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Pres. Message 1
Announcements 2-3
AKCA Seminar 4-5
Pond Tour 5
KOI USA Exerpt 6
This Month in the Koi Pond...Spring Cleaning
7-8
March Meeting Pictures 9
Club Calendar 10
April 2010
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE—Marilee Marshall
Inside this issue: Spring is all about fresh beginnings. The bird real estate mar-ket is getting a lot of action in my roses and vineyard, and territorial counter-offers are short and intense. Because the weather can’t decide if it wants to warm up or snow the koi are eager to get about the business of eating, but water qual-ity can’t be stressed by over feeding. There is a lot to know
about good koi keeping, and the club is enjoying a lot of new faces at our meetings. It has been a good time to review the basics, and many of our long-time members are terrific sources of information on the practical aspects of the hobby. A special effort is being made to acquaint members on what differ-entiates the koi family varieties, and what makes one fish “better” than an-other. Our annual fall show continues to grow in size and quality, and we really want to encourage our members to participate in displaying their own koi. Whether you have a particularly nice 8” fish, or a jumbo one, it is not only fun to show them off, but it’s gives our relatively newer members an out-standing opportunity to learn first hand what goes into a judged competition. We want to extend a warm welcome to our community and invite them to join us for a preview meeting. Whether you already have a pond, or would like to consider building one, our club can save you dollars and heartache by making information readily available, and with a warm smile to go with it. Come. Welcome.
Next Meeting
Sunday April 25 at 1:00pm
Springtime Koi Health (Jerry Kyle, KHA),, General Q & A Host: Patti & John (Loomis, CA)
Please see CKC website for address & map/directions.
Last month, folks asked excellent questions on a variety of topics. We want to make sure your questions are asked and answered, so we will host a question and answer session as the second part of our programs. We invite you to bring your unanswered questions to each meeting.
We ALL get new ideas, help each other and make new friendships. Come join us for a wonderful time, bring a chair and a side dish of your choice.
We look forward to seeing you.
Page 2
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Koi of the Year Nominee Congratulations to the Tran family—you voted their beautiful Sanke our club’s nominee for AKCA Koi of the Year! The picture below will be in an upcoming issue of Koi USA along with other AKCA member clubs’ nominees from across the country. People who attend the May AKCA Seminar in Nashville, TN will vote on a winner from among all the nominees. That winner will be AKCA’s 2010 Koi of the Year.
Best of luck to the Trans and their beautiful Sanke!
April 2010
KOI AHOY CHANGES HANDS — Editor’s Farwell Note
When I took over the Koi Ahoy from Sandy Sylvester in late 2004, Kirk and I were fairly new to the club. Our pond that we had built ourselves was about a year old. We had done a lot of research beforehand so that it was properly constructed and there were few regrets, but there was still a lot to learn about water chemistry, algae, koi health, what to feed, etc and we were very excited to learn all we could. Doing the newsletter definitely helped me learn new things—looking for articles to share with the club on koi health, interviewing members for a monthly profile, going to Board meetings, getting involved in pond tours and koi shows so that I could better report on them to the membership, sharing photos I had taken and experiences I have had. Now it is nearly six years later, and naturally as life progresses, interests and priorities shift. Kirk has been focused on bike racing for the last two years, and this year I am getting
into it myself. Weekends are devoted to racing or training with friends. I spend weeknights in the summer recovering from my very physical, often hot workday of pollinating or harvesting sweet corn for vegetable seed research. The pond and koi are great for helping us relax but we have less and less time for koi club related things. It’s time for me to hand off the newsletter to someone who is as enthusiastic about it as I once was (perhaps a newer member as eager to learn as I was?) and can devote more time to its production. On an unrelated parting note, I am pleased to report that after almost seven years of pond ownership, I have finally taken the time to learn how to clean our filter! We have a Nexus with an “Eazy” attachment for mechanical filtration and a separate waste pump and I never could get the hang of which valves to throw which way when, and it was all terribly intimidating. But I finally have the hang of it (I have done it by my-self 3 times!) and hope to help Kirk with maintenance more regularly now!
Page 3
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CKC’s Latest Update to AKCA Board Excerpts from AKCA Board minutes:
The Club Brochure has been sent to the printer. This tri-fold free hand out will be available at support-ing dealers to promote membership in The Camellia Koi Club and it’s activities including the June 5, 2010, Pond Tour and the Sept 18-19, 2010 Koi Show & Vendor Faire.
