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AIMS
A - Organized by people with the interest of raising and improving the quality of Nishiki Koi, and its culture
B - through Nishiki Koi, promote better international and community relations and for public welfare and the better understanding of brotherhood among members through a common interest.
C - To improve the technology of raising and keeping koi
D - To promote Nishiki Koi
BUSINESS
A - To encourage the raising and better development of koi through public and private exhibition
B - We will have a monthly study discussion and make field trips to various member’s ponds
C - To carry our necessary business functions of the Club
MEMBERSHIP
A - a qualified member must be interested in pond culture
B - Persons wishing to become a member must be first introduced by another member in good standing and have approval of the Officers - Dues are payable immediately
C - Membership will be terminated by the Officers if a member is found guilty of negligence of his duty, is against the purposes of the southern Arizona Koi Association, and/or who disgraces or insults the Club
page 3 20 Disgusting Parts of pond keeping we'd just as soon forget
page 5 Natural & Chemical Algae Control
page 7 10 Reasons
page 8 25th ZnA Southern California Koi Show & 26th Asahi Invitational Koi show
page 8 Valley of the Sun Koi Show
page 9 Koi Facts
page 9 Kawarigoi KornoPage
Page 9 10% Discount
page 10 Fish of the Month
Time sure flies when you are having fun. Fun!! Fun!! Fun!! Did you say Fun! Yes. Work on Ye old Pond is fun. Whether building from scratch or installing a preform pond, should be fun. That is why we are in this hobby to have fun. To learn about Koi, watch plants grow, to watch our dreams take shape before our eyes.
My dream is taking shape. Today the stream bed is in, along with the sump return for the stream bed. The double channel for the two drains, is waiting for the drains. They are expected to arrive about the time you get this newsletter along with an automatic float valve. The skimmer is in place and jets for the shallow end are waiting to be installed.
A few precision cuts with an air chisel and a little clean out dirt work will make the installation of the jets a snap. Then comes repackaging the space where the jets are, this will build out the sides and make the bottom smooth again. The next item to order will be the pumps - at this time one for the pond and one for the stream. Eventually the pond will have two pumps, one for each bottom drain. After the pumps comes the pond liner and then the water. Oh what fun in a short time.
The sun is out in force, so remember when your water starts to warm up feed your fish, they do get hungry. Also, spawning season is just around the corner; so select those fish you want to breed for the perfect koi. Remember you might have the next grand champion
#1. The gunk at the bottom of the filter stinks. It's mucky, it's slimy and it smells like a stagnant pond. But plants love it because it's already pre digested for them and you are likely to have the greenest, healthiest garden in the block when you dump the muck on your garden.
#2. Pea Soup Green water is not very esthetic when you want to show off your fish. All a you can see are shadowy shapes moving through the water and you might as well own all white ogons as that expensive red and white kohaku or nifty brown chagoi if you can't see anything but pea soup murk. But the green water is actually quite healthy for the fish. It offends our sense of esthetics, means we cannot see the disease on the fish early, and creates a great deal of competition with the fish for the dissolved oxygen in the water. However, newly hatched fry thrive in it, it shades the water and keeps it somewhat cooler and it is definitely a deterrent to blue herons. What they can't see they won't get. The hardest bit about pea soup green is waiting long enough for the pond chemistry to balance, the filter to take charge and start breaking down the raw fertilizer the fish and their decomposing food create.
#3 The water in your pond is pond water. You do recall those fascinating biology slides in High School with all the unicelled organisms swimming around and eating each other? Guess what is in your pond water swimming around eating each other. But this is exactly what carp live in. The majority of those organisms eat each other, not the fish, some even provide food for the newly hatched fry or other things that provide food for the fish.
# 4. Nobody has a perfect pond and all the answers. Everyone will give you different answers for the problem you are asking you bout. If your fish are ill you can buy medicated food, make your own, inject them with drugs or dip them ahead of time for immunization. Which should you do? It depends who you talk to. The koi community is probably one of the friendliest groups you will encounter, because although everyone has their own favored filter type, they are willing to share and demonstrate to you why that one is right for their situation, but might be wrong for yours. The answers are out there, as well as a lot of experience, some of which is bound to match yours and have a hard won answer to your problem.
