Hi Koi Lovers from Fred

Hope you and your pets came through the recent storms we have had lately. Our last meeting was held on a rainy Sunday afternoon at the Deatons. The meeting had to be moved indoors at the last minute due to the downpour. Conducting a meeting with 45 members crowded into two separate rooms seemed hard to do but we managed. The participation of the members in discussions and comments were up so I feel that it was a very informative meeting. Thanks to the Deaton’s for having us and to the members who brought all the great tasting dishes. Thanks to Shirley Stone and Terry Carter for their donations for the raffle. Hosting a meeting takes a lot of planning and preparation to accommodate 45 to 50 quests to your home so all others should appreciate the time and effort some club members put forth for the club. The Deaton’s have worked on their pond and yard for the last two months preparing for the pond tour and it really showed as their yard looked beautiful. The pond tour was discussed and despite some negative comments from a few people who think they could do things better, but have never proven it, I feel it was again a success. We had fewer visitors this year, but we noticed all visitors either had a pond or were interested in building one. This is the group of people we like to attract on the tour. We also signed up thirteen new members to the club. Thanks to all volunteers and especially the pond owners who spend much time and money to make the tour possible.

The next meeting will be on July 8 at Andrea & Carl Brewer’s home in Mandarin. The Brewer’s have only been members for a few months and are already volunteering to host a meeting and were on the pond tour. We need more members like the Brewer’s. With the increasing numbers of members attending meetings we run in to the problem of not having enough seating for all. The club has only a limited number of chairs available, which Terry Carter faithfully haul them to every meeting and event, so if you have folding chairs please bring them. We should also bring a side dish to minimize the expense to the host and please help to clean up afterwards, if you can’t cook or just don’t have the time stop at the store and pick up something. I’m looking forward to seeing all of you at the field trip and the next meeting.

SECRETARY'S JOURNAL  by Linda 

The June club meeting was held at the home of Nate & Kate Deaton. We would like to thank them for hosting it. Thirty-seven members and eight visitors were in attendance. Their lovely landscaped yard and ponds were recently featured on the 10^th Annual Pond Tour.

Fred Leib, President, opened the meeting by asking for the Treasurer’s Report. The expenses and profit from the Pond Tour were highlighted. As a result, the club made over $400.00 profit and moreover, many new members were gained. The club has now grown to 117 members. Fred introduced the new members in attendance. Thanks and appreciation were given to all of the helpful volunteers, as well as, the many dedicated club members that worked so hard to prepare their yards and ponds to show for the Pond Tour. There were many great comments about how marvelous the event was from those viewing the two-day tour.

The next order of business was a discussion about the recent inquiry from the AKCA. They recently contacted our club representative, Charlie Gardner, requesting that the club include in it’s membership fee, the magazine subscription of KOI USA. There was a brief discussion that progressed to a club vote. The majority of members present voted against it. New members will be encouraged and/or given subscription cards to make that decision for themselves.

The meeting ended with an informative discussion which focused on some “Do’s and Don’ts for new pond owners. Several club members shared with the group some of their personal experiences; some funny, some tragic, but very valuable, concerning their own pond construction and maintenance.

Crowding Formula to Determine Optimal Loading

Ed: Dovetailing into the discussion the club had at the last meeting on fish loading, here is a related article from Doc Johnson.

1) Measure all fish in inches.

2) Total all the inches up.

3) Multiply that sum by itself. (Essentially, squaring it.)

4) Multiply the product of this by two.

5) Divide the product by 231

6) Multiply that dividend by 10 for a comfortable minimum amount of water needed.

7) Multiply that dividend by 20 for an ideal, growth-comprehensive number.

These derivations are the gallons needed by the fish to feel comfortable with reasonable filtration. This is not a number to use if there is no filtration, or if you are a retailer who will need to crowd the fish to remain profitable. For home care of fish, wherein the hobbyist wants to know how many fish to keep in a pond and expect reasonable health and growth, this is the formula.

