Thursday March 2^nd, 2000: the 10:00pm weather report possible rain for the weekend. O God Please no!

Friday March 3rd, 2000, the 10:00 p.m. weather report. High of 80 for Saturday. Late in the evening clods with snow in the mountains, rain in the valley. New showers morning in on Sunday. O please, please God no!!

Saturday, March 4th, Beautful day working on Pond 2000. Liner still scheduled for 9:00 am Sunday. Finished some last minute work in banks prior to installation of liner on Sunday.

10:00 p.m. weather forecast for Sunday early am, light rain during the night. The ground in the pond just damp not soaked. Weather fair. Thank you Thank you God.

8:30 am first arrivals to help with the liner.

By 10:30am eleven of us had placed the liner in the pond. All 450 lbs. of EPDM 45 mill thick liner. What a job. Then the bottom drains were attached and guess what. 1^st water! O what a blessed sight. Minicals will never easce thank you god and all who helped make the dream come true. Pond 2000 has water. Can you believe it?? Water! Water! Water! I love it! Love it! Love it! Thanks again to so many for giving me ideas, support, and physical help. I could not have done it without you all Thanks again.

Again with warmer weather coming check your fish often. Better to be safe than sorry. No one wants sick fish.

Your water plants should start growing again as your water gets warmer. Don't forget to fertilizer. Water plants need this too.

Stars by Starlight is taking shape. Still need two more ponds. Please help if you can.

Thanks again to those who have helped me with my pond. That means so much to us.

Bob Panter

SAKA President

Here are a few articles that I though would be good for this time of year. Also, a couple new medications you might want to add to arsenal of medications. All the articles are from Dr. Johnson Web site. Happy Reading.

This is the time of year that we consider our Koi as being "dead asleep" and we do not worry too much about them because water temperatures are so cool that parasites and bacteria are almost as dormant as the fish themselves.

Indeed, this is an important time of year because what you do (or do *not* do now) sets the stage for your springtime season in March, April and May, which traditionally marks the "Disease Season".

There are several considerations for this time of year, which I will address individually.

At this time of year, we should examine the 1water quality, 2the ponds' cleanliness, the concept of 3springtime feeding, 4disease prevention and finally, 5minimizing fish stress during pond start-up.

\Water Quality at this time of year is usually very good. Cold water carries much more oxygen than warmer\ water does. Even with the filters off, oxygen tensions remain high, and very satisfactory for fish. Partially because their metabolism is so slow!

Ammonia can still be a problem in some ponds if the owner is feeding every warm day they get. I saw another pond that was made with a liner which was installed and seamed in two parts, and was positioned

over some Septic tank field lines. The ammonia-rich ground water would well up through the seam in the liner, giving the owner a nice 2ppm Ammonia reading, even in the dead of winter! Ammonia testing is very satisfactory in the winter, if you would only **warm** the water in your hand to at least room temperature

before testing it. You see, the reagents give falsely low readings in cold water.

Nitrites should not be a problem because Nitrosomonas is very sensitive and will be inactive in the wintertime. If you *freeze* these bacteria in a block of ice, they will be killed, but if you merely chill them to near freezing they will remain in a state of suspended animation until conditions return to more suitable

temperatures.pH is never a sure bet unless your pond is concrete lined, in which case it's a sure bet that the pH will be high...<grin>...Still, for those reasons that apply in the summer, periodic checking of the pH will avoid a

"crash" in the pH, which can kill fish.

One other area of water quality for your consideration is the formation of Ice on your pond, which will trap gases and other toxins underneath to the detriment of your fish. It has been said that Ice can be permitted to form for a few days without hazard, and I substantially agree. Folks who have left their traditional backyard ponds covered with ice for weeks have lost entire collections of fish. It's hard to believe that there could be that much gas formation in the dead of winter, but the proof is in the experiences of hundreds of people every winter. They reason that in nature, ponds freeze over. However, do not realize that natural ponds are usually larger, less crowded, and may have inflow of springwater or stream feeds. I urge you to keep a place in the ice clear for gas exchange and observation of the fish.

