Beneath the Surface. Floating duck houses. Is this not adorable??? We need to talk pond tour!! Find us on Facebook as: Eastern Iowa Pond Society

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1 May 2017 issue Beneath the Surface Find us on Facebook as: Eastern Iowa Pond Society In this newsletter: May meeting info April meeting minutes Duck houses.. 7 Filters..8-9 Herman memorial...10 Membership Form. 11 Contact Information: Find us on the web at: or on Facebook President: Steve and Marlene Bartlett VP : Jackie Allsup Sec.: Linda Nolan Treas.:Stephenie Geers Floating duck houses. Is this not adorable??? May Meeting May 18th at 6:30 Deb and Joe Holtzman 1835 Ridgeview Ct. Cedar Rapids (out by Bertram) Please bring a snack to share. We need to talk pond tour!!

2 Members Present: potential members April 22, 2017 EIPS MEETING KLOUBEC KOI FARM This meeting was held with the Northern Iowa group. It was nice to mingle with new and old friends! Happy Earth Day Everyone, as stated by our new co-presidents, Steve & Marlene Bartlett! Thank you Steve & Marlene for stepping up to be our new President(s). Last meeting minutes were approved by Bob G. and Stephanie G. gave us the current Treasurer's Report. Savings - $ Checking - $ Stephanie is now collecting current dues of only $10.00 per year. Please get those to her as soon as possible. Thank you!!l Next up Steve ran through the schedule of our upcoming meetings. May 18th Holtzman Pond bring snacks to 6:30. June 15th Dave Keller Pond July 20th TBD ** August 17th TBD ** Sept. 21st - Izard Pond Oct. 19th Thompson Pond Nov. 16th End of Year - TBD Speakers are up to individuals to set up for their meetings. Steve offered to help set up Master Gardner speakers if anyone is interested. It is also up to individuals to decide on a time and whether you would like a pot luck, or whatever. **We are still in need of meeting places for July 20 and August 17. We would love to see ponds we haven't seen yet or not in awhile. Please let Steve & Marlene know if you could do this. Steve brought up the topic of a Pond Tour for this year. July 8th is the Garden Walk with four residences. Sunday July 9th would be a perfect way to follow that with a Pond Tour! In order to make this happen we need folks to volunteer their ponds!! We would love to have ponds that have never been on a tour or haven't been on in awhile. Please let Jackie or the Bartletts know if you are willing to show your pond. COME ON MEMBERS IT'S FUN!!

3 And, it's such a great way to let others know the fun of ponding. Jackie reminded us that the Club has insurance for the tour. We would need to know by the next meeting in order to make this a reality this year. Steve has been working with Josh to update our Website. It now states new officers and dates of meetings. The membership app still needs to be updated. Thank you to both Steve & Josh!! In discussing new ways to promote our pond club, Steve suggested members hosting neighborhood gatherings to inform our neighbors about this great hobby and how to get started! Donovan, from the Northern Iowa group introduced us to his nephew and wife, Susan and David Benderson.. They are interested in joining our group. Thank you Donovan! Steve asked if there was any further old or new business. There wasn't. He thanked Myron and Ellen Kloubec for hosting and for their hospitality and turned the meeting over to them. It's always a pleasure being on the beautiful Kloubec Farm! They gave a brief history of how their business started 38 years agoas a hobby with Myron and his dad. They started with game fish and began selling Koi 20 years ago when their son became interested in that aspect of fish farming. They have been to Japan a couple of times for breeder stock, and have engineered their own fish food that has everything in it to keep your fish happy & healthy!! They have 50 ponds on their 80 acres and are now a Century Farm!! Congratulations to the Kloubec family! Myron invited our club members back to their farm on August 12th. A group from Chicago will be there to tour the farm, and Kloubecs will be offering hay rack rides as well. Thank you Myron for the invite! Next we were treated to a tour of their new facility, and fish were for sale for those interested. This concluded our meeting. For those interested in continuing with their pond friends, a lunch a the Ox Yoke was held at 2:00 PM. Minutes submitted by Linda Nolan, Secretary

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7 GOT DUCKS? (I wouldn t recommend trying to keep them in our small fish ponds, But, for a larger pond I think these floating duck houses are so creative! The last picture shows the use of PVC pipes used as floatation supports.

8 This article includes many brand names which I by no means discourage or recommend. Just thought it had a lot of generic information about filtration. This is not meant to be an advertisement of any specific product. Please know that there are many many products out there that are ever bit as good. Jackie Understanding Koi Pond Filter System by Taro Kodama Blog A filter is a critical part of a Koi pond. Why is it so important? Because for a koi, a pond without a filter is like living in a room with no toilet. Table of Contents: Why do you need a filter for your Koi pond? Mechanical filtration vs. biological filtration Types of filter systems How to size your filter and more Why do you need a filter for your Koi pond? Koi spend the entirety of their lives in a pond; and they eat, sleep, and poop there. Imagine if you spent your entire life in 1 room. You would quickly have lots of trash and leftover food and would need to go to bathroom. If you put yourself in a Koi s position, it is easy to understand why a filter is critical for a pond. However, I often see ponds with no filter. In many cases, hobbyists think they have a good-sized filter for their pond; but it turns out it is not big enough at all. Every Koi pond must have an appropriate filter system so that the Koi can live healthy and comfortably.