#5. Koi are carp and carp, like puppies, eat what ever they can get in their mouths. Like protective of what gets available to them -- making sure guests and children don't dump their sodas in the pond or throw in copper pennies. But along with eating everything, it also means we can treat them with a varied diet -- the left over watermelon from the picnic, the half a grapefruit from breakfast, a quartered head of cabbage because it is so darn cheap at St. Patrick's day.
#6. The Spawning procedure is a very violent brutal experience. The males almost literally batter the eggs out of the female, leaving bruises on everyone who participates -- which is usually the whole pond. It is literally a dirty thing with the pond full of scum from the milt and the thrashing. Crystal clear water becomes murky with stirred silt. But the experience of finding a fingerling or two in the pond that you know you did not purchase and that turn out pretty nice makes up for the temporary dirty house.
#7. Fish are slimy. Snakes are smooth and dry and slick, but fish are slimy. When you catch them for the show or to medicate them, they are slick slimy wiggly creatures. But that slime coat is part of their protection and design. One of the indications of fish health is the consistency of the slime coat. Adding salt increases the slime coat on our fish and increases the fish's resistance to external parasites.
#8. Serious fish breeding means culling. Culling is sorting through the 250,000 eggs that hatch out of the 500,000 that were laid and fertilized and discarding the baby fish. But as cruel and inhumane as it sounds, culling insures the strength of the baby fish you do keep. You are initially discarding the deformed fish, then the ones with non desired color patterns. You are also ensuring that as those baby fish grow they have adequate space in which to grow and a better chance at the food. A pond that is adequate for twenty large koi quickly becomes inadequate for 100,000 baby koi.
#9. The pond is likely to contain all sorts of strange animal life right along with your fish. Leeches, anchor worms, fish lice, mosquito larvae, you name it. They're the big brothers to those unicelled creatures you looked at under the microscope. But most of those critters provide food for the fish or, if they are not eaten, are easily controlled with a dose of Dimilin before they get out of hand. Snails seem to come out of thin air whether or not you have introduced plants. Dimilin knocks them down as well, although the fish like escargot as well as they like caviar during spawning season.
#10. There are no guarantees in Koi keeping. That beautiful baby fish you bought that was a glorious platinum white and metallic yellow is as likely to fade to a dull white as he is to remain bright and exciting. Take note of the fish in the last KOI USA that was bought as a dynamite red and white kohaku, faded in poor water and was brought back again. But that rather strange little fish is just as likely to change into something really wonderful as it is to change into something ugly. "Tategoi" simply means "a fish with potential." Not "Instant champion, just add food and time."
#11 A properly set up pond will need constant upkeep and attention. But consider just why you put the in your pond in the first place. Attention becomes part of the pleasure of koi keeping. Would that all obligations were as onerous as sifting by the pond feeding the fish and observing them for a while each day, watching for disease and bruises and potential problems. A properly designed pond is like a good car, upkeep can be minimal most of the time with occasional major tune ups and filter changes once or twice a year, depending on the fish load.
#12 Fish die. Usually the one you are the most attached to, paid the most for, or was a special gift from a special friend. But please try and keep some perspective on the fact this is just a fish. An expensive fish, a beloved fish, but not a child. Your fish will not be covered by your HMO (and I've tried. It would be especially nice when it comes to medication) and most likely your vet will give you a polite turn down when you call him. Fish are remarkably hardy healing creatures, healing fins and sores frequently without showing a scar. And sometimes they die for no apparent reason (or from quite apparent raccoons or blue herons). There will never be one quite a special as that one, but please recall that koi, unlike Macaws, usually do not insult us by outliving their owners.
#13. Fish grow. Another unsettling fact for those who have stocked their pond to capacity with 8 inch to 15 inch fish in June and can't figure out why their pond is full of green water the following June after the winter. The more you feed Koi, the better the chances they will grow. Large. But unlike a house with too many children koi do not grow up and move out. You will have them with you forever. You can't abandon them along the side of a country road, you can't release them to fly away, they're your responsibility. Now they've grown and you've been both lucky and skilled enough that none died over the winter. Over crowded ponds are unhealthy for the fish and stunting to growth. Find a friend with a pond. Donate one or two to the meeting raffle. Support the Friends of Koi Auction in August with some "time to move on" fellows.
