Your Koi Will Never Get Real Red Without Colour Food

In Part 3 of the Saito Kohaku grow out, Ricky catches up on the test batch that's become the channel's clearest proof yet of what colour food really does — and makes the case for why it's an essential tool for developing koi to their true potential. When we last saw these Kohaku back in April they were sitting at 34–37cm and had never touched a grain of colour food, making them the perfect case study for showing hard and soft beni in its raw state. Since then Ricky's had them on the typical 50/50 mix of Saki growth and colour, halved the stocking level, and let them tick over while one of the big ponds freed up. Today he finally gets to see exactly what the colour has done. The change is unmistakable. That orangey hue has deepened into an intense red, and yet the signature softness of the bloodline — a Dainichi Kinsen cross developed over three years at Saito Fish Farm — is still there for all to see. Along the way Ricky breaks down how to actually use colour food properly: why the quality of it matters, the high-quality spirulina "almost black pellet" test, why cheap krill and shrimp-based enhancers only fake the colour and fade away, and exactly how he feeds it through the seasons to build red without wrecking the shiroji. With the batch now moving into a 3,500 gallon pond — nearly tripling their water volume — this becomes a real-time test of nature versus nurture, pushing home-grown Jumbo Tosai towards the size and finish of a Japanese breeder's own Nisai. It's likely the last update until the harvest at the end of September, and on this evidence the final result could be quite remarkable. Watch the full Saito Kohaku Grow Out series: Part 1:    • Starting a Kohaku Grow-Out: Bloodlines, Se...   Part 2:    • No Colour Food. 96 Fish. One Tiny Pond… Th...   — Chapters 00:00 – Catching Up on the Saito Kohaku 00:38 – Where We Left Off in April 00:44 – The Perfect Hard vs Soft Beni Test Batch 01:02 – Onto the Saki Growth & Colour Mix 01:16 – The Sales Event & Halved Stocking 01:48 – What the Colour Food Has Changed 02:18 – Why Colour Food Is Non-Negotiable 03:01 – First Close-Up: The New Red Hue 03:17 – Splitting Customer Fish From My Own 04:44 – The Journey So Far 04:54 – "Forget the Gear, Get the Idea" — The Grow-On System 05:45 – The Bloodline: Dainichi Kinsen x Saito 06:02 – Nature vs Nurture: Beating the Breeder 06:45 – Into the 3,500 Gallon Pond 07:33 – How to Choose a Good Colour Food (Spirulina) 08:19 – The Cheap Krill & Shrimp Trap 09:01 – Why Saki Tones the Beni Properly 09:43 – How I Feed Colour Food Through the Year 10:24 – 20 Fish Going In 11:20 – The Result & What's Next ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Discover the all-in-one platform for Japanese koi. Browse live auctions and fixed price listings, manage your shipments, and access exclusive keeping services—all in one place. Whether you're a new collector or an established keeper, our platform makes it simple to find your next addition and manage your collection with ease. https://rickystoddartnishikigoi.com/ Ready to bid? Explore live auctions here: https://rickystoddartnishikigoi.com/a... New to us? Register now and join our community: https://rickystoddartnishikigoi.com/r...