With coming out of winter upon us there has been activity for members who are KHA to help and a pond rescue for a just sold residence. VP Leslie Cabrillo has asked KHA, Jerry to talk on “How to safe-guard our Wet Pet’s Health” at the April 25 meeting at another new pond for members to see.
Garry Chin received the Koi Banners gifted by the Koi Breeders of Niigata for our Koi Show. He said they are like the ones displayed at the KCSD & ZNA So Cal Koi Shows. The Sept Show is looking to be bigger and better.
April 2010
2010 CONTESTS Last year’s contests were such a success that the club is repeating them in 2010!
• Sign in at meetings and other club events to be eligible for one of the “participation contest” awards. • Collect your receipts from visits to local koi and pond supply dealers. The person who makes the
most trips to local koi businesses in 2010 will win an award for our “Vendor Support” Contest.
TREASURER’S REPORT —Georgia Vonk
Beginning $9097.08
Expenses 1354.65 (includes New Software @ $373.38, Insurance for Trailers & contents $582, Name Badges @ $246.63 and balance for
stamps, name plaques for Koi Person of the Year Perpetual Placque, office supplies, Pay Pal Fees & Host fee)
Income $360.00 (includes memberships, & purchase of name badges)
Ending Balance $8102.43
Page 5 April 2010
WHY ATTEND THE AKCA SEMINAR IN NASHVILLE? KHA Certification Students are going because there is a KHA Lab to complete their Certification. Some already certified will go to sit in to audit and refresh knowledge while earning continuing educa-tion (CE) credits. Some want to be part of a KHA Roundtable on Friday designed to get input from the field on improvements, expansion, and proper focus for the future. KHAs will earn CE credits but, anyone can attend the Sat morning Koi Health Sessions:
• “Understanding Viral Diseases” – by Andy Goodwin of Arkansas State Univ. @Pine Bluff
• “Management of the Quarantine Process,” by Richard Porter
• “Updates on the KHA Program,” by Jerold Kyle,- KHA Director
Fri AM will see choices for all attendees between a Public Judging Session, a Landscaping Session includ-ing “Water lilies, Lotuses and Bog Plants,” “Landscape Screens for Pond Service Areas,” and “Bonsai Techniques and Uses in Pond Landscaping.” Fri afternoon choices will range between Pond Design and Constructions Sessions and Koi & Information Management Sessions.
Saturday AM will present a choice between the Koi Judging Session and the Koi Health Sessions for all. In the afternoon a presentation titled American Breeders ---In Search of JR’S dollar, Understanding Koi Inheritance, and a Water Quality Session teaching about temporary tanks, assessing water quality, and preparation for show will compete for your attention.
There is something for everyone be it the Vender Presentations, the Sunday Pond Tour, seeing the Grand Ole Opry, General Jackson Showboat, or the Saturday Banquet. There has been a great deal of work put in to make this a memorable seminar and airline tickets to Nashville are lower than expected making the trip more affordable.
The biggest reality is, however, many of us are going to renew old friendships and just plain have fun. There is too much going on to miss it.
Page 6 April 2010
ON ATTENDING KOI SHOWS
Excerpts from “Comments from the Chair” by Robert H. Finnegan, March /April issue of Koi USA.
“Regardless of the show available to you, here are several key points:
Good: ATTEND. There is no substitute for it. While the internet can be amusing, entertaining and even educational (if one is lucky enough not to be listening to an 8-Ball), words and pictures cannot re-place the thrill of seeing top quality koi (like the AKCA Champion of Champions or Koi of the Year pic-tured on recent covers of KoiUSA) or meeting experienced hobbyists and judges in person.
Better: SHOW. For beginners and intermediates, there is no better way to takes one's hobby from “as good as it gets” to “it can get a whole lot better” than by putting it all on the line. After all Koi Shows are education disguised as competition and wrapped in friendship.”
Best: VOLUNTEER. Regardless of your skill level, there is something you can do to help a club put on their show – even if it’s not your own club. After all, as Dr. Kuroki said (and Kato San reminded us in last month’s issue): “The one who gets rewarded the most is the one who volunteered.”
We’re lucky our hobby has many levels and everyone is encouraged to find the level that makes them happy. But, there is no requirement to stay at that level, and the best way to progress in our hobby is to see what’s out there. To do that, there’s no better way than to role up your sleeves and volunteer-ing at a show.
So whether you’re a newbie or an old pro, volunteer at a show this year: It’ll spice up your hobby and your life!
