Oct 2007 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Ellen Evans We have a winner! Full results of the koi show can be found on the website, but a list of winners and some pictures will be inside this issue. Although the weather was iffy all weekend, the clouds managed to hold back most of their rain. Congratulations to Steve Wiese, owner of the Grand Champion, a beautiful Shiro Utsuri that if memory serves me the club nominated as AKCA Koi of the Year in 2005. According to the judges, this fish had everything going for it clean, bright white; thick, dark black; wonderful conformation. Reserve Champion was a Showa owned by Dihn and Ann Nguyen. The judges could not get over the rich red, deep black, and clean, white nose. GRAND CHAMPION We also have a winner of our Growth Contest. Jason and Wendy Sargeant s Kohaku benched at 14, edging out Georgia Vonk s by 1/4. The fish were approximately 4 when they were purchased in March, which means a robust gain of 10 over the summer. If you are curious about the secret to their success, talk to Jason at the next meeting. The show had 30 tanks of fish, which means the number of fish entered was higher this year than last over 100 fish, not counting the fish in the Dealer Division. And 16 of the 30 tanks at the show were reserved by club members, a significant increase over last year. I believe 6 or 7 members were encouraged to show for the first time with the inclusion of the Novice division this year. A note to the novices: the judges were very impressed with your koi. I know from assisting while they judged that in several cases they wanted to give honors in the Open Division such as Best in Variety to Novice fish. In the future if you choose to show in the Open Division, your koi will be formidable opponents! I would like to thank everyone who brought fish to show. It can be a hassle, and I hope everything went as smoothly as possible for everyone, first timers and old hands alike, and that your fish made it safe and sound back to your home. Rest assured that the effort was worth it, as the judges commented during their tours on Sunday that the quality of entrants was very high and the competition stiff. You have shown your fellow club members and ambassadors from other clubs that the Sacramento region has koi of consequence and knows how to put on a great show! Inside this issue: Pres. Message 1 BOD Nominations 2 Holiday Banquet 4 On that note, a super big and heartfelt thanks to Garry Chin and Steve Eckard, co-chairs of this year s show. It could not have come together without them. Thank you also to Jim Phillips, our hardest working volunteer during set-up, break-down, and in-between as Water Quality Guru. And thank you Jerry and Phyllis Kyle for setting up and managing the club store, Jason Sargeant for manning the computer database of entrants, and Marilee Marshall for dealing with all the income, expenses, and reimbursements a show of this scope entails! Show Results/Photos 5-7 Variety Profile: Asagi 8 Winter Koi AKCA articles Club Calendar Next Meeting Info 9-12 13 14
Page 2 Oct 2007 BOARD OF DIRECTORS NOMINATIONS I m pleased to report that we have nominees for all open positions on the Board for next year. As a reminder to everyone, Board positions are generally two-year terms, though if you wish to retire after one year, you are allowed to. We alternate replacing half the board each year, so that 8 members aren t thrown off the deep end every January. The incumbent board members rely on the new ones for fresh ideas and the new ones rely on the incumbents for stability and experience. Since we previously announced open positions (VP, Treasurer, and 2 Directors), Diane Coit has chosen not to continue as Secretary, so now the position of Secretary is open as well. Kirk Evans, a current Director, is the sole nominee for this position, which would mean an additional open Director