August is rapidly coming to an end. What will September bring? This is a good question. I don't know about you, I am still wondering where August went so fast. Our end of the month meeting is here already. Wow!! I can just imagine what my koi are saying, "Look at me, I was just a small fry and now I am so colorful. Look at that studley guy over there. Wonder where that black dot in the center of his forehead came from?" O' goodness there is another one. Boy do they make a weird pair. Must be some kind of mutant and do you believe that big black guy with the golden peck's. Didn't look like that a few days ago. How time flies.

Over the past few weeks the phone has rang with calls from people wanting advice on building ponds, needing fish, and wanting advice about ponds, plants and fish. What an awesome hobby, the backyard pond. Each is so different, but still the same. The pond with its aquatic life, the stream, the waterfalls, and for some plants and fish. Others just koi. All to enjoy the peace and tranquility they all bring. What more could you ask for?

As Showtime gets closer check out those Koi of yours. Do you have the next baby grand champion or the grand champion? It is not too early to start keeping that watchful eye out. This year we might even see Paul Baker and Tom Lancing fish and even get to go head to head for that covated title "Overall Grand champion. What do you think? How exciting. Who will have the baby champion or the novice? Remember the show is only a couple of months away. Before you know it, it will be next week. So keep your pond in good shape for that champion of champions to develop.

This coming meeting is in Wilcox will be a pleasant one. Come early and pick your favorite veggie or stop and taste some wine or just enjoy the drive with all its beauty. When your arrive Kathy and Dennis will great you with open arms. Thank you both so much for sharing your pond and home with us. Be sure to check out their Koi. May the next champion eat your hearts out?

The weather is still quite warm so check you water temperature. If possible shade your pond. Check your fish to se that they are healthy and be sure to feed them. (The pigs want to eat all the time this time of year. I have to work overtime to pay the food bill Ha! Ha!) Thy to check your fish all over, not just one side or the other that a sore might be. It could even be on the bottom of the fish. Keep your Koi healthy

Time to go to press with the newsletter so see you all soon. Hope all of your enjoy your aquatic environment.

Bob Panter

SAKA President

Will you are getting ready to go to our meeting in Wilcox on August 27. Well what is there to do? The following places have been recommended to us.

Call for availability. Take Willcox exit 340 off I-10, go 113 miles on Fort Grant Road. They will hopefully have the following to pick. Sweet Corn squash, cucumbers, green beans, watermelon, cantaloupe, black-eyed peas, okra, tomatoes, grapes, peppers, and eggplant. Open form 6:00am - 6:00pm.

1-10 exit 340; 5.5 miles north on Fort Grant Road, follow signs. Jonathon, Gala, Red and Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, Fuji, and Granny Smith apples; juicy Freestone peaches. Asian and Bartlett pears. Onsite cider mill and bakery. Apple Annie's famous apple brad and delicious homemade pies baked fresh daily. Flash-pasteurized apple cider, apple dumplings, apple butter, jams, jellies, honey and gourmet foods. "Apple Annie's Attic" country store and gift shop; picnic area and Restrooms. Delicious apple-smoked beef or ostrich burger lunches. Open from 8:00am to 5:30 p.m.

You name it; we've got it! Grarden fresh, homegrown, high Quality vegetables, fruits, and more. Beans, beets, carrots, chili's, corn, cucumbers, melon, okra, onions, peppers, pumpkins, tomatoes, zucchini is only a brief description of our featured produce when in season. Our produce can be purchased by the piece or by the pound. It can be picked by your or by us. We're a great place to visit for an outing of family fun. Open from Sunrise to sunset. Take I-10, Exit 340.Fort Grant Road and watch for La Bella's signs

Reprinted from The Valley of the Sun Koi Club Newsletter

Tests! "We don't need tests!" the cry of the beleaguered pond owner who has problems enough dealing with algae, malfunctioning filters and pumps, pond leaks and sooner or later sick fish. Monitoring water quality in a koi pond is often viewed with the same degree of enthusiasm as preparing a tax return. Who subjects oneself to another bunch of problems? Well, if your tax return is not prepared, your tax problems will not just go away, and if you don't test your pond water, your water quality problems will not just go away.