Cattle water trough heaters (caged heaters) are cheap (about 30-50$) and can keep a patch of ice clear all winter for a small investment in electricity. Air blowers and stones may fail to keep ice from formaing, in the harsh Northeastern climes. I have seen a regular stalagmite of ice form over the air-cap there, and the

benefit is then lost. Do not break the ice with a concussive blow, in the event that you are caught unprepared and you find your pond frozen. The blow to the ice is supposedly transmitted through the water and will shock and possibly deafen your fish, ruining their appreciation of music. I wouldn't worry too much about deafening the fish, this ice-whack-and-shock-phenomona has not been seen in real life recently. Take your time, you have days, even a week to open a hole in the ice. Use a hot teakettle, set directly on the ice. Some folks use coffee heaters, but I wonder if they heater could melt through and fall in?

Pond cleanliness is an important area of fish health and husbandry all year around, but especially in the early spring, or late wintertime. Many ponds feature a Fall's worth of leaves on the bottom, and the water may be murky and dark from the tannins as they are leached from the leaves. Ponds which are filthy, and laden with mulm and dead leaves are a serious threat to springtime fish because of the organic fuel which the dead leaves and detritus provide to pathogenic bacteria and certain parasites. Specific pathogens, including Pseudomonas, and Aeromonas *depend* upon fouled water to attack fish. There are parasites, as well, which cannot flourish without a significant biological load. Epistylis, Scyphidia, Trichophrya, and even Trichodina are all examples of parasites that seem to do better with a thick mulm layer on the ponds' bottom.

The *best* recommendation would be to clean out the pond just as the frosty weather approaches, and then string a leaf net in the Fall to prevent leaves even getting into the pond. If it's too late for your pond, Then my recommendation is that the owner of the pond would clean out the pond sometime before the fish resume feeding. It is not irrational or improper to clean out the pond in mid-January if you get a balmy day. I personally will be cleaning my ponds in late January or early February. I'll scoop the pond bottoms until they are essentially free of particulate debris and leaves, then I will resume limited mechanical filtration to remove micro-fines that would remain suspended in the water. Within two days, the water will be sparkling clear, and the fish will not be any worse for the wear. They will then face a springtime thaw with clean, clear water; and the parasites and pathogenic bacteria will not have any reasonable fuel.

If you are using a submerged media filter full of gravel aggregates, then it is wise to distribute the media ,on the driveway and clean it thoroughly before the start of the year to be sure the filter is *optimally* cleaned before the demands of fish wastes are put upon it in the spring. One common denominator in

years past, when visiting ponds with ulcerating fish, has been an almost universal propensity to face springtime with filthy ponds and filters. This inhibits good filtration which causes high ammonias and nitrites during springtime, and provides fuel for, and a haven for, pathogenic bacteria and parasites.

Regardless of the filter type you have, it should be in a lean, clean fighting condition by the time it's re-started in the spring.

Springtime feeding is another issue of import. It is a temptation on the earliest balmy day to want to feed your fish as they crowd the surface. It would be a wise-soul who knew that there would be no more frost or plunges in temperature after the feeding. It is all too common for a person to load their little bellies (they have no functional stomach it is more accurate to say "proximal small intestine than 'bellies') but they fill their little bellies; and then there's a fatal cold snap which wipes out the fish that ate the most, or *all* of them depending upon how loaded they got. The problem being that the fish are not capable of adequate

digestion in cold water and the food will often turn fetid in the bowel, causing bacteria to cross the lining of the intestine and kill the fish through the bloodstream (sepsis).

My advice is that the fish can survive very well on minimal or no feeding after temperatures dropbelow fifty-five in the Fall; and until water temperatures are above 50 to 55 degrees in the Spring, and really, until you are absolutely certain that frost is past. In the Southeastern United States, March 16th would be considered a good re-start date although we have been surprised by deep snow in the past.