seat for a total of 3 new needed Directors for 2008. The procedure for the elections is that at the October meeting we will vote to accept the nominations. Then at the November meeting we will hold the actual election. As you can see below, each candidate is running unopposed, and the deadline for nominations has passed. In December at the Holiday Dinner, the outgoing BOD members will step down and the incoming ones will come onboard. And the nominees are... Vice President: Heather Marshall Secretary: Kirk Evans Treasurer: Alison Torres Director: Tim Bauer Director: Jim Phillips Director: Duane Carlson FINANCIALS End of August Balance: $8,032.34 End of September Balance: $5,132.34 Note: Not all income or expenses have been submitted for the show yet. This number reflects the current bank balance. We anticipate a significant increase in the balance in October due to show and club store income and return of fairgrounds security deposit. The show chairs will present a financial summary of the show to the BOD at the October meeting, which will be reported in November s Koi Ahoy. KOI AHOY AD RATES If your business would like to advertise in our newsletter, our rates (per month) are: $25 for Business Card sized ad $50 for 1/4 page $100 for 1/2 page $200 for full page
Page 3 Oct 2007 MARSHALL POND UPDATE Marilee and Heather Marshall recently had a waterfall installed over their new pond by Mamason Koi. Above are pictures of the old pond, the conversion to the new sprayon liner pond, and the rockwork for the waterfall. The finished waterfall is in the picture to the right. The Marshall s will be hosting the January 2008 meeting. They hosted the January 2007 meeting and are excited to share the transition from old pond to new with other club members. EVANS DESIGN For the koi lover on your holiday shopping list: Koi art on notecards, mugs, t-shirts, and more! Just in koi themed holiday cards! Pauline Sakai and Carolyn Swanson did booth duty at the Farm & Barn event. The water garden venue at which they set up had 259 visitors. Setting up at events like this is great PR for our club and helps attract new members. So thank you Pauline and Carolyn! www.cafepress.com/koicards
Page 4 Oct 2007 Mark Your Calendars now! Camellia Koi Club Annual Holiday Dinner Saturday, December 8, 2007 1:00pm at Buca di Beppo 1249 Howe Ave. Sacramento, CA 95825 (price to be announced - not to exceed $25 per person) You won t want to miss this year, the introduction of: Koi Pub Quiz!!! A fun game of koi facts and trivia where small teams compete for fabulous prizes such as koi food, koi books, and koi-related gifts, art, and home décor. Email Ellen at kde2@comcast.net to reserve your place today!
Page 5 Oct 2007 KOI SHOW PHOTOS: OPEN DIVISION WINNERS Ellen Evans OPEN DIVISION: RESERVE CHAMPION DIHN & ANN NGUYEN OPEN DIVISION: MATURE CHAMPION STEVE WIESE OPEN DIVISION: ADULT CHAMPION DENNIS MILES OPEN DIVISION: YOUNG CHAMPION KHOUNG DOAN OPEN DIVISION: BABY CHAMPION CHRIS GUILA DEALER DIVISION: GRAND CHAMPION ROB BARRERAS
Page 6 Oct 2007 KOI SHOW PHOTOS: NOVICE DIVISION WINNERS Ellen Evans NOVICE DIVISION: GRAND CHAMPION LISA STEWART NOVICE DIVISION: RESERVE CHAMPION MARILEE MARSHALL NOVICE DIVISION: MATURE CHAMPION STEVE & ALISON TORRES NOVICE DIVISION: ADULT CHAMPION DAN & CHERYL ALARID NOVICE DIVISION: YOUNG CHAMPION STEVE & ALISON TORRES NOVICE DIVISION: BABY CHAMPION COCOY GUILA
Page 7 Oct 2007 KOI SHOW PHOTOS: GENERAL Ellen Evans Above left: Growth contest winner Jason Sargeant proudly displays his trophy. The inset kohaku grew the most this year, a whopping 10 inches! Above right: Jerry Kyle did a great job setting up and running the club booth this year, with the help of many volunteers from the club. Left: Georgia Vonk served as auctioneer for the fish auction. Many outdoor vendors donated one or two fish for the auction, which raised money for the club.
