with how it went, and I was impressed with the koi I saw when photographing the winners, and the atmosphere around the showground. Congratulations to all the exhibitors and show team, and many thanks to the show's sponsors. Without trade sponsors, shows wouldn’t happen!
Presenting...
The Major Awards for the
Great British Koi Show 2025!
Grand Champion
Owner: Carl Morrison
Sanke // 81cm // Sakai Fish Farm // Queni Koi
Supreme Champion
Owner: Adam Webber
Kohaku // 86cm // Sakai Fish Farm // Select Nishikigoi
Best Non Go Sanke
Owner: Stuart Hay
Aka Matsuba // 86cm // Marusei
Mature Champion
Owner: Larry Gooch
Sanke // 75cm // Taniguchi // Gatwick Koi
Adult Champion
Owner: Graig Caldwell
Kohaku // 63cm // Suetsugu // Koi Masters
Young Champion
Owner: Mark Keene
Kohaku // 51cm // Hosokai // Exclusively Koi
Junior Champion
Owner: Rick Haworth
Ginrin Shiro Utsuri // 43cm // Okawa // The Oaks Koi Farm
Baby Champion
Owner: Paul Cunningham
Kohaku // 34cm // Dainichi // Niwa Nishikigoi
Jumbo Champion
Owner: Craig Rendell
Yamabuki Ogon // Ogata // Dock Koi
Best Doitsu
Owner: Craig Rendell
Showa // 56cm // Ogata // Dock Koi
Special Variety Award
Owner: Carl Morrison
Ginrin Kohaku // 57cm // Torazo // Quality Nishikigoi
FD Koi Food Award
Owner: Stuart Hay
Kohaku // 56cm // Saito // Select Nishikigoi
Kiyomizu Koi Food Award
Owner: Carl Morrison
Goshiki // 54cm // Kanno // Quality Nishikigoi
Check out this video of the show by Humber Koi:
#Koi for Sale
Here's this months gallery of koi from some of our sponsors. Click to englarge the image and obtain a link to the dealers website... enjoy!
#Azukari Koi
As autumn approaches, Chris Edwards is preparing to guide some of the UK’s leading koi dealers through Japan in search of new and exciting koi stocks. Alongside the tours, he’ll also be busy hand-picking and preparing bowls of koi for dealers who prefer to purchase from the comfort of their own premises. And of course, let’s not forget the mountain of paperwork he somehow manages to tackle in between - I’ve seen him at it, and trust me, it’s relentless!
For those in the koi trade, this is an invaluable time to secure fresh koi. But even if you’re a hobbyist, Chris’s journey is well worth following. He regularly shares updates from Japan, covering the harvests, buying days, and some koi culture, which always make for fascinating viewing. You can follow his adventures here: https://www.facebook.com/AzukariKoi
#Shosha Koi
Mike and Lee are busy preparing for their imminent trip to Japan in search of new stocks. They are also starting work on the first of a possible four new fish houses - my heavens, they will be busy! Here are the words from the horse's mouth… "Special Request orders for Japan are now being taken!
Soon we will make the pilgrimage back to Japan, the home of Koi, and our ever popular Koi hunting service is back! As in previous years, we’ll be hunting specifically for customer order fish as well as for our own stock. If you need help finding that special Koi, we’ll do our best to find it! Any requests made, you’ll need to be reachable by Telegram/Whatsapp so we can update you on findings.
Please email us - sales@shoshakoi.co.uk with your requests or see us in-store to discuss.
Requested Koi upon agreement require full payment as normal. Once confirmed, we cannot then cancel with the breeder (for obvious reasons).
A snippet of the special requests from the last couple of years…"
#Youtube Learning
This month, I’d thought I’d highlight two pond visits overseas, brought to you by The Koi Page. The first is with Filip Poppe, whose famous koi Miss Magnum has won many, many GC titles. I shot her in Belgium in 2023 and interviewed Filip about his pond in Volume Three of the magazine…
The second visit is to Chris Van Cleemput, whose koi I have also seen playing the shows in the EU. What a stunning pond. Enjoy!