#14. Koi swim in their toilet. Yucch. But with an adequate filter system that toilet can be flushed and purified hourly or better. How fast does your pump recirculate the water? That toilet water (no pun intended, ladies) is the same stuff that is nourishing the algae on the sides of the pond that provides food.
#15. Algae is invasive. Pea soup algae, hair algae, velvet algae on the side, brown algae, scummy algae, all sorts of algae. A brand new pond will have no algae. Everybody else's has algae. But that algae, as with the pea soup clouding, is good for the fish. Hair algae is the fine stringy stuff floating out like hair in he water, attached to the sides, the filter inlet, the waterfall, everywhere. Koi generally don't get caught in it and it is easy enough to pull off with hands or pool scrubbing brush. The second year my pond was in operation I had a strong growth of the hair algae. I put up shade cloth, allowed the fish to grow (lots) and the next spring the hair algae growth was minimal. The koi ate the little that sprouted. They also snack on the velvety coating that is all over the side of my pond. Another reason I don't worry about them missing a meal as they have plenty of veggies.
#16. It is probably not possible to feed your fish without getting splashed. But a good deal of the pleasure of watching the koi is seeing their enthusiasm over food.
#17. Koi and plants mix with caution. But it can be done and done well. Koi, like pigs, like to root. They are not rooting to munch on your prize water lily roots, but they will break off the new growth and cloud the water with the disturbed soil. If you want to have lilies with your koi fill the top of the lily pot with large rounded river rocks that are too large for your koi to move. And keep your koi population down. Think about a marginal planting area where the fish are isolated from the plants by a barrier or dike of some sort, allowing the water to flow from the pond to the plants, but too shallow for the fish to navigate.
#18. Koi are expensive. Undoubtedly at some point the one fish that catches your eye will be more expensive than your house payment. But with careful shopping and a knowledge of what constitutes a good fish you can find smaller "Tategoi" at a great price and have the pleasure of raising them to that larger size.
#19. No matter how large your pond is constructed, it's never large enough. It is a Koi enthusiast axiom that the minute the pond is finished and filled you want a bigger one, while you're planning the next excavation, You still have this one to enjoy.
#20. Truly disgusting is probably being able to tell your co-workers that you're going to HAVE to go home and talk to the fish, or spend your vacation watching the water lilies bloom. In these lazy summer days could a pond be any more irritating (to others) than that? Talk of relaxing and peaceful.
Very often a combination of the two methods is used. If you are maintaining fish and/or plants, your ultimate goal is natural balance. Every pond is an environment unto itself, but if you understand a few guidelines you will have clear water and controllable filamentous algae.
Chemical control usually means the use of algaecides, a chemical which kills or inhibits all types of algae to a greater or lessor degree. Such chemicals would include products containing simazine, chelated copper, or potassium permanganate. Chelated copper does not harm vascular plants but may stunt hyacinths or plants which gain nutrient directly from the water. Caution must be exercised with these chemicals as overdosing can kill fish. Simazine and copper will inhibit most water plants. All of these chemicals work best as a preventative. A massive die-off of algae creates an ammonia increase and oxygen depletion as the algae starts to decompose. This also can result in dead fish. Use these algaecides before your pond is green. Successive treatments may be necessary.
If your pond has planktonic "pea soup" algae, use water clarifying chemicals to clear your pond without harming fish or plants. Examples of these highly recommended chemicals are Acurel-E, Super Clarifier, AquaRem and Pond Clear powder. Acurel-E, Super Clarifier and AquaRem flocculate the planktonic algae into larger particles which settle to the bottom or collect in the filter. This flocculated material must be removed from the system or it will dissolve and become nutrients which feed a new plankton bloom. The Pond Clear powder will precipitate nutrients in the pond and starve the algae. Both of these products will help achieve a natural balance more quickly.
Natural balance is the goal. Basically, to control algae naturally we must limit sunlight and nutrients. Algae requires sunlight. Shallow ponds (less than 18") can be difficult since the sunlight reaches the bottom so easily. Deep ponds are preferable in well lit gardens. Sheltering your pond from sunlight will make algae growth much easier to control. An overhead structure will provide shade in Koi ponds. Use 70% to 80% shade cloth and cover the entire pond. Water Lilies provide shade in water gardens. Try to achieve 70% plant coverage over surface of pond.