Page 8 Oct 2007 VARIETY PROFILE: ASAGI / SHUSUI From Koi Classification by Doug Dahl on www.akca.org Asagi were documented over 160 years ago and have evolved to the beautiful specimens we find today. The Asagi is fully scaled. Asagi koi have red below the lateral line to the under side, Often some red on all fins and the red can come up from the belly to cover the gill covers and to the base of the mouth. Blue color is above the lateral line. The blue color can vary from dark almost gray to a very light blue depending on the bloodlines. The lighter shade of blue of the Narumi bloodline is preferred. The blue color of each scale is surrounded by a lighter ring around the edge of the scale giving a netting appearance which is very pretty when all of the scales line up in straight rows. This last point is very important in judging Asagi. Also, it is difficult to have a clear head with no blemishes so this also is a strong judging point. Shusui is the Doitsu (scaleless) version of the Asagi. All criteria and characteristics of Asagi also apply to Shusui except there is no netting pattern but a sky blue top half of the koi. It is very important there is no break in the line of mirror scales from the back of the head along the dorsal fin and the scales line up in straight rows. Again, a clear head is very important. It is difficult to keep black spots from appearing on Shusui in hard, high ph water. A Shusui with red almost covering the back above the lateral line is called Hi Shusui. A Hi Shusui with the addition of blue mirror scales on both lateral lines separating the red top and bottom is called Hana Shusui. www.inlandkoi.com www.pokoi.com
Page 9 Oct 2007 KOI CARE FOR WINTER Reprinted from "Tetra Encyclopedia of Koi"; Tetra Press on www.akca.org Editor s note: In Sacramento we are fortunate enough to not have to deal with temperatures below 40 and ice on the pond. However, this may not be the case for some of our more northerly/easterly club members. The following 2 articles still contain good winter advice for everyone. How do cold temperatures affect koi? As temperatures drop, koi move into the deeper parts of the pond and become more reluctant to feed, and below temperatures of 43F cease feeding altogether. As the water continues to cool, the koi tend to lie huddled together on the bottom of the pond with all fins except the tail fin clamped tightly against their bodies. This conserves some body heat, as each fin is supplied with a tiny network of blood vessels through which heat escapes if the fish lie with their fins outspread. One of the major areas of cooling of a fish's body is through the gills, where the warm blood is cooled by the water passing over the gill filaments. You may have noticed that koi seem to breathe more slowly in winter - this is a method of conserving body heat. At temperatures between 36-43F koi are described as being in a 'torpid state'. Their senses such as smell and taste are inoperative but they can still see and respond to some external stimulation, such as touch, or water movement below the surface. Temperatures below 36F are critical to koi, as there is an increasing risk of ice crystals forming in the delicate gill membranes. Because water expands when it freezes, these crystals break the tiny cells in the gills and the koi die. Winter filtration and aeration Like many other materials, water expands when it warms and contracts as it cools. Because water is a liquid, warm water is light and therefore rises. (If you feel your hot water storage tank, you will notice that it is hotter at the top than at the bottom.) Logically, you might expect, therefore, that freezing water (ice) should lie at the bottom of exposed water but, as we all know, this is not the case. In fact, a reversal of this principle occurs at temperatures just below 39F, when colder water rises to the surface and warm water sinks. This is the salvation of most underwater life. Water is a poor conductor of heat, so the cold water and ice form an insulating layer that retains the heat of the warmer water below it. The pond should be at least 3ft deep depth will aid the temperature stability of the warmer water below the ice and the water will also absorb heat from the ground. Keep all biological filters running throughout the winter. It is important that the water continues to ventilate so that oxygen can diffuse into the water and harmful carbon dioxide (the byproduct of respiration) does not become sealed in by total ice cover. If the pump is turned off, the fish will suffer and the plumbing will corrode or freeze if the pump is then left in the water. If a variable flow pump is fitted in the pond, turn it down to its minimum output. If your system enjoys the versatility of two or more pumps, then using one should be sufficient at this time of year in all but the very largest ponds. This will give you the opportunity to service any pumps not in use. (Most pumps are now sealed units and you need only clean them and check the strainers, cables and switches.) You may have a submersible pump in the pond or a variable level gravity feed pipe, if so, you can vary the level from which the filter is fed. As the water temperature drops towards the critical 39F, raise the pump or filter feed to 6-9in below the surface. This will avoid disturbance and chilling of bottom water and allow the koi to rest, while preventing the pond from completely icing over. You may decide to moderate the water return to the pond. Restrict the air flow on your venturi, bypass waterfalls and turn off fountains, since all these means of aeration are no longer necessary, as cold water is usually rich in oxygen, and, if left on, will excessively chill the water. If your water return is via a straight
