Why are PetSmart koi TALL?

[Julles]

Koi in tanks at places like PetSmart seem to be tall and triangular in shape.

But koi in ponds are long and lean.

I'm wondering what it is that makes aquarium koi a different shape from the ones in "natural" conditions. 

Also, will a PetSmart fish change shape and become enlongated, once he's in a pond setting?

[PondmaninAL]

I've heard that PetsMart fish are worse than Wal-Mart fish. So I don't buy them. Of course, I buy my koi from Gainesville Koi Club. One of their members sells his cull cheap and I'm not looking for show quality. As long as they are purty, that's all that matters to me. I got some free one time but they didn't quite look right. Then I figured out why. They were underfed. They were just starting to fatten up nicely by the end of the season.

[marla]

Some of it may be genetics, and the other is that you are viewing from the front/side of the fish, in the pond you are viewing from the top.  If you were to pull your pond fish you may be surprised that they have more hieght to their bodies then it appears.

[pondlady]

Hummmmmm I been told that growing in a tank makes them look differant, but they soon change whe they are pot into a pond. We shall see I have two in a 100 gal. tank out  in the greenhouse.  keep a watch when I pond the in the spring. Mt avatar is one of them.

[Julles]

That's a good shot, Pondlady.  I would say that the one I got from PetSmart is similar to the top photo, but perhaps a bit taller / more triangular.  In your second photo, the fish seems to be longer, and not so tall.

In the pond, viewed from above, he still looks "taller" than the other fish, who have been in the pond for years.  I've had him two or three weeks, so we'll see how he looks by winter's end.

 

[pondlady]

These two came from pet smart about 8 years ago they are very large now 29 and 27 inches. Very sweet girls.