Unlike paying taxes, testing our ponds is entirely voluntary, so let's consider three good reasons for volunteering. First, knowledge is power. Second, prevention is easier than cure. Third, learning can be fun. The reasons for not testing - to time consuming, too confusing, too expensive and just not necessary - don't stand up in light of the facts, as we shall see. Another consideration is that we generally have koi ponds for two basic reasons - the beauty of the water environment and the pleasure of having koi. Water testing goes to the heart of both these issues - keeping the pond attractive for our enjoyment and keeping the water healthy for the fish. The latter is the most important reason to test. As hardy as koi are, long term exposure to poor water quality will cause stress and disease. Unfortunately, we can not rely on our unaided senses to determine water quality - clear water is not an indication of good water quality from a fish's perspective.

Millions of years of evolution have resulted in fish that are superbly adapted to their environment. An attempt to create and maintain an artificial pond environment for even domesticated fish is complicated by the fact that fish are essentially "bags of water living in water" with only a semipermiable membrane to maintain internal integrity.

Terrestrial animals, as ourselves, can be considered "bags of water living in air" with enhanced barriers that, relative to fish, effectively separate and protect us from our environment. We can tolerate pollution and environmental changes much better than fish can because our bodies do not interact with the environment as intimately as do fish bodies. Fish are truly a part of their environment and are strongly and directly affected by its condition.

Because koi are so adapted to and affected by their environment, it is important that natural, healthy conditions be maintained in a pond to ensure healthy, happy, colorful fish. Fish disease issues invariably involve water quality. Poor quality stresses the fish, which in turn causes their immune system to go down, which in turn makes the fish susceptible to disease pathogens. In order to know if there is good water quality, it only makes sense to test it periodically rather than wait for disease symptoms to appear. "A pond is basically a toilet". Fish waste must not be allowed to accumulate in a pond, which usually means a biological filter must be operating properly. Fish waste and other organic debris are the first step of the nitrogen cycle, a series of events that produces some of the compounds we test for - ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Algae may colonize and detoxify a pond with high levels of nitrogen compounds, but alga's presence changes water quality for two other things we should test for - pH and dissolved oxygen. The last naturally occurring factors we routinely check are temperature and water hardness.

Individual, one-time tests are only important if the test results indicate a toxic or dangerous condition, such as high ammonia, where corrective action has to be taken immediately. The greatest benefit of testing, however, is obtained when results are plotted on graph paper over a period of several testings, so that trends or directions can be noted early. By knowing the direction your pond's water quality is taking, you can take corrective action before the problem gets out of hand.

Normally, tests for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and temperature should be made once every week or two. Tests should be made more frequently during periods of change in the pond, such as spring warming, new filter installation, major pond cleaning or repair. At such times daily testing for certain items may be necessary, for example pH test during cement work and ammonia and nitrite tests for new filters. During stable periods such as mild summers, testing may be cut back to once every three weeks, and during periods of midwinter inactivity, testing can be eliminated.

Test Kits Home kits all work the same way - there is a small container for a measured sample of pond water, a chemical to add to the sample that will cause the water to turn a certain color, a color chart to compare the result to and instructions to tell you if things are OK or not. Some kits use drops and some use tablets - drops are faster but tablets are easier to measure. Test kits come in either "Master Packs" which contain several basic tests or a single test pack. Refills are usually available and most of the chemicals have expiration dates after which they don't work properly. The basic tests are usually ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.

