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July 2000 Selected Articles |
President's Corner - President |
Office of Sec. - Anne |
Caught In The Net by Todo |
| Shipping 101 by Robert Rice | Should you Marry a non-ponder |
I hope everyone has had smooth transitions with their ponds, temperatures have jumped in a hurry! Remember as we begin to get a lot of afternoon storms it’s a good time to keep a check on P.H. Levels, heavy rains can throw them off. Adding nylon stocking filled with oyster shell can help to buffer your pH against sudden changes.
Once again we have made it through another Annual Pond Tour, despite blistering temperatures we had a good attendance. The Tour brought in an excess of $1,000.00 not counting revenue from new memberships and the chances sold on the pond kit. Congratulations to Mary Ann and Mackenzie Devery who won the drawing for the pond. I'd like to Thank Fred & Teresa Leib for hosting the after pond tour picnic and meeting, as always they did a fine job and I appreciate them opening their home to us. Attendance for the meeting was not bad considering some rather heavy afternoon showers. For those who were not able to attend, you missed a very interesting presentation given by Jim Roberts on giving injections to Koi. Pat Rutherford also shared some information he found that hides exposed liners with a new product called Rock on a Roll. If you would like information I'm sure that Jim or Pat would be more than happy to talk with you about any questions you might have on either presentation.
Our attention will now focus on the Fall Show. We are already starting to receive some inquiries about the November 4 event. We will need volunteers to help on various committees before, during and after the show. Arrangements have been made compliments of Shirley Stone, to secure Town Hall Park in Orange Park for the show again this year. Those who attended the show last year know what a great location this is for the show.
I look forward to seeing everyone at the July Meeting. Charlie Gardner
Office of the Secretary by: Anne
Everyone who attended the picnic at Fred and Teresa Leib’s appeared to have a great time, and many came in spite of the downpour of much needed rain.
There was a special drawing for the members who either showed their ponds or volunteered to help; Terry Carter had the winning number and received a Japanese Lantern.
Pat Rutherford brought a new product he found, "Rock on a Roll" from
www.prettyponds.com.This is a stone/sand covered rubber material 2’ x6’ made to cover pond edges, waterfalls, etc. for a more natural look. If you are interested in this product and don’t have access to the Internet; give me a call and I will try to get more information for you.
Jim Roberts gave a talk on how to anesthetize and inject our sick Koi. He showed the injection sites and how to infuse the anesthesia in to the water. Also covered were the different types and doses of medication to use-all from Doc Johnson’s book. He emphasized the importance of the time needed for recovery, and the special treatment conditions. Where to obtain the syringes, needles and medications were explained.
We had 38 members attend the meeting, as well as several guests.
Koi Chat with SandeeTodo & Sandee Todorsky have been members of NFKC since the pond tour of 1994. They already had their first pond. It was about 800 gallons, kidney shaped, with a lot of plants and no filtration system. They liked the natural look, but they had problems keeping fish alive. On the pond tour they learned about koi & the need for a filtration system as well as how to put one together inexpensively.
A small bucket filter followed the pond tour. Then the pond grew to 2000 gallons with more water movement and more filtration. The first pond was kidney shaped with sloped sides and a shallow end. The second pond was deeper with straight sides. Both had a deck that extended out over part of the water which provided a shady place for the fish to hide.
But before the second pond was two years old, it was becoming too small. A fry pond was put in next to the main pond, a 650 in ground pond for spawning and then growing out fry. The main pond was expanded to 6500 gal. dug out with the help of a few friends with shovels. It is 16' x 18' x 3'. It still has a deck that goes out over the water. And it now has a pergola that has been completely overgrown with vining plants.
Three of the fish currently in the main pond are from the original group that was purchased the first year. As it turns out, all 3 are female. And they will have a home as long as Todo & Sandee can manage to keep up a pond.
As for an interesting fish story, there are many. But it was Todo who decided they needed a pond and set about putting it in the yard and getting the first fish. But by the next spring, Sandee was hooked and was fascinated with the babies whom they first assumed were mosquito or some other kind of larvae until they started to swim and take on color. The second spring started the breeding program. Sandee got so involved that she finally got a license and became a fish breeder. It’s something that Todo & Sandee have worked on together. It has been a good learning experience, and choosing fish to breed for certain characteristics has been fascinating. But this will be the last year for that. The Todorsky’s are going back to being just hobbyists and club members.
Advice for new koi keepers: quarantine your fish to prevent as much loss as possible; maintain a good filter system; and enjoy your fish. They have personalities just like any other pets.
Caught In The Net ByTodo
Many of us feed our fish interesting stuff. Here is a thread I found on rec.ponds the other day:
Someone on this forum mentioned oranges, peas, grapefruit, etc.
for koi. I got my boys and girls an orange, tossed some sections in and they grabbed them
and took off like dogs with bones. It was too funny. How often can they, or should they,
have this kind of treat? Or is a necessity and not a treat. Can they have peas, oranges,
etc., all in one day? I appreciate any info you can give me on keeping these guys happy
and healthy!
Hi, I also feed my fish banana,lettuce, spinach,and am going to try swiss chard tomorrow,
I usually do this only twice a week as I am not sure either as to how often, a good
question,. I will keep posted to find out as well . (Ed. I like iceburg lettice, just toss
out the whole head and they have a fine time tearing it apart.)
Slice a watermelon in half lengthwise and throw it in. Pretty soon you will see the melon
scooting around the pond. ( Ed. This is my personal favorite special food. They not only
eat the soft inner flesh. Over a few days they eat the rind and the thin shell left over.
In short, they eat the whole thing.)
Overripe cantalope (finely diced) or banana are favorite treats.
My Goldfish are in the middle of their annual Mulberry feast. Ones that fall in
the pond from the overhanging branch are eaten immediately. Ones that are swept into pond
from walk get eaten too. I don't know where they put them all since fish don't seem to
have hollow legs.
Should you marry a non-ponder?
There are many weddings, going on even as you read this, where this important question has not even been considered. Now I know that the idea of it is definitely shocking, but those things do happen in the real world so we have to consider it. In fact, I have been married to my first wife, a non-ponder for over 30 years, but I think if something happened to her, I would only look at ponder women for a prospective second wife.
My wife is in good health so don't think I am too serious about this second wife business, but one does have to think ahead. So how would I go about picking this pond woman? Since I have only been married once, I don't have a lot of experience to call on, but here is what I would do. First I would request a picture! No, no, not of her, but of her pond!
Maybe I would post something to one of those lonely heart clubs that read something like this, "Lonely 50-ish widower, wanting woman for serious pond relationship. Must have at least three years of pond experience and be able to clean filters, treat sick fish, raise water lilies, lift at least 50 pounds, and chase frogs. Age, race, religion, and beauty are not important, but husky women will receive higher consideration. Please send large picture of pond." Now that ought to get a few good responses.
Now why would I want to only marry a ponder woman? Well, non-ponders just don't understand why another pond or a larger pond is really necessary. They also complain about the costs of things, such as spending $60 on a lotus, $150 on a good quality pump, or $200 on a prize koi. Now how can you honestly put a value on such an important thing as ponding? Now I know some of you are between marriages, or at least thinking about it, or maybe like me, just speculating, so what do you think, should you marry a Non-ponder?
Ed Haris (via, Internet Ponder May/June 1999)
eddmg@prodigy.net <mailto:eddmg@prodigy.net>
President's Corner - President |
Office of Sec. - Anne |
Caught In The Net by Todo |
| Shipping 101 by Robert Rice | Should you Marry a non-ponder |