November 1999 Selected Articles

HI KOI LOVERS,

The North Florida Koi Club’s 13th show is just around the corner. 18 members of the NFKC and hopefully some members from the neighboring clubs will show off their fine examples of koi on November 13th. This year’s event has already generated a lot of interest from other clubs and vendors. It is also the first open show the NFKC has hosted, which means that club members from the surrounding clubs can enter their koi as well. This will add some competition and spark to the show . Our good friend Joe White agreed again to take care of our water quality, after our newsletter said he would, before he was asked. Sorry Joe.

We’re planing to have four fish vendors and six retailers selling pond related items. Plus a hot dog stand, koi club store, raffle and welcome tables.

During the show we will have a few interesting presentations by club members. Immediately after the judging we will announce the top winners . Trophies for the first places as well as the top winner will be awarded at the banquet .

This event will be at the Best Western in Orange Park. A cash bar will open at 6:30, followed by the banquet and award ceremony at 7:00 pm. During the evening we have a super raffle planned. With the great support from various vendors, we were able to put this raffle together. Some door prices will also be given out.

Our show and banquet promises to be again a great event and nobody should miss this day if at all possible. After all this is the North Florida Koi Club’s biggest event of the year and you get a chance to see some beautiful koi. If you listen to judges during the show this is also a good learning experience. We get to see and appreciate the difference between a good quality , a better quality and a great quality koi. That is, if any one brings one that is great. Please try to attend this show, even if you don’t plan on showing your koi. Support the club.

The next meeting will be on the first Sunday of the month. Pat and Joanne Rutherford graciously offered to host the November meeting at their home in Orange Park. The date is Nov.7th at 2:00pm. See you all there.FRED a

Office of the Secretary

Meeting Attendance: 54

Time is rapidly approaching for the Fall Fish Show and Banquet. Be sure to reserve your seating soon, Kate will need to advise the Best Western of the number of members attending.

We discussed some do’s and don’ts for showing, above all remember the size of the show tanks and plan accordingly on the fish that you wish to bring so that you do not overload your tank.

You should isolate the fish that you plan to show if possible, this will make it easier to catch them for transport to the show. You should stop feeding your fish 3 to 5 days prior to the show, this will cut down on the amount of waste produced during the show, and this is helpful to the fish and the water quality folks during a stressful time. Remember to clean and bring your net.

Fish should arrive at the show by 8:00am on Saturday morning so that they can be categorized and placed in the tank. Late arrivals could be excluded from the judging process. Judging will begin at 9:00 am.

Should you have any questions please feel free to contact any of the board members. a

My Other Club  By Rod Lawton

Your probably looking at that title and wondering, What is he talking about? Is he bragging because he joined MAKC or that other club ZNA? Oh, I know, he went and joined the Atlanta Koi Club while he was at the show.@ The answer to all this is no, well, no to joining the Atlanta Koi Club, I did join the MAKC and ZNA, but you already knew that. No, the club I'm talking about has no dues and knows no boundaries. It has no screening process for prospective members and is subject to holding a meeting at anytime and any place. Figured it out yet? O.k., here is the scoop on the biggest Koi Club in the world. It's (for lack of a better name) the Internet Koi Club. IF you have a computer, there is a whole world of information, friendship, camaraderie and most important to a Koi keeper, help at the touch of a few keystrokes. This is my latest new club, but let me emphasis that it is not my main club. Each type of club has its purpose and NFKC still remains my true club. And on that note let me add that there is nothing wrong with being a member of several clubs (yes I'll use the phrase, I'm Koi Kichi and just can't get enough). This new club has members from the same walks of life as our club with doctors, lawyers, retirees, rich members and not so rich members, members with Koi costing thousands of dollars and some costing under five dollars. The only difference in the internet club and NFKC is location of its members and usually not being able to see them or hear their voices, but that is rapidly changing also. Ever hear of Voice Chat or Web Cam? It just keeps getting better for us Koi keepers Such was the case for me when the Atlanta Koi Show became the Internet Koi Club meeting for 99.

