Koi Club of San Diego

Volume 24 Issue 6

KOI CLUB OF SAN DIEGO

NEWSLETTER

June 2024

Koi Show 2025 Logo Contest 

Are you artistic? Want to be a part of the marketing success of the next Koi Show?

The Club is holding a Koi Show Logo contest! Deadline: June General Meeting.

The contest is open to KCSD members to draw/design a graphic to be used for all show marketing, show shirts, and pins. The entry just needs to be a rough draft concept drawing on 8-½” x 11” paper.  No worries.  The logo will have a professional clean it up for the final logo.

The design MUST have these items:

Special message from the President

One of the most rewarding “jobs” of being President is being able to choose the Koi Person of the Year.

Last year it was an easy choice, because Julia Schriber did so much to make our club a better one even though she was a newer member.

This year, it was also an easy choice for me, but I failed to include anything about it in the May newsletter.

My choice for Koi Person of the Year is Dean Strasser. He has been a club member for over 30 years. He is also the only reason that I have a koi pond. When I was thinking about building a pond, I talked to my friend who owns Alpine Rock and Block. The only thing he said to me was, “Call Dean Strasser.”

It is a phone call I will never regret. I went to see Dean’s pond, then he came to my house where I was in the process of putting in a pool and had already had a hole dug where I wanted to put my pond. Dean talked to the concrete workers. From that time on, he worked with the men to arrange all of the piping and drain systems that I would need. At that point, the wanna-be pond sat for 16 months. After that, Dean came to the house and worked with my 2 sons-in-law and built my happy place.

When anything goes awry, Dean is the first person I call. But, many other people call on Dean for help. Because he lives in East County, Matt will often ask him to check out a situation that he has gotten a call about. Jerry Myers and Dean are good friends and they still work with each other to help our members who are in distress.

Dean is a friend and a very important part of the Koi Club of San Diego. He is also 93 years old!!! He never slows down and he will never stop.

Congratulations Dean!

SUNDAY, June 9, 2024

The meeting will start at 1pm, with no potluck or food this month. Chairs and water will be provided.

The meeting will be held at the Japanese Friendship Garden and Museum (see directions in the article below)

JUNE 9th MEETING AT THE JAPANESE FRIENDSHIP GARDEN AND MUSEUM, BALBOA PARK

It has been several years since our club last met at the Garden. A few of us do come once a week to clean the filter and check on the koi. If you have never visited, the Garden is located a sidewalk east of the Organ Pavilion.  Our club was responsible for the pond’s basic design as well as the filter system. Back in 1999 we promised to take care of the filter if the Garden would build a koi pond in the center of their existing property. The pond was completed September of 1999 and open to the public. The club has maintained the filter system since September of 1999. The club also began taking care of the koi and water quality in 2005 when Jack Chapman, the club’s Advanced Koi Health Advisor, came on board as another volunteer between our club and the Garden. We also select the show quality koi for the pond.

After our 1:00pm  meeting in the Education Center building we will meet pondside to view the pond and answer questions.

The easiest way to get to the closest parking lot to the Garden is to take President’s Way from Park Blvd. into Balboa Park. Then take the second driveway on your right which is behind the Organ Pavilion and park where you can. Walk up the service driveway. We have been instructed to enter at the front entrance. Tell the staff you are from the Koi Club of San Diego and are there to attend a meeting in the Education Center. They should let you in without paying an admission fee. Any problem, call me (Linda, 619-200-4146) and I will take care of it. Weekends are usually busy so leave early to find parking. There will not be any food at this meeting and you do not have to bring chairs. Exiting will also be through the front gate as well. The back gate is no longer left unlocked during public hours.

Looking forward to seeing you.

Linda Pluth

Japanese Friendship Garden Liaison

Koi Club of San Diego

ADDITIONAL UPCOMING EVENTS

STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING

Wednesday, June 12th

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

A huge thank you to those members who ventured to take the drive to Hemet for our May meeting. We had fourteen members in attendance, while Inland Koi Society really showed up big having twenty-eight members there.