The following is a discussion on the specific factors tested in a Koi pond. You do not need this information in order to properly test your pond, as the commercial test kits are simple and easy to understand. Read this only if you care to understand the factors behind the test results. Don't worry about the technical measurements, because the color charts in the test kits really make things very simple. There's no reason to convert mg/liter to oz/gallon because only the ratio matters and you don't even need that to read the color chart. What is important to realize, however, is the interrelationship between pH and various factors in the pond. Also, results may vary depending on the time of day and how long the water sample was stored before being tested.

The fish waste introduces ammonia and decomposing organic debris, is the most toxic nitrogen compound. It is present in two forms in the pond - free and ionized. Free ammonia is the most toxic and will cause death in very low concentrations. Problems associated with non-lethal elevated levels of ammonia include gill disease, dropsy and finrot. The higher the pH and the temperature, and the lower the salinity or hardness, the greater the ratio of free ammonia to the ionized form. Thus, the higher the pH and or the temperature, the more toxic the ammonia. Test kits measure the total ammonia (free plus ionized). With a properly functioning biological filter, the ammonia level is usually zero in the pond and should be under .1ppm (mg/l). Nitrosomonas bacteria in the filter oxidize ammonia into nitrite, our next compound. If the level of ammonia is elevated, you should immediately add ammonia remover such as Tetra Aquasafe, Kordon AmQuel or make partial water changes. You should also add nitrifying bacteria to your filter and stop feeding your fish until the situation is corrected.

Nitrite is less toxic than ammonia, but still very toxic as it inhibits the ability of the blood to carry oxygen. Nitrite is oxidized into nitrate by Nirtrobacter bacteria living in the filter, but some of the commercially prepared bacteria compounds for ponds are rather skimpy in the amount of Nitrobacteria present because it is relatively expensive. Thus your pond may experience a nitrite spike as your filter is being conditioned until the Nitrobacteria colony reaches sufficient size to deal with all the nitrite. If the nitrite level is elevated according to your test results, you should make partial water change and add bacteria high in Nitrobacteria, such as Aqua 5

Nitrate is the end product of the nitrifying phase of the nitrogen cycle. It is much less toxic for koi than either ammonia or nitrite. It is however, a nitrogen compound that is the food and the fertilizer for algae. In nature, nitrate is absorbed by water plants and is reduced into free nitrogen by anaerobic bacteria living in the bottom silt. Hydrogen sulfide and methane gases are given off as a by-product of the anaerobic filtration. An oxygenated, clean pond will not have any anaerobic bacteria present, so nitrate will accumulate in the pond. An algaecide is often used to control algae that would be attracted to the nitrate. Partial water changes of 1\10th per week will flush out the accumulating nitrate. If the nitrate level is over 20 mg\l, you should make water changes immediately or add Aqua 5 Dry, which contains bacteria that remove nitrate without producing hydrogen sulfide and methane gas.

