Koi Club of San Diego

Volume 24 Issue 7

KOI CLUB OF SAN DIEGO

NEWSLETTER

July 2024

Congratulations and thank you to Cory Burke for the winning Koi Show 2025 logo!

WE NEED A SECRETARY!

Please help your Club by taking notes once a month at our Steering Committee meeting

BIOFILTER CLEANING AT JFGM

Join us on Saturday, September 14th, at 8:00 am to help clean the koi pond’s biofilter. We clean the particulate filter once a week but the biofilter gets cleaned annually each fall. Park behind the Organ Pavilion and walk up the service driveway to the back gate of the Japanese Friendship Garden. Wear comfortable clothing and bring a towel. This is an excellent opportunity to give back to your community and view the inner workings of the pond’s filter system. Any questions, call Linda (619-200-4146) and let her know if you plan on helping.

LOOKING FOR GIFT TABLE VOLUNTEER AND GIFT TABLE ITEMS

We need items for the gift table which do not need to be koi related. Plants, books, jewelry, unused wedding gifts, Aunt Millie’s old vase anything that someone else might like. We also need a volunteer to take charge of the table to distribute the tickets, read them off at the end of each meeting and take home any leftover items.

Please tell an officer if you’re interested in helping your club in this way.

OUR HOST WILL BE

Julia Schriber

Social hour - 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm

Meeting begins at 1 pm

Please bring a chair and a potluck item

Koi Classification for July’s meeting will be on Asagi/Shusui by Koi Jack

10696 Vista Del Agua Way, San Diego, CA 92121

Please park on a cul-de-sac head into the curb so there is room for everyone

ADDITIONAL UPCOMING EVENTS

STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING

Wednesday, July 10th

at 7:00 pm

(earlier if you are ordering food)

ALL MEMBERS WELCOME!

Dennys

2691 Navajo Road

El Cajon, CA 92020 

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

by Lenore Wade

Thank you to the 28 members who came to the Japanese Friendship Garden (JFG) Museum for our June meeting. We were able to get a few business things accomplished while still having an enjoyable time.

The election of officers was held. Your new President is Matt Rhoades, VP of Program is Cory Burke, VP of Venue is Ben Adams, Treasurer is Jill Rhoades. No one stepped forward to assume duties as club Secretary that is currently vacant. It is not a difficult position to hold, so I hope one of you will be willing to join the new Board and step up as Secretary.

After 5 years of handling the gift table, I am stepping down. My cupboards are bare, and my body is tired. We need a volunteer to take charge of the donation table, distribute the tickets, read them off at the end of each meeting and take home any leftover items. Also, we need items for the gift table which do not need to be koi related. Plants, books, jewelry, unused wedding gifts, Aunt Millie’s old vase or anything that someone else might like. I will continue to try to be creative with my own donations. Please tell an officer if you’re interested in helping our club in this way.

With our Koi Show plans going forward, members at the meeting chose a new logo for our pins and shirts. Congratulations to Cory Burke who made several varied entries for the judging. Thanks to all the members who took the time to be creative with their designs.

Our July meeting will be at the home of Julia Schriber. Last year when we visited her home, we were overwhelmed with all that she accomplished in the planning and building of her pond. Remember, she lives on a cul-de-sac so park head into the curb so there is room for everyone.

My special “thank you” to Koi Jack for his program on the Utsuri, but even more important was our visit around the pond after the meeting. He identified and named the different fish and touched on some of their characteristics.

On Tuesday, when I went to the Garden for my monthly visit, I felt confident in what I was telling the people who asked questions. I always use my field guide, but knowledge is a powerful tool. Being the first free day of the summer, the place was packed with families and student campers. Of course, the “oohs and aahs” are always enjoyable to hear. If you haven’t been to the pond lately mark your calendar for “Free Tuesday” on July 16, August 20, or September 17 and come take a look for yourself!