When I first made plans for the Atlanta show, I was only remotely aware of most of the people I eventually spent the weekend with. The exception being my friends Mike and Nanette Singleton with whom my wife and I had made plans last year to go to Atlanta with. Some who know me well might portray me as a Doc Johnson fan club president and they wouldn't be far from wrong and this is really where the story begins. I have read and stayed in the shadows of the Koivet.com message board since I bought Doc Johnson's (book the same year I joined NFKC). This board was established to help those in need of help for sick koi. It is also a place to ask and receive and just discuss koi and pond keeping questions in general. As time passed I got a little more brave and started posting questionings and then answering some. The result of all this was e-mails with faceless names and soon to friends, chats on Koi Vet=s Sunday night chat board, some actual voice contact thanks to Yahoo Voice Chat and then the frosting on the cake. Someone said who all is going to Atlanta for the show? Some of those same names I had been interneting it with, started replying that they were going and by the time we hyped ourselves up about the possibilities, we had several others jumping on the band wagon. As agreed, we all met at the show. It seemed like everyone had a little surprise for each other. If I told you details about one my internet friends, you would think I was describing my wife Bonnie. I think these two women were made from the same mold. Here's where it really gets spooky, they have the same first name, middle initials and names in part, had the same last maiden name initials, and the list just goes on. We had so much in common and had such a good time together that I'm sure a long lasting , close friendship has been established. My and Mike's surprise was being able to go to dinner, not once but two nights, with Dr. Eric Johnson and as if that wasn't enough all my internet friends were there too! These friends were from Florida, Michigan, California, Texas, Pennsylvania, New York, and then I made some more friends form North Carolina, Florida, Oklahoma and so on.. We were finally able to put some faces to those internet handles and E-mail addresses. I don't think a person in that internet group went away disappointed with the faces and true personalities that came with the faces they now associate with a name or handle. Yes the internet can be very deceiving and what you read in print may be totally opposite from reality, but not this time. I am proud to call all of these people my friends and as a result I am sure we will be meeting at many more shows and enjoying each others company for many years to come. I saw some friends from a little closer to home also, our own club members, Tina and Gene Stogsdill (who I saw carrying out 3 very pretty fish to add to their pond) and I spoke to Jim Schultz a couple of times in the main tent. If you think I was overwhelmed by all this you are correct and I would like apologize to Gene, Tina and Jim for not having spent more time with them and some of my friends in the Atlanta Club also. Heck, I even bought 2 tickets to the banquet and never went, opting instead to dine with Doc and several of the vendors and seminar speakers.

Could I have had more fun? Yes, I could have, but because of an illness in the family I didn't show any fish as planned, lived with a cell phone in my hand for two days and cut the trip short by one day. I was very thankful to even be able to come to the show. In the end all has worked out well for me and the wonderful heart surgeons at Munroe Regional Medical Center in Ocala have made it possible for me to enjoy the life of my step father for what I hope will be many more years. I know you were all expecting a report on the show itself, but when I tell you that between my two cameras I only took about 20 pictures, I think you can see where my mind was. I will say that as usual Atlanta put on a great show and what I saw of the Japan Fest was exciting. Frank and Gaye Comtois can be proud of a job well done. I know your looking for some humor, so I'll part with this, I left Atlanta feeling a little like a mountain goat and at times wish I had one leg shorter than the other or at least still had my sea legs. Looking at fish with a one foot water drop from one side of the tank to the other was a real challenge. I almost became a the sole entrant in the whale category for tank #12. What's next? The NFKC show of course and then it's on to AFKAPS. Are you ready? Got a friend you can bring? I know some I'm going to ask to come.

BARLEY STRAW

This item came to us by Mike Dresner, who said he is sick and tired of not seeing his fish.

BARLEY STRAW BUNDLES are inexpensive and healthier for your fish and plants than chemicals. Barley straw has been used for centuries in Europe to control unwanted algae in lakes, ponds and home water gardens. It has been proven environmentally safe and is an inexpensive way to control algae.