pH indicates the ratio of hydrogen ions to hydroxyl ions on a logarithmic scale from 0 (pure acid) to 14 (pure alkaline). Pure water is 7.0, meaning that there is an equal balance of hydrogen ions and hydroxyl ions. Most tap water in the southwest is between 7.4 and 7.6, which is perfect for koi, as they do best in water 7.2 to 8.0. Koi can actually tolerate a wide range of pH, from 6.5 to 9.0. But they cannot tolerate a rapid change - more than .2 per hour. (Note the logarithmic scale means that there are 10 times as many hydroxyl ions at 8.0 as at 7.0). As mentioned above, pH affects the free ammonia\ionized ammonia ratio, with a higher pH resulting in a greater concentration of the more toxic free ammonia. To make things more complicated, algae and other water plants can drastically change a pond's pH from night to day, due to a change in the amount of dissolved carbon dioxide present in the water. We're concerned about rapid pH shifts not only because of the ammonia ratio, but also because the fish are trying to keep their blood pH even during these shifts, thereby causing stress. Carbon dioxide mixes with water to form mild carbonic acid; therefore, more carbon dioxide means a lower pH, and less carbon dioxide means a higher pH. A bloom of algae will take up a lot of carbon dioxide during daylight for photosynthesis and emit a lot of carbon dioxide at night during respiration. Buffers such as bicarbonate ions help maintain the amount of carbon dioxide and therefore the pH remains even in the pond, but if there's too much algae for the available carbon dioxide, it will be obtained from the bicarbonate ions in the water, thus reducing the buffering agent and increasing the risk of rapid pH changes. Finally, even though koi can tolerate extremes of pH there are diseases directly caused by the stress. Acidosis is a reaction of fish to acidic conditions, in which they act highly agitated, with a lot of jumping. A rapid lowering of pH will cause quick death, while a slow lowering below tolerance levels will cause few behavioral changes until the inevitable death. In alkalosis, a reaction to conditions that are too alkaline, the gills and fins are destroyed; otherwise the symptoms are similar to acidosis. Continued high pH can be caused by improperly cured or sealed concrete ponds or mortar work. New concrete ponds should be sealed with penetrating water based or epoxy compounds, which not only provide a water seal, but also bond with the lime to eliminate pH problems. Cement based water seals don't do anything to control pH. For temporarily raising or lowering pH, you should use sodium bicarbonate or sodium monophosphate respectively. If fish are in the pond be sure to alter pH gradually - no more than a 0.2 change per hour. If an algae bloom is causing the pH shifts or extremes, you have to first determine if you filter is working properly, in which case it's safe to kill the algae (while monitoring dissolved oxygen levels). If an improperly operating filter is the cause of the algae bloom, you have to first ensue safe levels of ammonia and nitrite before it is safe to control the algae. Remember, go slow in fixing the problem that probably took a long time to develop. Finally, if algae are present, take an early morning and a late afternoon reading before taking corrective action.

Temperature is often viewed by pond owners as a guide to feeding, more than as a health issue for koi. Temperature should be monitored for both daily and seasonal extremes. Temperature affects dissolved oxygen levels, respiration, metabolic rate, pH balance, free ammonia\ionized ammonia ratio and osmoregulation. Koi can tolerate a broad range of temperatures, from ponds that are iced over; to water up to 90F, better than they can tolerate sudden shifts in temperature. If you have a shallow pond (less than 2 feet) in full sun along with cool summer nights, the pond temperature may be changing by more than four degrees an hour, causing stress to the fish. Greater splashing of the water and shading may control the problem. If your pond is subject to stressful temperature changes, a 0.1% solution of sea salt containing calcium, potassium, sodium and trace elements will reduce the stress as it aids the Koi's' osmoregulation. As with pH, do not drastically alter a pond's temperature. Fish can tolerate a low to a high temperature change better than a high to low change.

Water Hardness consists of two elements, permanent or general hardness and temporary or carbonate/bicarbonate hardness. Koi do better in hard water because of the relation of salt within their bodies to the dissolved salts in the pond. In soft water, the difference in salt concentrations means the koi have to work harder, through the process of osmoregulation, to prevent the salts within their bodies from diffusing out through their gill membranes. Harder water allows the koi to ease up on osmoregulation and therefore reduce stress. As mentioned above, bicarbonate ions buffer the water, reducing pH shifts another cause of stress in koi. Koi do well in carbonate hardness of 150-300 mg/liter or 9-18 degrees. In most koi ponds the water is too soft due to the fact that there is no natural mud bottom that leaches minerals into the water. Marine salt and sodium bicarbonate increases hardness and will also cause pH to go up. A permanent salt solution of 0.1% is beneficial to koi, and works out to eight pounds per 1,000 gallons. Check your pH if you add salt, and do not use table salt. Salt will not evaporate out and needs to be replaced only if water is drained from the pond.