#Beautiful Koi
Justin and the team are holding an end-of-season sale. Some koi are up to 50% off, so it’s a chance to get your next koi for a bargain price whilst they clear space for the Autumn harvest. Feel free to get mooching…
#Byer Koi Farm
News from the main man Adam:
“This week marks a milestone at Byer Koi Farm as we continue to grow the Japanese side of our business alongside our own UK breeding programme. By combining homebred koi with carefully selected Japanese koi, we’re able to offer an even wider range of top-quality koi covering more varieties.
Back in February, I travelled to Niigata to handpick tosai, which we then brought back and raised here to nisai. Now, with the harvest complete, it’s exciting to see how they’ve developed.
From Hosokai, my focus was on Kujaku, supported by a few Gin Matsuba and a Kohaku. From Marudo, I selected exclusively Sanke.” You can view the new release of koi here:
#Elite Koi
I stumbled across this interesting concept offered by Chris Jubb. Here’s what he’s saying…
“Ever wish you had first pick of new koi, exclusive livestream invites, and one-to-one chats with our expert team? Welcome to the Elite Koi Club - our membership for passionate koi keepers who want more.
Members get early access to our best stock, live Q&As, monthly discoveries and special discounts. Sign up today and make your koi journey even more rewarding.”
#Oaks Koi Farm
Paul White is gearing up for new season purchases as the Autumn Harvests commence. He’s also planning to harvest a few of the growing ponds on site over the coming weeks to make new stock available for those who want to purchase new koi before the weather drops off.
Paul has numerous ponds for raising koi, and it has formed part of his business model for many years. The best place to keep an eye out for new specimens is his Facebook page.
Paul’s also elated that his client, Rick Haworth, won Junior Champion at the Great British Koi Show with a lovely Okawa Ginrin Shiro Utsuri - see the photo in the results above!
#All England Koi Show
This coming weekend is The All England Koi Show - the UK’s biggest indoor show.
It’s the penultimate show of the 2025 show season, so if you need a fix, make the most of it. Last year, over 320 koi were exhibited in the colossal 4600sqm venue, alongside some of the biggest dealers and manufacturers in the industry.
It’s a great chance to snap up a bargain, catch up with mates and stuff your face with ice cream! World of Nishikigoi will be in attendance. I’ll be taking photos of the winning koi, but I’ll also have a trade stand selling magazines at reduced show rates - plus you save on the postage! It’s a great chance to see the magazine up close (if you haven’t already) and ask any questions. I look forward to seeing you!
There will also be a host of our sponsors in attendance with trade stands, and it’s the perfect time to check out what they are all about. We’re proud to work alongside these brands and many more:
A4 Koi - Darren always has a stand in the top right-hand corner of the first hall, offering loads of koi for sale at show-friendly prices. There’s even a sofa you can rest your weary legs on when perusing the koi! - https://a4koi.com/
Selective Koi Sales - Chris and the team usually have a centrally located stand in the first hall, down the middle aisle. There’s always loads of stuff on display, including Mountain Tree products, JPD food, Filtration, Handling Equipment, Koi Zumi Clay and much more! Get your questions ready and ask away! - https://selectivekoisales.co.uk/
Cuttlebrook Koi Farm - Mark and Sam’s stand always greets you as you walk in, as the massive red tori gate is hard to miss! Expect ludicrous deals on koi and their own brand of koi food, plus friendly advice and smiles all round! - https://cuttlebrookkoifarm.co.uk/
Viking Fish Health - Simon will be helping his close friend Andy Finch on the Finch Filtration Solutions stand. These are two top-notch gents who are worth grilling for info on all things water and fish health. If you want to get your koi booked in for an health MOT before the season ends, Simon will have his diary with him, so I’m told! Located in the second hall - https://www.vikingfishhealth.co.uk/
Oase - One of the best reasons to visit koi shows is to view koi-tech up close. Oase are one of the biggest names in the world, manufacturing top quality products with superb after-sales service. The team will be on hand to answer any questions and give you the rundown on their extensive range, which solves many koi-keeping nightmares! Find them in the first hall (usually down the centre aisle) - https://www.oase.com/
Kusuri - Kay always puts on a lovely display, with everything from food to treatments and additives to boost the health of your koi. Again, Kusuri are a main player in the Koi Industry, and if you want to get to know the brand and their products, the show is the perfect opportunity. - https://www.kusuri.co.uk/
Aqua Aeration Systems Ltd - Brandon’s company may be relatively new, but he’s been a koi keeper for decades and has been working away behind the scenes, developing many of the products and solutions he’s bringing to the market. Many of the UK shows now use his aeration bars. I use one in my bio filter; they’re superb, and his service is fantastic. He’ll be in the second hall. - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086962593734\
The show will be a great weekend, I’m sure of it, so why not come along and show your support? There’s even a fish and chip van - gotta love it!