A good food to re-start on would be Cheerios or Wheat Germ based diets. Even the pulpy and nutritively-transparent green *etra brand floating stick could be considered safe. Feed sparingly and be sure to notice the weather forecast. A good diet for the year would be the Misty Mountain Diet. This

precision diet is awesome, one which I helped fine tune and advised on for it's latest formulation.

As I mentioned before, in wintertime, the best time to *stop* feeding is when temperatures in the water drop below fifty five. An excellent diet to end the year with, or even better; to begin the year with, would be the medicated feeds containing either Romet (ormetoprim Sulfa) or Terramycin (Oxytetracycline) or even the proprietary foods from some retailers containing Oxolinic Acid. Starting and ending the season with

these feeds has the benefit of ensuring that the fish neither sleep, nor emerge from sleep with bacterial infections. See note at end of article.

A discussion of disease prevention in the Fall and winter would not be complete without a discussion of\ Costia. This parasite is the NUMBER ONE fish killer in Fall and Winter because it can thrive in *very* cold water. Costia or Ichthyobodo necatrix, is a ciliated protozooan parasite of freshwater fish that also has the capability to kill fish in great numbers, and in no short time-span. The only good fortune in this is that it perishes readily when salted. Costia may be attached, or freeswimming. Attached Costia look like little commas stuck into the skin (or gill) by the thin end. Freeswimming Costia are graceless wobbly swimmers

that look like commas or almost like half open Conch shells. They are extremely small and are hard to photograph for that reason.

Costia clears easily with salt, and this infection should be suspected when alot of fish are dying, fins may be reddened, and it appears that the fish cannot breathe very well. Spiderweb lesions in rapidly dying fish are also characteristic as well as excess mucus. This parasite is the NUMBER ONE fish killer in Fall and Winter because it can thrive in *very* cold water.

4Parasite control in the Spring and fall can be intercepted with routine use of Salt. I recommend that salt be applied as you quit feeding in the Fall; and, if it's removed by winter water changes or additions, then you would also re-apply the salt to 0.3% in the Springtime as you resume feeding. I do not recommend using salt all year round, as resistance has been shown in Flukes and Trichodina. To apply the Salt: Remove submerged plants. Perform a fifty percent waterchange, and clean the pond as well as reasonably possible without causing undue delay in treatment. Apply non iodized table salt for larger systems, dosing one pound per hundred gallons of water every 12 hours for three treatments (3 pounds per hundred gallons). As a side note, you would add the salt all at once in the case of epidemic mortality.

Others who value their live plants, or who prefer a simpler regimen will use several treatments of Potassium permanganate followed by substantial (30-40%) waterchanges. They get the antibacterial, antifungal and antiparasitic effects, as well as the benefit of oxidation of organic debris which is then removed by both filter, and waterchanges. Potassium permanganate is very safe in colder water as dissolved oxygen is universally high, but in case of trouble, where the fish may be labouring at the surface, you should always bear in mind that Potassium can be instantly neutralized by Dechlorinator.

5Minimizing stress during the emergence. Emergence in the spring will be ideal if: The pond is quite clean, the filter is running as soon as the last hard freeze is past you, and if the fish are in gin clear water and can emerge without parasites. By putting the fish to sleep in the Fall with a clean pond, there will be little to do in the spring to ensure cleanliness in the pond.

Starting the filter in a cleaned condition is also safe for the fish and an excellent way to bring the fish up from winter without complication. Starting the filter with all of last Summer's filth still inside is a recipe for Aeromonas Ulcers!

Gin clear water is temporarily achieved by a partial water change. Hardening the water with Calci carbonate (powdered or crushed Oyster shell) will *also* clarify the water. Use a pound of powdered oyster shell per thousand gallons deposited in the filter media unless the water is already Hard, e.g. 120+ ppm Hardness).

Controlling parasites is as easy as re-salting as the fish are just starting to eat. I will be salting my outdoor stocks of fish in March, probably around the first week in March. Salt instructions are given earlier in this article.