Dissolved oxygen is usually only a warm weather concern, as it is associated with water temperature and algae. However, the larger the fish, the greater the oxygen demand - low levels will stress and kill your biggest koi. Ponds that have been safe for many years become unsafe, as your fish grow larger. The colder the water, the greater its capacity to hold dissolved oxygen. Algae takes up oxygen at night, and an algae bloom can cause suffocation in large fish and inhibit the oxidation process of nitrifying bacteria. Also, dying algae and decaying organic material takes up oxygen. Testing for dissolved oxygen allows you to determine if your pond has the maximum amount of oxygen for the temperature of the water. Splashing the water into small droplets with a fountain or waterfall is best for aeration, although venturi valves on underwater jets and air compressors also do a good job of oxygenation.

Chlorine and Chloramine should be tested for if your water supply is from any source other than your own well. Chlorine will burn off by itself in a day or so, but chloramine must be broken down and removed chemically. Check with your local water agency to determine whether they add chlorine or chloramine. These chemicals damage the gills and liver and even in low concentrations can cause stress that ultimately leads to disease. Also, frequently overlooked is the fact that they are added to the water supply to kill bacteria. The beneficial, nitrifying bacteria in you biological filter can be killed off by chlorine and chloramine in concentrations that do no obvious damage to your fish. Good products on the market to eliminate chlorine and chloramine include Tetra Aquasafe, Kordon AmQuel and Aqua 5 chlora Gone.

Copper should be tested for if water supplied to the pond is via copper pipes or if coins are thrown in the pond. Copper, in its toxic form will leach into soft water more readily than into hard water. It damages skin and gills and can cause sudden death that is very hard to trace. It also kills the nitrifying bacteria in your filter, which results in an ongoing algae problem. Copper is used in several pond treatments and should be monitored if you are using any such treatments. Concentrations above 0.015 mg/liter are dangerous to fish, and even lower levels can kill the beneficial bacteria in a biological filter.

In conclusion, testing gives you the information you need to ensure the best possible conditions for your fish, as well as the information needed to maintain water clarity. It only takes a few minutes a week.

Will be October 14-15, 2000. It is with great anticipation that TKFGS is preparing for our 9th annual show. We are striving to make this show better each year and one of the premier gatherings of koi, goldfish, hobbyists,

lecturers, and vendors from across the country. We enjoy sharing our beautiful aquatic pets with fellow Koi and Goldfish lovers. Our show's primary objective is to make this event a valuable educational and social experience.

Our vendors will be sheltered under a huge tent. The Koi & Goldfish Show will be housed in the new fish building on the beautiful grounds of Water

Garden Gems. Water Garden Gems is located just a few miles east of San

Antonio outside Loop 1604 on Interstate 10 East (between exits 593 & 595 on

the North frontage road) Water Garden Gems phone number is (210) 659-5841.

We are fortunate to have some of the most respected and experienced judges in

the U.S. handling our show. Our Goldfish competition is sanctioned by the

Goldfish Society of America. Mr. Tony Reynolds of Richardson, Texas is returning for his 9th consecutive year as our Head Goldfish Judge. The Associated Koi Clubs of America sanctions our koi competition. Mr. Charles Phelps of Louisville, Kentucky will be our Head Koi Judge.

All fish will be shown "English Style." This means that specific tanks will

be reserved for each owner to allow them to quarantine their fish from all other fish in the show. Due to this effort we need everyone wanting to show fish to make reservations and advance payments for their goldfish and/or Koi tanks. Please see additional information about tanks/reservations later in

this information.

We already have confirmation of entries and visitors from Arizona, California, Colorado, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, and all over Texas. If we can be of any assistance with your plans to visit our show or show your fish please give us a call. We also have a special program for show visitors that want to participate in the fish show but not bring fish to or from the show. Anyone can purchase a fish from one of our show vendors and place it in the show and then donate the fish after the show to the club auction. Yes, you get to keep any trophies or awards. Many of our fish vendors have given a special discount at past shows for fish that will be donated to the club auction.

We are very excited about this year's show and looking forward to seeing old and meeting new friends. Please drop by the TKFGS booth and introduce yourself. To thank you for your visit we will give everyone a free $1 raffle ticket for signing our mailing list which we will utilize for next years pre-show announcements and related club events. We will also be selling cold drinks, show pins, and T-shirts to help us defray the costs of the show.