#Food for Thought - Names and Games!
With the Autumn buying season about to kick off for dealers and hobbyists, I find myself bracing for impact when it comes to this year's bombardment of sales rhetoric by canny koi salesmen. Yes, it’s part of the deal, but it’s easy to get hoodwinked by flashy terms and brand names. So, to provoke some reflection among our blog readers, I thought I’d share this article by Deron Simons (Select Nishikigoi), which I published in the 2024 National Koi Show program. See what you think…
Something I’ve spoken about many times before is the obsession we have developed in the UK for the breeder's name. Due to sales tactics, it’s become even more prevalent now than when I first wrote about the subject in the early 2000s - so it’s worth taking another look! Firstly, let’s acknowledge that some breeders breed better koi than others, or more of them, or both, but the breeder's name is only relevant once you have assessed your goals with the purchase.
For example, if you have an average koi pond and you want to buy a 2-year-old sanke for £300, the breeder's name is essentially irrelevant because it will not impact the quality of the koi you are about to purchase. However, the breeder's name becomes increasingly more important if you are fortunate enough to have a high-spec pond designed for raising koi and an unlimited budget.
I’m assuming you are now wondering why. Well, it doesn’t matter who bred the fish, how big the farm is, what the parents are called or what its size potential might be - if you put a £300 two-year-old koi in an average pond, it won't ever become something it's not. The Champion Koi the breeder is famous for (or any of their potential All Japan Koi Show winners) won't be for sale in the UK for a few hundred pounds. Remember, names are only relevant once you get into higher price brackets.
The only question you should ask when buying a koi is - how good is the koi I am looking at?
The most important thing is the fish in front of you because no single breeder casts magic spells over their fish! It might sound obvious, but it's true. For every ten good koi, and I mean really high-class koi, hundreds of thousands never even get close. The breeding of high-quality koi is a pure numbers game. That's why some farms have evolved into massive operations because the more koi a farm breeds, the more high-quality specimens it produces. The flip side is that significantly more low-grade koi are also produced and often find their way into the marketplace, posing as something they are not.
It’s also worth remembering that if a large Koi Farm breeds thousands of koi and has many fish to sell, they will still be priced based on quality. The breeder will not sell a high-class koi for £300 just because he has bred several hundred. He will sell you a koi that he feels is worth £300, and this will be the same at whatever breeder you decide to use. It’s business.
Of course, everyone has their favourite koi varieties and wants to know as much about the koi that will be gracing their ponds as possible. However, even though the breeder who bred your next koi may have bred many grand champion and jumbo proportioned koi with five-figure price tags, there is no way the fish you are about to purchase (unless you intend to re-mortgage) will ever get close to the prize-winning koi the breeder is famous for.
However, this does not mean you should give up keeping koi because you don’t have £50,000 to spend on a fish. What it means (as stated at the beginning) is you must look at the koi you are buying and weigh up everything it has to offer. Also, remember koi can improve past their initial price tag and provide excellent value with strict selection, the correct raising and care. I can recall a 45cm two-year-old showa that was runner-up in the ZNA International Koi Show 2002, and because of its success, it commanded a four-figure price tag. However, this koi was purchased as a Tosai (one-year-old) for just 12,000 Yen (£60).
It might be rare, but it can happen. However, it takes knowledge and experience, which doesn't come overnight. No breeder's name offers a shortcut to success, as the appreciation of koi, their traits, and their potential must be grasped. To do this, you must learn by personal experience because koi appreciation must be seen to be understood. You also need the help of a professional, so find someone who knows about koi in Japan from first-hand experience and ask them as much as you possibly can. After all, this is what I did during my first trips, and continue to do some 25 years later!
Editor's Note: If you enjoyed the read, Deron's words inspired another article on the subject, which is published in Volume Seven of World of Nishikigoi. I take an in-depth look at whether breeder names and brand names are all that important, the various caveats and how they affect the industry and our pockets. You can pick up a copy here:
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