Nutrients are fish waste, ammonia, fish food, decaying algae, dead fish, leaves, debris, and even phosphates or nitrates in tap water. A good rain can leach fertilizer into a pond. All these sources of nutrients need to be removed from the pond or you will have algae problems. The pond must have good circulation throughout the pond to sweep debris to the drains. Excess debris on pond bottom can cause string algae. Ideally, the large particles should be removed before they decay. Use a net or vacuum. Install a settling tank or a good mechanical filter and keep these clean. Swimming pool cartridge filters and rapid sand filters make good mechanical filters but require a large pump. These filters also need extensive cleaning. Use one of the excellent prefab prefilters on the koi market. These are designed for ponds not swimming pools. Debris trapped in a mechanical filter will dissolve and leach into the pond as algae nutrients. Manually stir your rapid sand filter before backwashing.
The dissolved nutrients such as ammonia, nitrate, and phosphate need to be removed biologically. In a water garden, the aquatic plants compete for nutrients and will discourage planktonic pea soup and hair algae. In a koi pond the biological filter provides a large surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow and compete for dissolved nutrients. Biofilters should be as large as possible. The bacteria can take 2-3 months to establish. The bacteria does not grow well when the water temperature drops below 60ºF. Use algaecides or water clarifiers until your biofilter is established. The biofilter will not function properly when clogged with debris. Upflow filters will need to be cleaned down to the bottom screen to loosen clogged material. A blower assembly may assist in backwashing upflow or downflow filters that use gravel. Synthetic filter medias are easier to clean manually. Backwash your biofilter with pond water to remove accumulated organics. The chlorine in tap water will kill the bacteria you are trying to grow. Use Fritz-Zyme #7 to seed biofilter and Fritz-Zyme #450 to remove sludge, help clear green water and dirty filters.
A short smooth growth of algae on the walls of a pond is essential to really establish a nice balance and helps to keep the water clear. The algae and bacteria on the walls of the pond also act as a biofilter. Try to cultivate this growth. Do not scrape the walls of your pond. Use water clarifiers or algaecides when necessary to keep the water clear so sunlight can penetrate and grow this smooth algae. This algae can grow into long filaments if the pond is out of balance with too much sun and waste products. String algae will remove fish waste when the biofilter is not functioning properly. Remove excessive growth by hand and continue following above guidelines. Springtime often causes a pond to be unbalanced. The aquatic plants and microorganisms have been dormant all winter and the warming season allows the algae to flourish. A pond overcrowded with fish will take longer to balance. Although algae control can be frustrating, don't give up! In time you will learn what it takes to keep your own pond in balance.
Note: Rock salt @ 1 pound per 100 gallons can kill stringy algae and aquatic plants. Remove excess algae or aquatic plants before dosing with this level of salt. The decaying vegetation will pollute the pond and reduce oxygen levels. Be careful when adding salt to your pond.
Ultraviolet systems will effectively kill planktonic algae with the proper size unit for your pond. These units are quickly becoming a standard item in conjunction with an adequate filter system. An ultra violet system will speed the balance of the pond significantly.
In summary:
Shade the pond.
Remove particulate matter.
Use water clarifiers or algaecides to promote natural balance.
Cultivate smooth algae growth on pond walls.
Provide adequate biological competition.
Install a ultra violet system to control suspended planktonic algae.
Use rock salt @ 1#/100 gal. in koi ponds only as a prevention for stringy algae.
Do not kill algae with salt as the decay process may harm your koi.
Do not use the dose of salt in a water garden.
Biofilter Requirements (bacteria):
Pump on 24 hours a day.
High oxygen concentration.
Slow flow rate. 1 to 2 gallons /minute/sq. ft surface area
Large biofilter surface area.
One pond volume turnover every 1 to 2 hours through filter.
A good mechanical filter
Ten Reasons why you might want to attend the 1999 AKCA Seminar in Costa Mesa, California. The Seminar will be held June 24 - 27, 1999.