There are a few “little fish” in the JFG which need to be removed when the weather gets nicer. They detract from the beauty of the bigger and better fish. There will be a call for help when the time is right.

In closing, I would like to thank all of you for your help, support, and kindness these past two years. I have learned much from you and have enjoyed sharing our time together.

Thank you,

Lenore

Photos from the June Club meeting at the Japanese Friendship Garden (JFG) Museum

by Bill Newell

PONDER PROFILE

by Lenore Wade, photography by Bill Newell

Julia Schriber

Amazing is an awesome word, it makes the mind think in so many different directions.  When you are at the home of our July hostess, Julia Schriber, you will understand the meaning of the word.

Two years ago, when I became president and realized that I was going to be able to select the Koi Person of the Year for the club, I had no doubts as to who it would be. Although Julia has only been a member for about 3 years, she jumped in with both feet to help in so many ways.  Because Julia has been a member of the Sorrento Valley Community Group and the town council, she had knowledge of how to do things that most of us do not have. She helped to rewrite the club by-laws and has been cleaning up our non-profit status problem. Julia encouraged us to move out of the storage unit that cost so much money each month and volunteered her husband’s work truck to help with the move. We were all a little amazed when Julia showed up driving the huge truck and operated all of its gadgets to help with the move.

On top of this, she is a wife and mother, works part time as a Cardiac Sonographer, and single-handedly built her 3300-gallon pond!

In 1996 when they bought their newly built home in Sorrento Valley, she didn’t want a yard. So, her back yard was done all in purple cement. Then, as Nicole, her 21-year-old daughter was small, she created a kid’s area with some plants.

Julia has always loved ponds…not koi ponds, but just ponds. As a child in her native Belarus, she buried a pot and filled it with water for a tadpole. As years went on, Julia started working to find plants that would work in her yard.

About 5 years ago, during a trip to Underwater Environments to look at nursery plants, she was introduced to Koi while walking around. This single visit and two years of research, and a lot of You-Tube watching has transformed her yard into a colorful welcoming area with a beautiful pond with waterfall built into the slope of the yard. The ocean breeze makes it a comfortable place to be.

Nicole is now in Alaska working for the summer and upon her return will be at UCSD in the Fall.  Rosie, the 6-year-old dog will anxiously welcome you, while Raisin, the aging 9-year-old will just check you from afar.  The cats Acorn and Wobbles will probably totally ignore you.

Julia’s home is at the end of an empty cul-de-sac. So, please plan to park heading into the curb and not parallel. That way, there is room for everyone.

The address is 10696 Vista del Aqua Way in Sorrento Valley. If you drive up Sorrento Valley Boulevard from the 5, you will have to make a U-turn to get back to their street.    

Thank you, Julia, for sharing your Ponder Profile!

WELCOME BACK RENEWING MEMBERS!

KHA KORNER

by "Koi Jack" Chapman

Growth/Color Decisions Reprint with additions to 2017/19/21/23 and now 24 article (LOL)

As a pond owner and koi hobbyist you have some growth and color decisions to consider if you want to be competitive for next year’s (JAN 2025) KCSD Annual Koi Show or just want to see improvement in your current koi collection.  With summer upon us it is past time to decide what you want your koi to look like in the fall and how you plan to get there!!!  The general knowledge towards these decisions comes from time and experience as a hobbyist and more importantly some self-education and/or exposure to the principles in play on the subject of growth/color.  What do you want your koi to do within the confines of your pond system?  I’m going to have to stay with generalities as I introduce you to some points for consideration and while all this stuff has been seen in print or video not all agree with some of the finer points – that’s my disclaimer LOL but I believe in what I’m about to pass along in this article.

In the beginning most backyard koi hobbyists want pretty and healthy koi that get bigger with time and are friendly and that can be your continuing goal even after reading this article. 