Page 10 Oct 2007 KOI CARE FOR WINTER Reprinted from "Tetra Encyclopedia of Koi"; Tetra Press on www.akca.org pipe from a filter above pond level, terminate it with a 'T' piece or elbow pipework to prevent disturbing the lower water. It is not a good idea to use rubber balls, hammers or kettles of boiling water to prevent or break up ice formations. Although the koi are torpid, they can sense any water movement, and breaking ice sends violent shock waves through the water, which can severely stress, and even kill, koi. (It is a sensation probably similar to someone suddenly crashing a loud drum close to your ear while you are sleeping and waking you with a start!) Heating outdoor ponds A growing number of enthusiasts are installing heating systems in their outside pond to keep their koi active and feeding, and thus growing, throughout the year. Avoid placing heaters in the bottom of the pond, however, as they can set up convectional currents that lift the warmer water, which chills as it rises towards the surface or towards a layer of ice, thus returning cold water to the koi. (You should also remove any airstones from the bottom of the pond in winter for the same reasons.) Instead, place small heaters in the filter system, preferably in the settling chamber or transfer ports. Any heating unit should be thermostatically controlled and capable of maintaining the water temperature at a minimum of 50F, even through the severest of winters. Rapidly fluctuating temperatures are highly undesirable and temperatures sufficiently high to activate the fish but too low for safe feeding can have a debilitating effect. Furthermore, between 32-50F the koi's immune system does not operate, but bacteria in the water are still active. If your heater cannot maintain an adequate temperature throughout the winter, use it only to help stabilize autumn and spring temperatures. Indoor ponds An alternative to heating outdoor ponds that is favored by some koi-keepers is the installation of pond systems in the garage, greenhouse or conservatory, and some enthusiasts even have permanent fish houses. Such pond systems are usually smaller and may be used at certain times of the year, for quarantine purposes or for raising baby koi, or they may be rested throughout the summer and used only during the colder months, to protect koi from the chill of winter. Use mature water from the existing pond rather than tapwater to fill the inside pond. In this way, you avoid subjecting the koi to a change in temperature and water quality when you move them inside. In addition, you could move a small portable filter to the inside pond when you transfer the fish, having matured it with established pond water. Alternatively, by transferring some of the media from the active outdoor filter, you can overcome the ammonia/nitrite problems associated with new filters and pond systems. Wintering Over Koi in A Show Tank and Other Tidbits About Show Tanks You Might Find Helpful by Ray Washington, Pearls of Paradise, reprint from Koi USA Many hobbyists like to move their Koi indoors during the winter in order to reduce stress and continue the growing season. Many hobbyists use their show tanks for this purpose placing the tanks in their garage or basement. Most basements have bare concrete floors. Placing the tank directly on the bare concrete inhibits the tank's ability to retain heat as the concrete will retain a temperature of 55F or less, drawing heat out of the tank. To avoid this, place insulation on the concrete directly under the tank. Any foam insu-
Page 11 Oct 2007 Wintering Over Koi in A Show Tank Ray Washington, reprinted from Koi USA lation of 3/4" thickness will work, or you can use a bubble-type insulation known as Reflecix, like we do. It is available at most hardware stores and has a very good "R" value. You can also insulate the outside of the tank by wrapping a long piece of Reflecix around the tank, followed by a single layer of vinyl, lacing it shut with rope or shock cord. This holds the insulation tight against the tank. This type of bubble insulation is easily rolled into a tube for storage. HEATING THE SHOW TANK There are two main ways to heat your show tank. You can use a 1.4-kilowatt, inline spa heater located on the out-flow side of your centrifugal pump, or use numerous aquarium heaters. We do not recommend piping in a side line off your home water heater it is too hard to regulate the tank's temperature. It may necessitate consistent dechlorination of the water, and may require the plumbing of an overflow line from the tank. If you use aquarium heaters just be sure that the heaters are placed inside the filter to prevent them from getting broken by the active Koi. As a benefit, since you will be heating the water, you can place several hyacinths in the filter tub, as long as a grow light is used. Hyacinth roots must be kept in water of 60 F, or above, to get them to survive the winter, and they require a minimum of light. They won't grow through the winter, but they will survive, giving you starts for next spring. FILTERING THE SHOW TANK Filtering the show tank can be accomplished using one or more 55 gallon barrel filters. If you use mesh for the filter media, do not wrap it tightly inside the barrel. Wrap it loosely to allow increased water flow and surface area for bacterial growth. The biggest mistake in using mesh as a