Page 7
THIS MONTH IN THE KOI POND — Jerry Kyle, KHA
April 2010
Question from a club member –
We're new to the Koi club and have yet to make it to a monthly meeting. We're having a problem with our Koi flashing. We just had a total pond cleaning done, new biologicals added, etc. The flashing started one week after the service. Can you by any chance know of a local pond service that will make an onsite visit to assess what's going on? Any referral would be appreciated. Thank you.
Jerry’s Answer –
This was passed on to me. You got my attention with total pond cleaning. That is OK but, I always wonder what the moti-vating factor to do this was? What did the guy who cleaned your pond suggest was the problem?
I am one of a number of our club's Certified AKCA Koi Health Advisors (KHA). We all took a ton of classes to learn and be of help to other club members. Problem is, we are not Vets. In Calif, only a Vet can legally diagnose an illness and prescribe a medication for an animal (Fish too). If you feel you need a Vet, there is a contact number on the club web site. What I can do, however, is help correct environmental issues -- water quality -- which is the root cause of much (most?) of the problems we have in this hobby. Healthy Koi is a result of Healthy Water. It is typical that a start up pond has Koi that eat and produce waste (ammonia) faster than a bio-filter can grow bacteria to consume it. "New biologicals" do not act overnight and can take weeks to sufficiently multiply if the water is cold. If the ammonia level gets too high it can burn the gills and cause death. Are the fish gasping at the surface or at the waterfall? If the ammonia is high it needs to be reduced with 20% water changes daily until it get down below .5% with declorination products used to neutralize the chlorine.
Response –
We do a total pond cleaning every year because we have heavy oak leaf/acorn sediment. We do partial water changes and pond vacuuming about every 3 months during the summer. We've been monitoring the ph, ammonia, nitrate, salt, etc. since the clean-ing. Ph is running from 8.2 up to 8.7, which is not an ideal fluctuation. Ammonia readings are 0 as is nitrate. Alkaline reading is in the 100 ppm range. We increased the salt to 3.5 in hopes that if it is a parasite, that will take care of it without introducing stronger chems. We have not introduced any new fish. In terms of flashing, they are rubbing against the rocks and exposing the under belly. Since it involves more than 1-2 individuals, we are assuming it is a parasite as opposed to a H2O issue. We are not feeding them at present. Thanks for the email and for the extensive info you provided.
Answer –
It looks like you have a good idea of what you are doing. The fact you have been monitoring the water shows that. For future reference, I would suggest you do water changes in the winter also as the rain in our area is so acid it may lower the pH. A slow .5 pH fluctuation over a week or more is probably not a problem but if it happens faster or consistently we need to look at it closer. Next year I suggest you do your pond clean out as soon as the oak leaves have finished falling as the mulm left in the bottom of the pond is a perfect environment for ciliated parasites to overwinter and flourish until spring warm up when they come up looking for hosts. You stated you increased salt. Do you salt all year long or just in spring? I am one of those who believe in salt for this time of the year as a precaution for those ciliates. Salt will usually get many of the ciliates but, if not or it is something else (Flukes?) something stronger will be needed. Salt year around helps develop salt resistant strains of pests.
I told you to stop feeding. Since the Ammonia and Nitrite reading are 0, you can safely feed lightly this time of the year if moni-toring water.
About water changes; We are taught to use dechlor products when we do changes to bind up or neutralize chlorine. Did you know that small -- less than 10% -- changes don't pose a chlorine problem? The rule of thumb is twice over the waterfall gasses
Page 8
THIS MONTH IN THE KOI POND — Jerry Kyle, KHA
April 2010
off the chlorine if amounts small. Some have a sprinkler spray water into the pond so it gasses off in the air. I have a frog spitter that I turn on very low and let it continually spit a small stream into the pond all year long. What I did was let it spit into a 3 gallon bucket and timed how long it took to fill. It took 10 min which multiplied by 6 is 18 gal/hr times 24 hrs/day is 432 gal times 30 day month is 12,960 gal a month. WOW, Surprised it added up that fast. I turned the spitter down to a dribble so it took twice as long to fill bucket. It looks like nothing but, running 24/7 adds up to 100% water change a month. Only 40% is a passing grade (barely) but 100% is an "A." And, I don't have to buy dechlor stuff and wonder how much is enough. Excess water just goes out the overfill pipe. Some connect it to a hose and let the water dribble into the garden if there is no salt. I'm too lazy so run it to the sewer. Just food for thought for you. No more worrisome water changes to take up your time, leaves don't turn water to tea, trace mineral get replaced for good koi health, alkalinity stays constant, and nitrates which are an im-mune suppressor don't build up.