Then all sorts of things start to happen over time and for this subject they may include things like: my koi don’t look as nice as they use to; the loss of color; gotten a lot darker; the white is changing (usually not as nice); have a lot of new little spots (mostly black); not grown much; gotten too big for my pond; are skinny or even fat – so what am I doing wrong?

Well, we need to become a little more familiar in three areas - while asking yourself what do you want your koi to do?  They are the individual koi purchase, your pond and water quality and finally nutrition.

It all starts with the individual koi purchase which is a very important/vital part of the total hobbyist puzzle.  The more you know the more you can expect certain results.  Pick a number say $10/$100/$1000/$10,000 but on your low end you may not need a host of info to get what you want/expect from the koi.  However, with more expensive koi, especially if thinking a show koi - well you need to know a lot more in my opinion – breeder, bloodline, past results of offspring that are now older, etc.  This is considered the genetic profile.  Folks, there are books/videos covering just this subject and make for some interesting reading/viewing.  Buyer beware and trust me the more you know about what is expected of a show quality individual koi variety the better quality choices you can expect and the fewer costly investment errors you will experience and I’ve made several along the way.  For me it is a wonderful never ending learning experience that enhances my koi hobby experiences.  I recently purchased an inexpensive series of six videos produced by Kodama Koi on reviewing specific koi varieties and what to look for when evaluating a future purchase and I learned new things to look for in each.  They remain available through their website.  So, I now have for your consideration - What are the wants/expectations in visible terms for a successful Return on Investment. (ROI)?  Yes, how long do you want/expect to keep your koi, how big do you want/expect it to get, when do you want or expect it to look its best/what do you want to do with the koi once your ROI has been accomplished????  So you say you have never considered these things – well now may be the time to give it some consideration and what are the things I can do to assist my now established ROI as we move on to the next two important areas.

Water quality is a major area and is not without its direct effects on both growth and color in meeting your expectations established at time of koi purchase.  In general soft water is advantageous to the development of red color and lengthens the time for complete color development while hard water is said to advance black color and be to some degree responsible for small black spots (shimi) on your koi and generally reduce the time for finished color development.  Koi suffering from stress from a host of water quality issues to include long term minor issues are said to suffer both in growth and color.  Studies of higher levels of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) have demonstrated to reduce growth potential as has oxygen below saturation levels.  Or as I like to say “the solution to pollution is dilution” and I do not know who to give credit for the statement, but you have to know the TDS of the replacement water for sure!!  Japanese koi breeders have expressed that higher oxygen levels increase koi activity leading to increased food requirements and associated increased growth.  Higher Oxidation Reduction Potential (OPR) readings are thought to be too oxidative and present a (possible) negative effect on koi pigment cells.  Yes, I finally have made a reference to water that’s too pure for koi to even survive when ORP readings exceed 475 mV for more than a few hours and the bacteria in the biochamber also die.  Things that increase your ORP reads are the products that remove (oxidizes) dissolved organic carbon like hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate (PP), activated carbon and ozone.  I have been personally guilty of overusing PP to the point of causing hyperplasia to the gills (burning the gill tissue).   I like to call ORP the pollution index – as low ORP readings are a result of increasing organic loads in your pond from a host of things like overfeeding, overcrowding, filtration system not dealing with demand – resulting in poor water quality parameters, low oxygen levels and even high algae growth levels.   Finally, studies from the UK have reported higher koi grow rates in soft water conditions.  So, water conditions should be taken into consideration and maybe modify some of your answers or even koi purchases to the questions presented earlier.  It is always wish to keep a pond journal and record at least your weekly pond water parameters to include pond Temperature, Ammonia NH3/NH4, Nitrite NO2, Nitrate NO3, KH carbonate hardness, and even oxygen levels.   All of these are important to achieving your color and growth goals, while keeping your koi’s stress levels manageable.  Time and space are not available, but rest assured that action is required for each of above mention water quality parameters when your test results are above or below their normal ranges to assure koi health and vitality.           

