Hi Koi Lovers from Fred  

We all enjoyed the October meeting held at the lakefront home of the Collin’s. Steve and Kay’s hospitality made the drive out to Lake Asbury a memorable Sunday afternoon.

Fall is here and so is our annual Fall Koi Show. We are looking forward with anticipation to this big event for our club on Saturday November l0 in Orange Park. The town hall park is the place to be for all club members who want to see or show their koi. We have expanded our inventory on show tanks and still have tanks available for members and members from surrounding clubs. This show is also great for beginners, since this is only a one-day show and your koi leave home only for a few hours. We have scheduled seminars on filters, plants and butterfly koi. Tina Stodsdill will be running the plant sale and Tina Kaler the hotdog stand. This years judges will be Lester Berkow, head judge, and Steve Childer and Joe White, Candidate judges.

The Awards banquet will be held at the Ramada Inn in Mandarin . All guest and members will meet for cocktails at 6:30 at the cash bar. The banquet will begin at 7:30 . The awards will include over 38 trophies and 72 ribbons. Raffle tickets will be for sale for some fantastic prizes. The price for the banquet will be $22 . Please mail your reservation and payment to Jan Brown. See the reservation form later in the newsletter.

The November meeting will be held at Chris and Mary Robinson’s on November 4 at 2:00 .All Koi entry forms and banquet reservations as well as payments should be turned in to our treasurer. I am looking forward to another great show and banquet. Judging by our past shows this years promises to be another great event for the North Florida Koi Club and its members.

 SECRETARY'S JOURNAL  by Kate Deaton

I was asked to fill in as Secretary at the October meeting. We had 38 members plus some visitors at the meeting. Fred opened the meeting by thanking everyone for coming. He congratulated Todo for bringing in a new full-page ad. He also talked about the auction held at the September meeting, which brought in over $1600.

Fred asked club members to discuss why they do or do not show fish. A lively discussion ensued. Meeting adjourned.

A Quick Course on Koi Quality

By Bill Ridgeway & Brian Baid,  Aquatic Creations, LTD., Ijamsville, Md, (Excerpt from article in Southern Arizona Newsletter)

One of the greatest mysteries to new koi keepers is the issue of koi quality. “What makes one koi more valuable than another?” “Why are higher quality koi more expensive?” These are common questions asked by novices when they see the price tag on the higher-end fish. The ‘mystery’ isn’t nearly as mysterious as you might think.

Koi quality isn’t difficult to understand once you understand the criteria on which it is based. Just like show dogs, cats, and horses, koi must meet certain characteristics for general quality. Koi quality is typically split into three categories: conformation, color, and pattern.

Conformation  High quality begins with the overall shape and condition of the koi, or its conformation. High quality koi should have no defects in body shape. The body must be balanced, symmetrical and torpedo-shaped. The fins should be in proportion to the body and even. Doitsu (partially scaled) koi should have balanced, even rows of scales.

Conformation can make or break a fish. All other features of a koi are worthless if it is missing an eye or a fin. Tumors, old wounds and stray scales can all detract from a normally spectacular koi and lower its overall quality. In shows, it is not uncommon to see a spectacularly colored and patterned fish lose because of its shape. While conformation is important in shows, it doesn’t make a bit of difference in the backyard. Perfect conformation will not always matter to your typical koi hobbyist who has no desire to show their fish. So while one fish might not be perfect for show, the fish may be sufficient quality for the home pond.

Color  The skin tone of koi is also very important to the quality of a koi. The saturation of color, its consistency and how well the colors are separated determine the quality of the color. Without good color, the pattern of the fish is not as appealing and the value of the fish is lessened.

Quality koi should have striking colors. Reds should be opaque without too much orange present. White areas should be silky and free from speckles. Black markings should be dark and defined, as if they were painted with a fine brush. Metallic fish should have good luster (shine). All of the colors should be of consistent saturation throughout the fish.

The edges of the colors should be crisp and not show fading. Colors that bleed together are not desired in most koi. On certain varieties of koi, such as Kohaku, the edges of the red coloration come under high scrutiny by show judges.

Pattern  Koi patterns can vary from simple to complex, multi-layered designs. Whatever the case may be, the pattern should be appealing to the eye and fit within the constraints of the koi variety. Simple is often elegant, so don’t ignore a fish after one look. Study each fish carefully and choose patterns that compliment each other.

The importance of pattern is often over-emphasized. Pattern makes a difference in the quality of the fish only if the color and conformation are of equal quality. Pattern is nothing without proper shape and vivid colors.

But why do quality koi cost more? The answer isn’t always based on market value. Many things influence the cost of koi, but the number one cost still remains in production.

The cost of koi isn’t so much based on the quality, but on the effort and manpower required producing quality koi. Koi don’t roll off an assembly line, koi are notorious for not breeding true. It is for this reason koi must constantly be culled by hand as they grow.

Culling removes the defective or lower quality fish as they grow. Smaller fish are destroyed, while larger fish are typically sold at a lower grad (and cost). Culling sometimes can be drastic, with only 1-2% of the spawn on the average making to sellable quality. When you consider spawns can be 100,000 or more eggs, the manpower required to grow, sort and cull each production cycle is enormous.

Once you understand the basics, you’ll have a good foundation to go on. Always keep your eyes and mind open when you select fish and you’ll never go wrong.