Let's work a specific example. A person is just starting out, and they have two dozen (twenty four) small fish of a seven to eight inch length.

1) Sum it = Roughly 180 inches of fish.

2) Square it = 32,400

3) Double it = 64,800

4) Divide by 231 = 280 is the dividend.

5) Multiply dividend by ten = 2,800 gallons is the ideal product.

6) Multiply dividend by twenty = 5,600 gallons is a lofty, luxurious number.

Another person has obtained some gigantic fish, five of them, from Alabama and they are all thirty-six inches in length. The sum of the inches is also 180 and the final minimum analysis yields a 2,800 gallon pond for these five lunkers. Ideally, a 5,600 gallon facility would be provided.

Additional Comments: "I am the worst at crowding my fish. I have paid dearly for it. One way to enhance the carrying capacity of your pond is to have maximal filtration and aeration. Another is to employ a veggie filter and also to do water changes pretty regularly." Doc Johnson WWW.KOIVET.COM

 The Wisdom of Matsunosuke-san By Roland de Aenlle

The Japanese refer to Koi as oyogu hoseki, living jewels. As collectors in the United States have become more familiar with Koi, they have come to appreciate all that this encompasses. Many hopeful hobbyists look through a breeder's ponds searching for that one hoseki (or tategoi) that the breeder overlooked. Good Koi are not accidents. Breeders spend countless hours studying and culling their fish.

Those familiar with the devotion it takes to breed good Koi realize that successful breeders share one thing: they love and are captivated by "the process," They are part of what is called "the Koi cult." This interview was conducted in an effort to share the experience and knowledge of one of the world's leading breeders Sakai Toshiyuki of Yamamatsu Yorijo, known as Matsunoske.

Q: Matsunoske-san, how did you start breeding Koi?
A: Matsunoske is our ancestor's house name. My father was a breeder and I took over his business. His father taught him and I learned from my father. As soon as I was able to think, I too liked the idea of breeding Koi.

Q: I have heard that maintaining the color and quality of Koi over time has much to do with their bloodlines. Is this true?
A: Yes, but good bloodlines are not the only thing. You can have a good fish and put it into a bad pond, and it will deteriorate rapidly. Good water, proper feeding and general environment are very important.

Q: So, providing a growing Matsunosuke nisai (2 year old) or sansai (3 year old) with good water quality helps the fish to reach its maximum show potential?
A: Yes, Water is the most important. My fish start to mature at 4 to 5 years old, but will continue to improve for many years, but only if their living conditions are healthy. When one of the Matsunosuke grand champions was ten years old, it won a championship. For the next five years, the quality of the fish deteriorated because of poor water conditions. After the filtration problem was corrected, the fish once again started to improve and at close to twenty years old, it won the 26th Annual All Japan Show.

Q: What about proper feeding?
A: The fish also need proper feeding. Some collectors see that their fish look hungry and want to feed the fish too much at one time. It is better to feed the fish less but more often. So, genetics and water quality are the two main things that determine how the fish will grow. Koi are just like people, overfeeding them can make them sick or bloated. It's not good for their digestion and tends to make their stomachs short and paunchy.

Q: Would you tell us something about the breeding process?

A: Preparing the oija (breeders) for breeding is difficult. The amount of eggs vary with the health and condition of the fish. Just feeding them more to get more eggs can produce poor quality.

Q: How many fish are good enough to grow out?
A: I sembetsu (cull) my fish four times to eliminate inferior quality. Then I sembetsu my fish four more times during the spring. So, about ten percent of the fry are kept and only ten percent of those are kept to grow out.

Q: Can you tell us something about the mud ponds you grow out the fish in?
A: The quality of the fish has a lot to do with the mud ponds we grow them in. I don't do anything to the water. It's just the land. The quality of the water is given by the land ad my soil here is very good. Even in this area, all do not have good soil and water- part of it is just being in the right place. And it is also important not to overcrowd the fish so that they will continue to grow and not become stunted.