filter media is wrapping it tightly inside the barrel. This cuts down the surface area for the bacteria to grow and necessitates frequent cleaning, destroying the bacteria. Remember though, do not pump more than 5 gallons per minute through a 55 gallon barrel filter any faster and the water moves through too fast for the bacteria to feed off the ammonia, nitrates, etc. resulting in only mechanical filtration of the water. COVERING THE TANK Tank net covers are widely available and recommended when keeping fish inside. We use a black colored, delta weave, polyester net to prevent the fish from jumping out. The delta weave prevents catching scales, and has enough stretch to allow even the largest Koi to "hit" the net without damaging the net or pulling it off The net is made with a vinyl sleeve which "grabs" the vinyl of the tank, and a shock cord is provided inside the sleeve to tighten the net down even further. Black netting is used to increase your ability to view your fish, as trying to focus through a white or light- colored net creates a vertigo effect! Falling into your tank is not recommended, so if you buy your own net get a black one! STARTING UP THE SYSTEM When starting the system up, remember that the filter is void of bacteria and the Koi will have to gradually be brought up to the optimum eating temperature. To help "set" the system, the following steps should be followed: 1. Once the tank is up and the system plumbed and ready to go, be sure to dechlorinate if you are not using well water. 2. If you use well water, run the system for at least 24 hours prior to placing your Koi or goldfish into the tank. Well water contains virtually no oxygen, so rolling the water for 24 hours is necessary.
Page 12 Oct 2007 AKCA ARTICLE Ellen Evans 3. Adding a stress elimination such as Holdex or Ship-Right (these are Jungle brand products) to the water before placing your Koi or goldfish in the tank is highly recommended. Holdex has electrolyte additives which help the Koi/goldfish absorb fresh water (dehydration is a common effect of stress). Ship-Right and Holdex both have slime coat builders, but Ship-Right actually bonds oxygen in the water, helping to reduce the effects of stress on your Koi once they are moved. Each are effective, do not need to be used together, and contain dechlorinators. 4. Once the fish are placed in the tank, slowly begin raising the water temperature over a 7-14) day period. If the water temperature change is more than 30 degrees, it may take longer, but two weeks should be more than adequate regardless of the temperature difference of your outside pond and the show tank. Do not feed your fish for at least 10 days - your filter has no bacteria, and will need time to begin growing off the fish wastes. Feeding right away will overload the system and just create polluted water. 5. Finally, be sure and test your water weekly. This may seem like a lot of testing, but the lack of algae growth and other factors will necessitate a closer watch on your filtration system than you may be used to with your exterior pond. MISCELLANEOUS HELPFUL HINTS Many of the following hints fall under too many categories to list them all separately, so we have thrown them all in together. 1. When setting up your show tank, it is extremely helpful to wax the black polypipe with lemon pledge or any other brand of wax furniture polish. This will make it slip easily through the upper ring. 2. When hooking up an exterior pump to a show tank, use a "collector tube" on the inside. A collector tube is a 9" tube with numerous holes that will screw into the 1 1/2" drain plug. This will keep your Koi or goldfish from being sucked up against the drain plug, while allowing sufficient flow to the pump! "Collector tubes" can be bought from most pool supply stores, or Koi supply dealers. 3. Simple Green is a good, biodegradable, non-toxic cleaner for cleaning your show tank, transport tank, pond liner, etc. It is readily available at most hardware or drug stores. We have been using it for years with no adverse effects. 4. Because show tanks are made from "fish friendly" liners, there is no mildew, fungus or algae inhibitor in the vinyl. If your club has stored your tanks slightly wet, you can expect mildew to grow and slightly stain the tank. If the mildew is fairly recent, soaking the tank in bleach will usually remove the stain (do not forget to rinse the tank and clean with a non-toxic cleaner such as Simple Green after bleaching the tank). We are currently testing new cleaners specifically made for removing mold and mildew from vinyl. If the bleaching does not work, give us a call and we will let you know which products worked. 5. Vulkem sealant is one of the best sealants when patching a liner. It sticks to practically anything and can even be applied under water. It is made of 100% polyurethane, which is totally fish friendly. It retains its pliability for many years and can even be used in place of plumber's tape! Most hardware stores carry it (it comes in a tube for use in a caulking gun), but ask for it at the contractor's desk as it usually is not left out where the public can get it, it's messy stuff! If you get it on your clothes, you can't get it out! ff you get it on your hands, use M.E.M. (paint stores carry this) to get it off. It is a wonderful sealant, but it can be messy. 6. When plumbing a drain to your pond, use a "vortex" style. This creates a whirlpool inside the drain to help lift the heavier wastes where the suction from the pump can grab them and pull them into the filter.