There's one more recommendation about Springtime startup that bears note. I *do* strenuously recommend feeding an antibiotic to valuable fish in the springtime. The first food upon emergence could be Romet®, or similar feed. Your local livestock or agricultural feed store (see yellow pages) should be able to order the antibiotic-enriched catfish chow for you. Feed this for two weeks or more in the Springtime for an Ulcer-free springtime. Do not, however; feed the food all year round. Catfish chows are for short term use, even in Catfish! And they eventually cause fatty liver syndrome in Koi.

If the points of my article are clear, then we will see fish going into Fall in the following manner:

1. Salted to 0.3%

3. No leaf litter or mulm in pond.

4. Clean filter.

And we will see fish emerging in Springtime to ponds that feature:

1. Salt to 0.3%

2. Resume feeding after last frost

This article is taken verbatim from the book. Please do not reproduce it without credit directlyto the full title "Koi Health and Disease" and the author and the web page, Dr Erik Johnson and http://www.koivet.com respectively. Thank you. Check out the Book.

Melafix is a patented 1% mixture of CAS Melaleuca (Tea Tree Oil) which is used to enhance healing in fish.

Melafix is promoted to have antibacterial properties but our research has shown this is not the case. We treated an inhabited system for five consecutive days and then ran CFU (colony forming unit) tests on the water and found a typical population of Aeromonas hydrophila/caviae, and Citrobacter freundii, as well as Serratia spp.

Melafix is promoted NOT to damage the function of the biological filter and this was verified. MelaFix has no effect on filtration. We treated a cycled inhabited system and checked daily or derangements in nitrogen reduction and found none during our application period.

MelaFix has no effect on pH. We verified this daily along with other tests of water quality, and everything remained in the ideal ranges.

We have treated numerous species of fish in Atlanta and have found MelaFIx to be nontoxic to all

species, including freshwater sting rays.

At left, you can see a Koi with a severe body sore. There were two of these fish and they were submitted for biopsy, which was negative for parasites. The fish were housed in frigid conditions,

trpical of New York this time of year (January 2000) - When we brought the fish inside, we did not want them to recover simply due to heating. So we applied no treatments except heat.

At room temperature without additional treatment, the fish continued to disintegrate and one of the pair was lost. It was apparent to us that the fish were not going to recover simply with warmth, without intervention. Enter, MelaFix.

We treated daily, using NO OTHER ADJUVANTS or other therapies. The wound was never dressed topically and the fish was never injected. No water changes were done. No SALT was

applied or present in test tank water. Within three days, healing was impressive.

Here we see the same fish at the two week mark. Without any intervention except regular strength MelaFix applied daily and without water changes, we have almost complete healing. The fish is not

currently receving any more MelaFix.

So far we have established:

MelaFix does not harm the filter

MelaFix does not impact the pH MelaFix is NOT bactericidal as claimed.

MelaFix (1% Melaleuca) ENHANCES AND SPEEDS HEALING MelaFix is the most impressive water borne treatment for superficial wounds and bacterial sores I have ever seen. MelaFix is non toxic to all freshwater species tested. MelaFix may obviate the need for injections in superficially infected fish. I will probably add the recommendation of MelaFix to all my cases where a water treatment is practicable and where healing is urgently needed.

Consider MelaFix most favorably in the following conditions:

Many fish are infected and injection is impractical Fish are in small enough bodies of water to be treated economically Fish have wounds which are lmited to the body, mouth and fins, without systemic or septic signs. Recently handled fish at retail Fish whose ulcers are "almost healed" but stubbornly will not go away Fish with breeding abrasions Small species of fish which would not survive or tolerate injection.

