He was a big one. Got him in the spring of 1998 along with 11 others. I
had a fisherman neighbor tell me "He'd go 12 - 14 pounds." when he
visited my pond for the first time a couple of years ago.

Purchased these Koi from Kenco in Rhode Island and had them flown into
the Little Rock airport where I picked them up. They were only 3 - 4
inches in length. I hadn't lost a Koi since 1999.

I noticed yesterday that he'd developed a black spot on his back behind
his dorsal fin. It didn't appear infected when I looked him over before
burying him near a dogwood in the back yard.

Hope this isn't a trend. I lost 4 large goldfish in a short period of
time last spring and never pinpointed what was going. I did initiate
water changes and didn't lose another the rest of the season.

Saw the GBH again this am so I'm reluctant to take off the netting
covering the pond. Hope I don't have to deal with another yellow bellied
water snake taking up residence this year. So far, no raccoons.

What's a ponder to do?! sigh