VENDOR/EXHIBITORS

Over 20 expert vendors are traveling long distances to display and sell products as well as share their wealth of knowledge with us all. We will have fish dealers and breeders selling pond and show quality koi, long finned koi and goldfish. We will also have a large assembly of pond and non-pond related vendors displaying a large array of products and services. There are still some vendor's spaces available. If you want information about attending as a vendor please contact Ray Jordan.

JUDGING:

The Koi & Goldfish judging will be open to "silent" public viewing. We must

insist on "silent" observation only, no comments please during the judging to

anyone! Due to the "English" style judging method we will not be broadcasting live judging comments this year. We are planning a special educational seminar on Sunday morning for the judges to discuss the "standards" for each variety, answer questions. Please plan to attend.

Special thanks to the following early committed trophy sponsors: Water Garden Gems, Austin Pond Society, Vance Schultze, Carsten Pedersen, Mac McGreevy, Joan Berryman, Ray & Martha Jordan, and Brett Rowley.

2000 SHOW SCHEDULE

FRIDAY - OCTOBER 13TH, 2000

12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Early registration for fish entries & set up for

vendors. If planning to arrive later that 6pm - contact Ray at 210-494-2034

for special arrangements.

SATURDAY - OCTOBER 14TH, 2000

7:00am- 9:30am Registration and check in for fish entries & vendors

10:00am - till completed Fish Judging

10:00AM - 5:00pm Viewing of displays, seminars, and 1$ raffle drawings posted every 30 minutes

10:30am - 3:00pm Lunch available on premises

4:30pm Presentation of Awards

8:00pm TKFGS River Barge Banquet (Tickets Required)

SUNDAY - OCTOBER 15TH, 2000

10:00am - 3:00pm Viewing of displays and seminars and 1$ raffle drawings

posted every 30 minutes

10:30am - 3:00pm Lunch available on premises

1:00pm -2:00pm Special $5 raffle drawings & fish auction

2:30pm Fish entries released to owners

3:30pm - until completed Show tear down and clean up

SHOW SEMINARS

Once again Water Garden Gem's is finalizing a fantastic lineup of nationally

known speakers. This year's tentative seminar line up includes presentations

on: Water Gardening, Pond Construction, Fish Diseases, Biological Filtration,

Aquatic Plants, Koi & Goldfish Care, Koi Judging Standards Seminar, and How

to Select Young Koi with Champion Potential and many more. The final seminar schedule and list of speakers will be available about September 15th.

SHOW VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We need/welcome volunteers to assist with all aspects of the show. This is a great way to learn more about shows and enjoy the entire show experience. In particular, we need help setting up on Wednesday

through Friday before the show and tearing down the show Sunday evening and on Monday after the show. We also need help staffing our club booth during

the show. Please call Ray Jordan at 210-494-2034 for more information.

SHOW HOTEL: We have chosen the Ramada Emily Morgan Hotel, 705 E. Houston, in downtown San Antonio just steps from the Alamo & the River Walk as our show hotel. A show rate of $99 is available for a block of rooms. Phone

1-210-225-8486. Please specify you are with The Texas Koi and Fancy Goldfish

Society Show to obtain the special rate. Special rate expires September 13th.

LUNCH: Frontier BBQ will be serving lunch and snacks each day.

RAFFLES: You can help keep us our show growing and win some great prizes at

the same time. You need not be present to win, non-present winners will be

notified and be responsible for shipping costs where applicable. All proceeds

go to help defray the cost of the TKFGS show.

General Raffle: $1.00/tickets. Again this year we will hold our general

raffle with drawings every 30 minutes from 10:30 am - 4:30 pm on Saturday and

11:00 am to 1:00 pm on Sunday. We have a large array of items including fish

and pond related products and services as well as non-pond-related prizes. Discounts for buying five or more tickets. If you have a product or service

you would like to place in our raffles please contact Ray.