Your alkalinity is fine but that is because you have new water. As time goes by the bio-filter bacteria will use up the alkalinity and it will decrease. The alkalinity buffers the pH and prevents it from dropping too rapidly. If pH gets too low, everything dies.
You probably knew much of what I just wrote. I tend to over explain to be safe. Will you be at this Sundays Camellia Koi Club meeting? It is not too far from Loomis. Georgia has a nice little pond in Sun City area of Lincoln. We are all just laid back folks who share an interest in having a pond and Koi. Mary Beth even has turtles but she doesn't keep them in the pond anymore. If the Koi do not stop flashing we need to catch a couple and see what we can find with the microscope. Have you ever done that?
Response --
Thank you so much, Jerry. We are trying to learn more all the time and the information you have provided is very much appre-ciated. We are planning to attend the March meeting and hope we get a chance to thank you, in person, for you taking the time to help us. Thank you.
Answer –
Looking forward to meeting you. In “Doc” Johnson’s book, “Koi Health & Disease,” there is a section (Pg 106) Symptoms Of Note concerning Flashing/Scratching. It may be of interest to you if you had no previous problems and the flashing suddenly started soon after the pond cleaning which included a massive water change. Following are excerpts:
“ Fish’ll flash and scratch when they have -- -- -- almost any parasitism -- -- -- ”.
“Another important consideration is that changes in water quality can cause flashing. A large freshwater change can cause flashing as the fish’s skin adapts to a slightly higher or lower pH. Residual chlorine or other metals in new water can cause flashing. New water -- -- can really irritate the skin. Still, you have to keep in mind that a parasite could potentially be causing the flashing and caution and quarantine would be a great idea.”
There are a lot of books out there. Some better than others. This book is not the end all answer to all man’s questions but, is renowned as one of the simplest to read and understand and at $39.95 at Koi Stores is, dollar for dollar, one of the most afford-able. Even though I have some Vet level books, I still like to see what “Doc” has to say in basic English.
March Meeting Pics —Gus Cubillo
Page 9 April 2010
Catching Koi is as easy as 1, 2, 3!
VP Leslie Cubillo and Director Ray Hill admire host Georgia’s Pond.
Rob Barreras of Majestic Koi came all the way from Elk Grove to talk about what to look for when shopping for good quality koi.
2010 Club Calendar
TOPICS WELCOME Please email Leslie Cubillo if you have a topic or speaker you would like to suggest for a meeting!
Page 10 April 2010
January 31, 2010 Koi Varieties Delgadillo (Elk Grove)
February 28, 2010 Selecting Koi, Varieties, Feeding Cubillo, (Antelope)
March 28, 2010 Selecting Koi (continued), Q&A Vonk, (Lincoln)
April 25, 2010 Springtime Koi Health, Q & A Conger, (Loomis)
May 23, 2010 Koi Auction Sakai, (Roseville)
June 5, 2010 POND TOUR Lincoln Hills Area
June 27, 2010 TBA Waldsmith /Oswald, (Pilot Hill)
July 25, 2010 30th Anniversary and Past Presidents Honorarium
Lutheran Church (Roseville)
August 29, 2010 Annual Potluck?
Reeser (Sacramento)
September 12-13 ANNUAL KOI SHOW Placer County Fairgrounds, Roseville
October 31, 2010 TBA Hill (Lincoln)
November 28, 2010 TBA Need Host
December 12 or 19, 2:00pm
Annual Holiday Dinner Golden Dragon Buffet (Roseville)
CKC POND TOUR IS JUNE 5, 2010
Stay tuned for ticket info...
2010 Board of Directors
President: Marilee Marshall 530 269-2742 [email protected]
Vice President: Leslie Cubillo 916 956-0598
Secretary: Pat Hill 916 408-1095 [email protected]
Treasurer: Georgia Vonk 916/408-0573
Koi Ahoy Editor Ellen Evans 916 501-4946
Director:: Jim Phillips 916 771-3111 [email protected]
Director: Duane Carlson 916 791-7607
Director: Ray Hill 916 408-1095 [email protected]
Director: Gus Cubillo 916 956-0598
Classified Ad (Website & Newsletter):
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Newsletter: Per Issue Business Card ¼ page ½ page Full page
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Webmasters Ellen Evans 916 501-4946
Gus Cubillo 916 956-0598