TYPE OF STRAW TO USE: Barley straw is more effective and works for longer periods than wheat or other straws. The variety of barley straw does not seem to have any effect on the performance. Hay should never be used as it increases algae growth and it decomposes very rapidly which may cause a deoxygenation of the water. Barley straw will not kill existing algae but will prevent new growth from forming.

CONTROLLING ALGAE WITH BARLEY STRAW: The growth rate of algae makes it very difficult to control. There are many forms of algae and most are susceptible to herbicide use. The problem with using herbicides is that it also will kill your other plants and once the chemical is gone from the water, the regrowth of algae will reappear and subsequently become worse years later.

HOW DOES BARLEY STRAW WORK: As the straw rots in the water, a chemical is released which inhibits the growth of algae. The temperature of the water is an important factor. If the water temp is 40 degrees it may take up to 6 weeks for the straw to become active. When the water temperature is above 40 degrees the straw becomes active faster. In about a week the straw should begin to release it's chemical, given sufficient sunlight and oxygen. Well oxygenated conditions are essential to ensure the straw will decompose and produce it's chemical. If the straw is in a compacted state with restricted water movement through the straw, the effectiveness is extremely reduced.

WILL BARLEY STRAW HARM FISH OR PLANTS: Barley straw does not harm fish or plant life. Actually in most cases it increases the invertebrate population providing a food source for fish. In fish farms and hatcheries where straw has been used, there are reports of improved gill function and better overall fish health.

WHERE TO APPLY THE STRAW: In water gardens and smaller ponds, the straw should be wrapped loosely in some type of netting that will allow water to flow through. To be most effective, place the bundle of straw in or near a water fall or stream. As the straw rots it will sink. Some sort of float (cork or plastic bottle) should be attached to keep it partially out of the water. The straw needs a continuous flow of water. Keeping the straw oxygenated will help spread the released chemical throughout the pond.

WHEN SHOULD BARLEY STRAW BE ADDED: Barley straw should be added very early in the spring before algae growth develops. The chemical released by the straw is effective in preventing algae growth rather than killing it. It is best to apply when the water temp is low. Time should be given (about 30 days) for the straw to become active. Once activated, the straw will continue to inhibit algae growth for up to 6 months. A replacement bundle should be added before the first bundle is completely decomposed. Two applications should be enough for one year. Ponds that have a high content of suspended mud it may be necessary to add more straw than in clear waters as the chemical that is given off from the straw is inactivated by the mud.

HOW MUCH TO USE: Volume of water does not have as much importance as surface area does. An average home water garden of 1000 -3000 gallons of water should only need an 8 ounce bundle of straw in the spring and then again around the beginning of summer. Other articles on barley straw have suggested using less ( as little as an ounce of straw per 1000 gallons of water). I have personally tried 2 ounces in my 1500 gallon pond with no positive results. The algae continued to multiply. Avoid adding excessive amounts of straw especially in extremely hot conditions. Be sure to remove the straw if your in a climate where the water will freeze. After the algae problem is under control, any other applications of barley straw may be reduced. For ponds under 1000 gallons, 4 ounces of barley straw should be used.

DOMESTIC VS. IMPORTED The only difference between barley straw grown here and barley straw grown in Scotland is the price! The variety might be different but that has no effect on the ability of the straw to inhibit algae growth.

WHERE CAN I FIND BARLEY STRAW? (The NFKC does not endorse any commercial products. Address and prices are placed here for information purposes only)

NATURAL SOLUTIONS  PO Box 114 , Keuka Park, NY 14478-0114

Any questions not answered here may be directed to puddles@a-znet.com

Nominations for New Officers:

The club by laws state that no officer can succeed himself more than once. Hence, all four of our present officers much leave their present offices, having served for two years. We know that we have had a powerful, dedicated and dynamic board, but now its time for new blood and new faces. Fred appointed the nomination committee for this year, Todo Todorsky (chair), Rod Lawton, & Connie Hall. If you have nominations or suggestions for possible officers, you need only call a member of the committee and let them know.