Page 13 Oct 2007 2007 Club Calendar Please note that these locations are subject to change. Be sure to check the newsletter or website each month for the most current meeting information. DATE TOPIC LOCATION January 28, 2007 Marshall s (Auburn) February 25, 2007 March 25, 2007 How to fix a leaky pond when all else fails and you don t have $$$. "Getting Rid of Foam!" Maximizing Koi Growth / KOI GROWTH CONTEST Koi Enterprise (W. Sac) Caruso s (Lincoln) April 21, 2007 SPRING BUYING TRIP BAY AREA May 20, 2007 Koi Health Q&A, KHV Update, scraping/ microscope demonstration Georgia Vonk (Lincoln) June 24, 2007 July 29, 2007 August 26, 2007 September 22-23 "The War on Algae" "How to aerate the pond/ What happens when the power goes out?" ANNUAL KOI AUCTION ANNUAL KOI SHOW (GROWTH CONTEST RESULTS) Tammy Nelsen (Roseville) Diane Coit (Sacramento) Avila s (Rio Linda) *Potluck! PLACER COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS October 28, 2007 "DIY Pond Construction" Kyle s (Lodi) *Spaghetti Feed! November 18, 2007 December 8, 2007 "What should I look for when purchasing koi?" ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY Tentative Mamason Koi Buca di Beppo, Howe Ave, Sacramento UPCOMING REGIONAL KOI EVENTS Oct. 19-21: 8th Annual Golden Empire Koi Show Bakersfield, CA in conjunction with Fall Home Show. Oct. 20: Koi Club of San Diego 1st Annual Pond Tour. www.koiclubsandiego.org Nov. 10-11: ZNA NorCal Koi Competition Pleasanton, CA www.znanorcal.org
Page 14 Oct 2007 Board of Directors President: Ellen Evans 916 501-4946 kde2@comcast.net Vice President: Jason Sargeant 916 630-1033 sarge@starstream.net Treasurer: Marilee Marshall 530 269-2742 dammmm6@sbcglobal.net Secretary: Diane Coit 916 838-9469 koi@surewest.net Gary Fabian 916 443-4829 Gary_fabian@skwaia.com Jim Phillips 916 771-3111 hairbear@infostations.com Scott Salem 916 791 8165 scott.m.salem@ngc.com Kirk Evans 916 233 8423 kevans@sanborn.com Koi Ahoy Editor Ellen Evans 916 501-4946 kde2@comcast.net Webmaster Ellen Evans 916 501-4946 kde2@comcast.net www.camelliakoi.org Next Meeting Sunday, October 28 at 1:00. The Kyles are generously hosting a Spaghetti Feed with door prizes! Attendees are welcome (but not required) to contribute salads, drinks, desserts. Also, this month is a two for one the Flockharts, who live within one block of the Kyles, are opening their pond to visitors after the meeting. Members are welcome to attend the Board of Directors meeting at 12:00. Home of Jerry & Phyllis Kyle 327 Del Mont St. Lodi, CA 95242 (209) 368-9411 Topic: BOD Nominees to be confirmed, Koi Show Feedback, Do- It-Yourself pond discussion. Directions: Take 99 South to Exit 276A. Left on E TURNER RD, left after one mile onto N HAM LANE. After another mile right on W LODI AVE, then 0.7 miles and a left on DEL MONT ST. To get from Kyle s to Flockhart s afterwards: Left onto Cabrillo, Left on La Setta, to 331 La Setta Dr. Ellen Evans 5932 2nd Ave Sacramento, CA 95817