So that leaves us with nutrition, for which there are again books on just this subject, but in general how you have answered the earlier questions should assist you with your feeding plan.  Nutrition is obviously directly related to both growth and color but it has been said that when a koi is getting pounded with growth feed components it cannot keep up with color at the same time and that color has to catch up later and sometimes falls short of goal.  Your koi goals are of significant importance especially your answer to when you want your koi during their life span to be their best and what you initially purchased.  Males are said to finish sooner than females and if your koi purchases are already farther along with color development (very common) then they are going to finish sooner and they may need to be moved along to our club annual auction after just 4 to 6 years.  It’s been said many a time that no baby champion has ever been a later grand champion.  But you decide when your ROI has been accomplished and time to move a koi along.  A lot of backyard koi ponds are not large ponds and while koi will still under the right conditions grow large in small ponds it may be desirable to keep growth below the koi’s potential and nutrition is a way to do this to some degree.  Yes, you need to establish in spring a good estimate of pond total koi mass (weight) and for okay survival feed 1% of total weight; for limited growth and maintain color feed 2% of total weight and for maximum growth and color 3% of total weight.  I don’t want to complicate this but the aforementioned feeding schedule is for adult koi (say 4/5 years old) and for young koi you can (and should) double the percentages.  When the daily feed amount is divided into several feedings per day growth rates are said to improve.  Unfortunately, when you have koi of all sizes in your pond the little ones may not get their fair share of the feed as the big koi quickly scoop up surface food.  I think I’ve observed less of a problem with this when I do my twice a day sinking food feedings (summer time with pond temp at or above 74F).   You do need to do your homework to achieve your growth and color improvement goals when selecting your choice of koi feeds.  Again, we do not have the space nor time to do it justice but beware that your decision can and will have a definite impact on your koi and summer feeding schedules can and do have negative effects on your water quality parameters.

So, with a koi ROI plan coupled with an increased attention to koi knowledge, water quality and nutrition your level of hobby satisfaction will be increased and keep you involved in the hobby while sharing your gained knowledge with fellow club members during monthly meetings.

While growth and color are an impossible subject to cover in this basic introductory article, I hope I’ve tweaked your interest to further explore the subjects and give some consideration to the info as it affects your next beautiful koi purchase and that it exceeds your established ROI.  Hope to see you and your koi at our clubs hopefully next annual koi show in January 2025 and now is the time to be planning for that event along with seeing you at the next monthly club meeting.  Stay safe and healthy.

r/koi jack  

PLEASE VISIT OUR APPAREL SHOP!

THANK YOU JAMIE KANES FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL DESIGNS!

Koi Person of The Year 2024 Dean Strasser

OFFICERS

EMAIL

President: Matt Rhoades   

KCSDKoi.Kichi@gmail.com

First VP-Program: Cory Burke

Mulligrins@gmail.com

Second VP-Venue: Ben Adams

iblitlrock5@yahoo.com

Secretary: Open

Treasurer: Jill Rhoades

treasurer.kcsd@gmail.com

APPOINTED OFFICERS

EMAIL

Newsletter editor/

Webmaster: Julia Schriber

webmaster.kcsd@gmail.com

Membership Chairman: Jill Leach

Koi Health Advisor/

Librarian: Jack Chapman

jackchapman1@cox.net

Club Historian: Dr. Galen Hansen

galenkoi@aol.com

Property Manager: Al Pierce

alpierce@cox.net

Correspondence Secretary: Shirley Elswick

 sfelswick@cox.net

Japanese Friendship Garden Liaison: Linda Pluth

 lpluth@cox.net

HELPING HANDS

Koi Health Advisor/

Water Quality: Jack Chapman

jackchapman1@cox.net

To Host a Meeting: Ben Adams

iblitlrock5@yahoo.com

To Submit an Article: Linda Pluth

 lpluth@cox.net

Program/Activities Suggestions: Matt Rhoades

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