9 Mechanical filtration vs. biological filtration In daily conversation, we just say filter or filter system. There are two main categories of filtration mechanical and biological. It is important to understand the differences between the two. In mechanical filtration, the filter physically separates and removes any wastes or solids. It is like a vacuum cleaner. If we go back to the example of living only in one room, once the room gets dirty with leftover food and waste, you would clean it with a vacuum cleaner. But the problem is that while physically removing waste makes the room appear clean, the waste still would leave behind polluted air in the room. In a Koi pond, the solids can be physically removed; and the water look crystal clear. But toxic substances like ammonia dissolved in the water will remain. This is why it is often said that clear water is not necessarily healthy water. Both solids and toxic substances must not only be visually removed, but also decomposed and purified. This brings us to the second type of filtration biological filtration. In biological filtration, we use help from bacteria. Beneficial (nitrifying) bacteria detoxify and purify the water. Types of filter systems There are many types of mechanical filtration. Sieve and RDF (Rotating Drum Filter) are very popular nowadays. They both use micronsized screens to filter water. Any small particles will be captured through this system, and you get crystal clear water. If you prefer an automatic system, RDF is a way to go. A bead filter system is another one. This may be something you see more often. It looks like a pool filter. Bead filters come with backwash function so you can remove collected wastes from the system without getting your hands dirty. These filters also use small beads. They have a lot of surface areas for bacteria to grow on. So the system has some biological function, too. The Alpha One filter is one of the popular ones. A biological filter system uses filter media materials to grow nitrifying bacteria. The main purpose of the media is not to filter particles, but to provide enough living space for bacteria to reside in. So it is important that media have ample surface area and do not clog. There are many type of filter media like filter mats, bio balls, brushes, and more. EvenFlow Bio-mats are very well designed. Collaborating with Musashino-giken Co. Ltd (manufacturer of Japanese filter mats), Mr. Mamoru Kodama, author of Kokugyo books, designed the mat to maximize the growth of bacteria and minimize clogging. Magnetic bio balls are also very effective. With patented technology, magnets are injected into the bio balls. These not only help bacteria growth, but also energizes the water. There are many products that use these bio media. BioStep 10 is popular for small ponds. For small to large ponds up to 5000 gallons, Bio Clean and Bio Clean Mini are recommended. They are simple, compact, and very easy to manage. Mechanical filters and biological filters both have their own purposes. If your pond is large, adding both types of filters is recommended so you can enjoy crystal clear water while knowing your water is healthy. If you have to pick only one for your Koi pond, please make sure to choose a biological filter system. How to size your filter and more It is highly recommended to double the size of your filter for your pond. In other words, if your pond is 1000 gallons, please install a filter that handles 2000 gallons. The size of your filter should ideally be based on the Koi population and how much waste they are expected to produce. But it is not easy to see the waste volume; so just go at least twice as big as your pond size. You can never oversize your filter. Adding an air pump is also important. Nitrifying bacteria are aerobic bacteria. In other words, they need oxygen. So a lot of aeration in a pond is essential. (This is also why clogged media is bad. It stops the air supply to bacteria, and they die.) Even if you have a waterfall, in many cases, it is not enough. Adding an air pump, like a Medo Air Pump, is highly recommended. I hope this blog is helpful to understand the basics of Koi pond filtration. Happy Koi

10 A good, good friend. Will be missed by all. Memorial Herman "Mikie" Michel passed away Friday, April 7, 2017 at The Dennis & Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy. He was 69 years old. Herman was born in 1947 to his parents, Herman and Cleo (Zier) Michel, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He worked at Rapid Chevrolet in the 1960's, during the muscle car era, where he found his passion for Hot Rods. Herman then worked at P&H Harnischfeger. Later, he became self-employed rebuilding transmissions. On November 2, 1984 he was united in marriage to Rosemary (Rosie) Fell in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He had a son and two step-daughters. Herman enjoyed hunting, fishing, maintaining his koi pond, his salt-water and fresh-water fish. Anyone who knew Herman, will remember him as a great transmission guy and all of his stories of the things he did!! He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Evelyn Powers. He is survived by his wife; a son, Rod (Annette) Michel; step daughters, Shelly (Greg) Barnhart and Nikki (Ken) Smith; his siblings, Dorothy Brown, William Easterday, Ramona Middleton, Roberta (Robert) Ward, and Robert (Debbie) Michel; 8 grandchildren, and 1 great-grandson. A visitation will be held on Tuesday, April 11 from 3 to 7 P.M. at Cedar Memorial Chapel of Memories Stateroom. A special thank-you to the professional staff at Hospice House of Mercy. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Dennis & Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy. A celebration of life will be held August 5 from 1 to 5 p.m. at his home. Please come and help his family celebrate his 70th birthday and his love of Hot Rods.

11 Our Facebook page is back up and running!!! Be sure to go find us at Eastern Iowa Pond Society. LIKE us so you get all the notices! POST your pictures of your pond! COMMENT - we want to hear from you!! SHARE EIPS with everyone you know!! Promote the club so that other s can find us!! It s Spring! Don t forget the Pond Club owns a Pond Vacuum. If you would like to use it for your cleanouts, simply make arrangements with Pam Moore to come and get it.

12 Eastern Iowa Pond Society, Inc. Membership Application To become a member of the Eastern Iowa Pond Society, Complete this form and mail along with your dues to: Eastern Iowa Pond Society % Stephanie Geers 3615 Honey Hill Dr. SE Cedar Rapids, IA New Membership Renew Membership Name: Address: Phone Number: Address: Dues are $10.00 per calendar year per family. Make checks payable to Eastern Iowa Pond Society, Inc. ALL newsletters can now be found on line at www. EIPS.org

13 Eastern Iowa Pond Society Our Mission Statement: The purpose of the Association shall be to create, promote and enlarge the hobbies of ponds, aquatic gardening, and keeping, breeding, appreciating, and exhibiting the wonderful world of fish. The Association shall disseminate information about t he above to the membership to engage in educational and social activities related to our purposes; and to acquire and own such property as may be necessary for any or all of the fore going purposes. Eastern Iowa Pond Society Jackie Allsup, Editor PO Box 148 Quasqueton, IA 52326