Be Prepared

by Ray Jordan, via Texas Koi & Fancy Goldfish Society Newsletter . Reprinted from AKCA On Line Library.

The last few months have been harrowing for some of our members. One of the stimulating aspects of our hobby is the changing requirements of our ponds and fish. Fortunately, Martha & I have had a fairly relaxing and satisfying winter so far, pond wise. However, as I think back over the past several years, there have been challenges for us and our fish! Now is the time to get prepared for possible problems. Some of the things you might want to think about and be prepared for are as follows:

1. What if your only air pump stops working Depending on several factors such as fish density, you could begin losing fish in only a matter of hours. It is expensive to have spares for everything but an extra air pump is relatively cheap and really a necessity. If you are already using two pumps for your pond then you would still have a back up when one stops working.

2. What if you had to do a major water change: Do you keep enough dechlorinator on hand to change your entire pond's water if needed? Or, what if you forgot and left the water running during a regular water change and over-filled your pond with regular chlorinated tap water? Yes, it is a very good idea to use a water timer, etc. But, sooner or later you will lose track of time or forget and leave the house with the water running, or fall asleep. Believe me, I know. So always be prepared to make a major water change and have spare dechlorinator on hand.

3. What will you do when a fish gets sick: Do you keep a hospital tank ready to go so you can treat most problems successfully? You can buy a 150 gal. Rubbermaid tub, a small pump, filter, and heater for under $200. This is reallycheap insurance and can save you it's initial cost many times over.

4. Do you have written specific directions for anyone taking care of your pond while away from home: For example could they reset a tripped breaker for your ponds air or water pumps? Would they know what to do if a major problem occurred? Ask someone who knows your pond to act as a backup for your house sitter. Be sure they know how to clean your leaf traps, etc. Also, never ever make any significant changes to your pond just prior to leaving town.

5. Read and learn about diseases before they happen to your Fish. Attend the lectures. The new club library is also a great way to start. There are several excellent books and the fish disease video by Dr. Hansen is fantastic.

6. Do not hesitate to call someone: A primary objective of our club is to assist each other. Call someone and ask for help or advice.

Koi Chat with Sandee

New for 2000, Sandee Todorsky will highlight a club member each month.

Jan Brown has been a member of NFKC since approximately 1994. Her pond experience goes back longer, and like many of us, she wishes she had joined the club and gotten her knowledge of pond building before she built her pond. However, her pond was not originally built for the purpose of raising koi. All Jan wanted to do was to grow a water lily. What she learned was that along with growing water plants, you can also grow some pretty vicious mosquitoes.

Jan’s first fish were goldfish, purchased solely for the purpose of eating mosquito larvae. She soon found that these fish were boring. Then someone introduced her to koi, and the love affair began. Here we are a few years later with pond revisions and now Jan boast of two adjoining ponds (connected by a 12 inch PVC pipe) totaling about 5000 gallons with 35 large and 35 younger, smaller koi in a very natural setting. Jan says there are still a few goldfish she has yet to get rid of. And her water lily......the koi ate them until she learned to put them in cages (the lilies, not the koi).

Jan brings to the club an area of expertise that many of us rely on. She is a Master Gardener. As a matter of fact, she is the Clay County 1999 Master Gardener of the Year. Jan has given talks on varieties of water plants and how to avoid introducing disease into your pond when you introduce new plants. She can talk at length about her pond, her fish, and her plants. And she shares her knowledge with a wonderful dry sense of humor.

Jan was also instrumental in starting a "pond watcher" list. If you need to be out of town and have no one to watch your pond and feed your fish, call Jan. She will find a club member who lives in your general area who will watch your pond while you are gone.

When asked about her fish, Jan says that she likes longfins and is partial to yellow koi. However, she says she has given up trying to learn the Japanese names for the color patterns for the fish she has because every time she identifies one, the fish changes color.

Advice for the new koi keeper? Jan says she would offer two pieces of advice: 1) Don’t put goldfish in your new pond to test the water quality because you will never be able to get rid of them; and 2) Build your pond twice as big as you think it needs to be, or before you finish it will be too small.