10. It is not a 110 degree's outside.
9. It's on the West Coast, Baby
8. Is it about time you went to one, it is not going to get any 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
25th ZNA So. California Show &
26th Asahi Invitational Show
We had 3 members representing SAKA at these shows Evert Kult, Jack Stone and Paul Baker. The shows were held in Gardena California. Some of the winners that we had at the 26th Asahi Invitational Show were: Jack Stone had one 1st place (Shiro Bekko) and 4 runner-ups, Evert Kult took four 1st places (Bekko, Utsuri, Ogon, and Shusui) and a 2nd place. For 1st place Evert & Jack won a $20 gift certificate for each winner. Wow, that is a nice prize. Also, Paul Baker had fish entered in the 25th ZNA Southern California show and his Kohaku won best of size, 30 inches and over. His Taisho Sanke with a hook on his nose and over 28 inches long took runner-up Grand Champion.
The Valley of the Sun Koi Show was held on March 6 & 7, 1999 in Margaret Hance Park. SAKA was represented by 20 fish and 5 of its members. The Head Judge for the show was Debby Tibbitts. Everybody at the show had no problem with her as the head judge, in fact, by the end of the show, everybody was quite pleased with the selection of fish. Other members that attended and showed fish were Tom Ayers, Rob McLean, Jessica Tibbets & Mike Seamens. Jessica's fish was disqualified because Mom was the head Judge. Jessica had a beautiful Gin Rin Showa, and I am sure she will enter it in the 20th SAKA Koi Show in November. Tom Ayers had 2 Best of Class winners: A Bekko and an Asagi. A great time was had by all. Hope you all got some great buys on fish.
These are answers to commonly asked questions on Koi...
1. Maximum life span is over 200 years in exceptional cases; average life span is more like 25 to 35 years.
2. Maximum length is about 3 feet. Koi will reach 18 inches in 3 to 4 years, depending on the pond size, food, and water conditions.
3. We feed our fish once or twice a day depending on the season. Koi can go for 10 or more days without food without harm. They will eat almost anything but we feed them pellets that are specially made for Koi. These pellets come in different sizes and varieties. Koi can also be fed dried or fresh shrimp, lettuce cooked rice or cooked oats.
4. Some of our fish are imported from Japan by air freight. The rest of our stock are the results of our own breeding operations here in California. Koi are transported in plastic bags with water and oxygen and packed in cardboard boxes.
5. Our ponds are not heated, but the water is constantly aerated and filtered. Our filters are cleaned regularly even though the pond water appears to be clear.
6. Selling price of Koi is determined by size, body shape, color, pattern, and availability.
7 .Koi can withstand a wide range of temperatures, however sudden changes in temperatures are not good for them. Koi can survive under the ice in extreme cold as long as the water does not freeze solid. Koi will not move around or eat much if the pond water is very cold.
8. Some individual fish just inexplicably die, but overall, Koi are remarkably hardy and healthy fish; much more so than goldfish or tropical fish. Chlorine or chloramine in city water an i windblown insecticides are very dangerous to Koi. Smaller Koi have a much higher mortality rate than larger Koi and are more susceptible to diseases and changes in the environment.
9. Koi get along well with goldfish or other tropical fish; as long as the other fish aren't aggressive or small enough to eat.
10. Koi can be kept in aquariums as well as ponds. Aquariums need good filtration and aeration systems. A filter utilizing carbon is recommended for aquariums.
11 .Koi are not live bearers but lay thousands of eggs in a single breeding. Koi must be at least 3 to 4 years old and of sufficient size before they breed. Koi require special water conditions and environment for breeding. The eggs and baby Koi must be separated from the adult Koi or they will more than likely be eaten. The baby Koi hatch in about 3 to 7 days depending on the weather. The survival rate for baby Koi is less than 50%.
12.There are several color varieties of Koi with different names for each variety. Koi with more than one color are unique in that there are no two that look exactly alike.
13.Raising Koi can be a fascinating and relaxing hobby. For the avid Koi enthusiast, there are Koi shows in which Koi compete according to their size and class.
From Pan Intercorp Internet site (www.koi.com)
The Showa, developed in the 1930's, features white and red markings against a jet black base. The sumi (black) is the basis for appreciation of this variety, forming a strong background against which the white and red markings interweave in interesting patterns. Showa that have comparatively more white than black are called Kindai (modern) Showa.