Special Raffle: $5.00/tickets. We will have our special raffle prize drawings

Sunday afternoon at 1:30pm. You have the option of placing your tickets in

the specific raffle of your choice. You can specify which special prize you want to win. Discounts for purchasing five or more tickets. Special raffle items are valued at more than $100.

AUCTION: We will conduct a special auction of show and pond quality fish

Sunday afternoon at 1:30pm. We are very grateful to all the vendors that are

donating fish for this event. At the time of this printing we have a commitment to donate fish from A's Aquarium, Andrews Koi International, Nishikigoi Yoshida Co. LTD., Rowley Koi Breeding, Tank Hollow Fisheries, Water Garden Gems, and TKFGS members.

SHOW BANQUET: 8:00-10:00 pm Saturday night on the San Antonio river dinner barges. $40 per person (cash bar available/additional). Catered by the famous

Bayou's restaurant. Dinner will include tea or coffee, salad, entree with side dishes, and dessert. This is a very special night on the beautiful San Antonio River. Please do not delay as we always sell out early. Limited to only 72 persons. Make checks payable to TKFGS and send to Ray Jordan, 15514 Elm Park San Antonio, TX 78247.

FISH SAFETY/Tank Reservation: Depending on requests we will have up to forty koi show tanks set up for the show this year. These specially plumbed tanks

use a unique flow through fresh water system supplied by pure well water.

(water is constantly replaced) This system greatly reduces the chance of

ammonia build up and the need to add chemicals to treat the show tank water.

Also, we will have up to forty - 20 gallon aquariums set up for goldfish.

Show Competitors please read the following very carefully! Because of the "English" style show system we need to know how many koi tanks and goldfish aquariums to set up. Please call Ray Jordan with the followinginformation: (1)The number of eight foot koi tanks you want (2) The number of six foot koi tanks you want (3) The number of 20 gallon goldfish aquariums you need. Please use the following system as a guide to determine how many fish can be placed in each tank. Plan on 2-3 small to medium goldfish per aquarium. With larger goldfish plan on 1-2 per aquarium. With Koi use the following formula: Multiply the size class(1-7) of your fish(see registration form) by the number of fish you are showing in that size class. Do this calculation for all your koi. For example if you bring one-size 7 = 7 points and two-size 4 = 8 pts, and 3 size 3 = 9 points. If you brought these six fish to the show they would total 7+8+9 = 24 points. The show guidelines for

tank capacity is 25 points for six foot and 40 points for eight foot tanks.

Since your point total is 24 in this example you would need a single six foot

tank. We have 10-eight foot tanks and 30-six foot tanks for the show. We

recommend that unless you have several size 6 or 7 koi you use the six foot

tanks. This is intended to be a guide only. We do not want to over crowd

anyone's fish. Fee for the tanks will be $80 for a eight foot tank, $50 for a

six ft. tank. Additional tanks will be price. If you are only bringing a few koi and want to share a tank with someone that is fine also. Find your own tank buddy or we will try to find one for you. Goldfish will be $5 per fish.

Once you have determined your tank requirements please call Ray Jordan at

210-494-2034 to reserve your Koi tanks and goldfish aquariums. We would

appreciate your sending your tank payments as soon as possible. Deadline for tank reservations will be Tuesday October 10th. Make checks payable to TKFGS and mail to TKFGS, 15514 Elm Park, San Antonio, TX 78247. This procedure will insure that we have enough tanks set up to handle everyone's fish.