Q: Do you separate the males and females in the mud pond?
A: Yes, so the fish don't spawn too soon. The fry pollute the pond and eat a lot of the food the larger Koi need to consistently grow.

Q: Some have said that the sex of the fish can change. Is this true?
A: Yes, I have experienced this. I have kept 80 cm males that all of a sudden start producing eggs. At first, I thought somebody was playing a joke on me. But then I discovered that the male had turned into a female. I have also kept 80 cm females that have turned into males.

Q: Why is there such a difference between the value of a male and female?
A: Females usually grow bigger and longer, but not all of them do. Some stop growing at 60 cm. Under 60 cm, males don't change confirmation much and their color is usually brighter, so they can win in competition. However, over 60 cm, the females are usually dominant in competition and, therefore have more longevity for showing. I is much more difficult to prevent the males from getting thinner as they get older, but with good filtration, careful feeding and proper environment it is possible.

Q: Some people question how I can know all my fish. How can you, who have so many more, know your fish?
A: I spend countless hours studying not only my fish, but we also study other breeders' fish.

Q: So, then you know your neighbors' fish as well?
A: Yes, One year Jim-san's (of Marusada Yorijo) fish were stolen. Some time later, I was visiting a customer in Tokyo and noticed that among his fish were some of the ones that had been stolen. The police were sent for and the fish were recovered. The police recognize that breeders know not only their own fish, but also other breeders' fish.

Q: What advice can you offer to Americans buying koi?
A: You don't have to clean your pond every day, but you must have a filtration system that is easy to manage and keeps the pond clean. It's not the number of koi you own, its the quality. Take joy in selecting the fish.harmony to the family. I think that this is the most important thing I have to convey to koi collectors.This interview was edited for space. To read the entire interview go to http://www.mykoi.com

Petsmart, the koi Experts

Ed: I couldn't let this story go without sharing:
My pond is two years old now and seems to be in pretty good balance. I've had a bunch of comets thriving for the past year. Last week I decided I would "up the ante" a bit and buy some cheap 5" koi and see how they do. Not wanting to spend much I went to Petsmart. (Boy is THAT a misnomer!). I bought 6 small
koi with the Petsmart guarantee. They say that if one of them were to die within 14 days, all I have to do is bring the dead fish in along with about a cup of water sample and they will replace the fish.
You guessed it. One morning a few days later I discovered a dead koi. I put it in a baggie of water and tucked it in the freezer because I wasn't sure when I'd be able to get back to Petsmart to test their guarantee. Finally today I took the cadaver, frozen in a block of ice, and a jar of water sample in. Here was the exchange I had with a pimple faced sales clerk:
Me: "I'm afraid one of the koi I bought last week died. I brought him in with a water sample like your guarantee says. I don't know what why he died."
Clerk: "Well, he's frozen!" (with lip curling as if to say 'Duh!')
I guess that's the level of diagnosis and insight we can expect when we pay Petsmart prices! Aaaarrrrggghhhh! From recponds newsgroup

Sacred Places by Steve Cannon

Several weeks ago a friend of ours asked if she could bring her “Healing Group” to our house one evening. We were not sure who or what she was referring to, but we said we would be vary happy for them to come. They came last Thursday and we were asked to join their session.

Thanks to all who have shared their Sacred Place with us at meetings or with others on a pond tour. After you read this, I encourage you to go out to your refuge and sit in a comfortable spot all by yourself. Close your eyes for ten minutes and listen to the sounds and smell the fragrances. Spend the next ten minutes looking at all the detail and wonderment in and around your pond. Symbolically place any problem you have been having trouble dealing with in your hand… and release it into your pond water. You will realize just how sacred your pond really is.  Steve Cannon, President KWGCNT from Clear Water Times/ Newsletter of the Koi and Water Garden Club of North Texas tkrwetal@earthlink.net