My thanks to Aquarium Pharmaceuticals for a 1% and a 5% solutions for testing purposes. Thank you for providing quantities sufficient for replications in at least ten different situations and cases. More results will be posted here as they are received. If you have cases which you would like me to know about, please send me a fax at (770) 973 0301

~Doc Johnson

http://www.koivet.com/lymnozyme/tomholder.htm

Lymnozyme is a biological formula of naturally occurring bacteria, enzymes and micro nutrients. When Lymnozyme is introduced into pond water that is infected with Aeromonas, Pseudomonas

or any gram negative or gram positive bacteria, the bacteria and enzymes in Lymnozyme competes with these pathogens for the nutrients in the pond water. These nutrients in are primarily a nitrogen based nutrient form fish waste. Lymnozyme will consume these nutrients and thus starve Aeromonas and Psuedomonas. The bacteria counts (CFU's) of thes pathogens will then be reduced to such a low level that they will not have an affect on our fish.

The product was developed for the Aquaculture Industry in early 1997 by Keeton Industries. Keeton Industries, knowing this product was to be used in ponds and tanks containing "food fish",

ruled out using any chemicals when developing the product. When used as directed, Lymnozyme will reduce the bacterial count of Aeromonas, Pseudomonas or pathogens to such low levels that they will not be a threat to the health of our fish

It is impossible to completely remove the Aeromonas and Pseudomonas bacteria from the pond water, but Lymnozyme, when used on a regular weekly basis, will keep the Aeromonas,

Pseudomonas and other pathogens levels so low, they will not affect the fish.

Tel: (714) 379-1623

Fax: (714) 379-1623

Fish can survive. cold temperatures, as evidenced by Comet Goldfish and Koi living through winters under six inches of ice, so why, then, does a drop in temperature that does not even freeze the water result in mortality?

Simple: The survival of fish under ice is dependent upon a gradual change to these colder water temperatures. While temperatures are dropping, the fish is beginning to produce small quantities Of life-giving cold water enzymes. These enzymes provide vital energy and support for cold water activity, including respiration, and cardiac function. As the water gets colder and colder, fewer and fewer warm water enzymes are made, arid more and more of the cold water enzymes are produced. Finally, the, fish is adapted to cold waters. Indeed, if thrust into warm water them, the fish would perish as its enzyme systems degraded in the heat of the warmer system, If the animal is chilled twenty or more degrees too quickly, no cold water iso-enzymes exist to provide energy for respiratory and cardiac function, and so these systems fail. Fish that are in cold-shock are lateral, lifeless, eyes are fixed and pupils are, constricted. The body becomes stiff, and the respirations are fewer than one per minute. This fish can only be saved by the administration of warmed (room temp to 80 decrees) Dexamethasone, and placement in a cooler or vat in the original Gold pond water, but the application of an aquarium heater will gradually raise temperatures. A temperature of 50 decrees should be sought as soon as possible,, with slower climbs in temperature being made. over the next day or so. Other cold water health problems include the cellular death of the epithelium making up the fin-tips, invasion of damaged intestinal linings by Aeromonas and other bacterium, and also certain psychrophilic bacteria may find chilled specimens an easy target. There, is some wisdom in employing a heating system, but be sure to support, the temperature over 62 degrees. or better to let it fall to 35 degrees. By holding the temperature in the, low fifties, it is possible to allow parasites to flourish while the immune System of the Koi silently sleeping.

The Valley of the Sun Koi Club 3^rd annual Koi Show in conjunction with the City of Phoenix’s Matsuri, a big success. They had over 140 fish enter in the show. The Southern Arizona Koi Association had a great repensentation at this show. The following people entered the Valley of the Sun Koi Show: Tom Ayers, Debby Tibbetts. Jessica Tibbietts, Rob McLean, Brent Vankoevering & Melisa Freiborg, Trevor Coleman and Steve Childers.

They had two team of judges. The judges were

SAKA had a bunch of winners. So here we go.

Contact:

Cheryl Briggs (417) 862-0176 or

Linda Siler (417) 883-2399

A) Ozark Fisheries in Stoutland Missouri. 300 acres devoted to the production of Koi, Fancy Goldfish and Common Goldfish.

B) Site-seeing tour. Precious Moments Chapel and Art Gallery.