Fish will be monitored routinely for any problems. Show tank water will be tested for ammonia, ph, and dissolved O2 as needed. All koi show tanks will be covered with netting except for the judging. Security will also be provided. A separate quarantine tank will be available to hold any disqualified fish not allowed in the show. THE FOLLOWING AWARDS WILL BE GIVEN FOR GOLDFISH Grand Champion, Reserve Champion, Judges Choice, Goldfish Chairman's Choice,Most Unique, and Goldfish Sweepstakes Award (Accumulated #/type awards) will all receive trophies or plaques. A Special "Best in Variety" gift will be awarded participants for best of each variety. A special certificate will

list all Goldfish awards for each owner including 2nd & 3rd place winners.

THE FOLLOWING AWARDS WILL BE GIVEN FOR KOI

Grand Champion, Reserve Champion, Best Mature(sizes 6&7), Best Young (sizes

3-4-5), Baby Champion(sizes 1-2), Judges Choice, President's Choice, Show

Chairman's Choice, AKCA Award(TKFGS members only),"Bob Spindola" Tategoi

Award (sizes1-2-3), Most Unique, Best in Sizes(1-7) and Best In Class(14), a

Koi Sweepstakes Award (Accumulated of #/type awards), and a "Best Bekko" will

all receive trophies or plaques. A special certificate will list all koi

awards for each owner including 1st & 2nd place winners.

THE FOLLOWING AWARDS WILL BE GIVEN FOR LONG FINNED KOI

Grand Champion, Young Champion, & Baby Champion.

Koi will be shown in seven size classes as follows: Size 1 = <9", Size 2 =

9"-<12",

Size 3 = 12"-<15", size 4 = 15"-<18", Size 5 = 18"-<21", Size 6= 21"-<24",

Size 7 = 24"+. We will have 14 classes for Koi, Kohaku, Sanke, Showa, Utsuri,

Gin Rin A,Gin Rin B, Asagi/Shusui, Tancho, Goromo/Goshiki, Hikari mono, Hikarimoyo, Doitsu A, Doitsi B, and Kawarigoi. Long Finned koi will be judged in one class and in three sizes. Goldfish will be judged in eight varieties,

Dorsal-less, Eye-Growth, Oranda, Pearlscale, Pom Pom, Ryukin, Shubunkin, and Single Fin.

We hope to see you at our show!

* DO NOT FEED your show fish for 4-5 days prior to the show. This is not only

very important to reduce ammonia stress on your fish during transportation and the show itself but also may brighten the whites of your fish.

* OBSERVE your fish very closely the last few days before the show for

flashing or any other sign of problems. (If any doubt about the health of a fish please leave it at home)

* Catch your fish very GENTLY as the very last thing you do before coming to

the show.

* Carefully inspect your fish for injury, illness, or deformity. (check the bottom & mouth of your fish by holding up in a plastic bag) These fish would be disqualified anyway so please leave at home.

* Transport in cool covered containers (large ice chests are ideal) to reduce

stress by maintaining a constant water temperature and darkened environment.

* Ice packs maybe used inside the container but OUTSIDE the fish bags to keep water cooler and fish more relaxed.

* Fish should be double bagged and bags inflated with oxygen and securely

closed with double rubber bands.

* Insure bags & containers are large enough for fish to stay relaxed & unbent.

* Use enough water to COMPLETELY cover (float) your fish.

* DO NOT put small fish in same bag with larger fish.

* For traveling short distances (less than two hours), you can transport fish

in a ice chest or similar container with a lid using a small battery powered

air pump and a air stone.(can be found at fishing tackle stores)

* Orient containers so that fish ride SIDE WAYS to direction of travel.

* DO NOT place containers directly in the sun or near other sources of heat.

* ( i.e., over hot spot caused by exhaust side of trunk)

* Check every so often to be sure fish are relaxed and OK.

* Reduce time of transportation by driving directly to check in. Keep your

plastic bags and rubber bands for the return trip home.

* Pushcarts will be available to move fish boxes from WGG's parking lot to

fish show check in area.

* Water Garden Gems will provide oxygen for the trip back home.

* Watch fish closely for the next week.

Our # 1 priority will be the safety and health of the fish in the show.

Special Events Coming UP