C)Vendors Booths open at 1:00 PM

Speakers Line Up

Helen Nash - How to Construct a Pond to Keep Water Plants

Paula Biles - Water Plants, repotting and dividing

Granville Watson - Manufactured Bacteria - do they really work

Ben Chu - Designing a Japanese Garden

Dr Erik Johnson - Medications and their Treatments

Jeff Spillars - How to maintain Water Quality and Correct if necessary

Ray Abel - How to select Koi from Infancy to Maturity

Bob Bon Girorno - Biological Filtration

Dr Conrad Kleinholtz - Which System is Best for You.

Joe Cuny - How to Properly Set up a Koi Pond ad Establish Water Quality

Rob Hildreth - Working with a Microscope in Treating Parasites

Dr Bill Sadler - Koi Nutrition: How to read the labels.

Dr Eric Johnson - How to set up a Quarantine Tank and Maintain it.

Pond Tour - 6 special ponds. Buses will leave the hotel at 8AM and return by 2PM.

Take some extra time to tour beautiful Springfield

Ten Reasons why you might want to attend the 2000 AKCA Seminar Springfield, Missouri. The Seminar will be held June 28 — July 2, 2000.

10. It is not a 110 degree's outside.

9. It's in the Midwest, Baby

8. Is it about time you went to one, it is not going to get much closer unless we host it.

7. Showa's, Kuhaku's, Snake's, Bekko's, Utsuri's, Tancho's, Asagi's, Shusui, Gin Rin's, Kawarimono's and many more. Do I need to say more?

6. Where else can you go for a weekend and talk koi all weekend and people won’t think your a Showa?

5. They even take VISA or MasterCard

4. Lot's of free stuff (at least a suitcase full or more

3. It is a lot cheaper if you pay for it by May 20th.

2. Where else can you see over sixty Vendors to give you an idea how to take money out of your pocket. (Fish, filters, new pond, etc.)

1. You will be able to meet and renew old friendships with people that are as or more Koi Koichi than you

President

Vice President

Secretary

Treasurer

Newsletter Editor

Tom Ayers

AKCA Representative

Debbie Tibbetts

Membership Director

Mike Siemens

Raffle Chairperson

2000 Show Chairperson

2000 Pond Tour Chairperson

Brent Vankoevering

MARCH SAKA MEETING

@ Winton & Faye Hall's

6775 North Los Arboles Circle

March 26, 2000

Lone Star ZNA Show

Houston Marriott Westside

Houston Texas

April 1 & 2, 2000

19^th Annual AKCA Seminar

Springfield, MO

June 28 - July 2, 2000

See Koi Scholarship Application on the back of the Cover.

I you would like to earn a scholarship to the 19^th Annual AKCA Seminar to help defray some of the expenses of the conference please fill it out and send it to Bob Panter as soon as possible. Application due April 15, 2000.

Joe Bermudez had a stroke in early February. He is doing much better. In fact he would like to get back up and go to work. His current job is therapy. He is making great progress and is able to walk and talk to you. Hope he will a have a 100% recovery and start see you and Delphina again at the meetings again real soon. For more up to date information contact Joe & Delphina Bermudez. See you soon.

If you haven’t send your check to:

_______ Renewal

_______ New Member

Name: _____________________________

Address: ___________________________

City: __________________________ State: ________

Zip:_______________________________

Phone #: ___________________________

Today’s Date: _______________________

# of Koi ___________________________

Years Keeping Koi: __________________

Pond size: __________________________

Mail to:

10. Learn to call your fish by their Japanese name.

9. Discover how to build a good pond the first time.

8. What do koi really eat??

7. 10% discount at participating merchants

6. Learn how to nurse sick koi back to health.

5. Fellowship & Friendship with other koi hobbyists.

4. One can learn a lot from experienced koi keepers.

3. Monthly education meetings @ members’ homes ( out their ponds)

2. Show your Beautiful Nishikigoi (Koi)

#1 reason

Over 100 years combined koi keeping experience to draw upon to help members solve problems.

 Annual Pond Tour & Koi Show to share our hobby with the community.

An accepting, warm environment in which we all further our understanding of koi and keeping koi