It was a long drive, but both the weather and traffic cooperated so it was an enjoyable adventure.

Loni Vogler, our host, delighted in explaining all the different features of her pond, her fish, and the equipment which keeps it all in good working order.

Koi Jack was the program. He explained all the nuances of the Utsuri. I think Jack is a teacher at heart because he always has lots of pictures for “Show and Tell”. Of course, he also has the knowledge to answer the puzzling questions from the members.

Don’t forget our June meeting will be at the Japanese Friendship Garden Museum in Balboa Park. There will be NO potluck, actually, there will be no food, but plenty of cold water. The meeting will start at 1:00, which is one hour later than our normal meeting time. After the meeting you will be free to wander where ever you wish. I am hoping that Jack will introduce us to the different fish in the pond and explain what makes them special.

June is the election of club officers.  If we don’t have members who are willing to serve on the Board, our by-laws state we cannot have a club. Jill Rhoades has agreed to stay on as treasurer, and Matt Rhoades has also agreed to serve another term as President. Tamsie Pierce who has served as our secretary for about 20 years has decided to retire. So, we will need a new secretary.  The board meets only once a month, so it is not a great hardship to find time to keep the club running efficiently. Ben Adams will stay on as VP of Venue. That means we only need two people who are willing to help the club. We need a new secretary and a VP of program. Please think hard and be willing to jump in.

Anyone who knows me, knows my love of baseball is beyond that of an average fan. So, when I arrived back home after the drive from Hemet, I was thrilled that the Padre game against the Atlanta Braves was just starting. I sat down, relaxed, and enjoyed. In the third inning, the TV broadcaster put a mic on the second baseman, Ozzie Albies. He talked about the Foundation he and his wife had started because of their love of animals. Then, he said, “I love fish, too.” In fact, I have a 10,000-gallon koi pond and some smaller tanks inside. He then said, “I love to feed my Koi and pet them.” The broadcaster was astounded! He said, “You pet your fish?”. Albies said, “Yes, I feed them and then they let me pet them. It is really very relaxing.”

Friends, we are not crazy! Now, go feed your fish, pet them and relax.

I hope to see you on June 9^th at the Japanese Friendship Garden museum.

The Confession of a Newbie

The Pond Heater

So I figure winter is coming on and I’d like it if my young koi, who are in my auxiliary holding tank, could stay in a “growing” water temperature year-round; so I went looking for a pond water heater. I looked in my community newspaper for possible ads. I found an ad, called the seller, and made arrangements to buy it. The seller lived around 10 miles away.

When I got there, I found out the water heater was used for a turtle enclosure and the owner had wanted to upgrade the heater. I brought the system being sold and headed home. I envisioned my koi having a warm winter in their 400-gallon water palace,

The unit wasn’t your typical wand-type water heater you pick up at a pet store; That type has a single wand shaped glass tube with a built-in temperature sensor. The one I now have is what is referred to as a “bucket” heater. The wand piece is stainless steel. With a stainless guard piece, with holes in it, surrounding the heating piece. There is a control attached to it with a three-foot cable. Out of the control box came a three-foot wire with a water temperature sensor. This seemed to me, along with the tank which had an insulation wrapper around it and a plywood cover, ready to do the job.

The unit was set up and the operation was going smoothly. Because of the water temperature being 72, I was able to feed the koi 3-4 times a day. The koi seemed happy; I was happy to see them so active this time of the year. I enjoyed a few months of happy times. 

Then a wind storm blew up and the domino effect came into play. The winds had gotten up to 40 knots and rains came with them. The cause and effect of the end result became apparent when I investigated the next morning. It was obvious that the wind had blown; leaves everywhere, things knocked off the table on the patio. It wasn’t until I rounded the corner that my heart sank.

The wind had blown and during its tempest, a small branch had snapped off my neighbor’s tree. The small branch fell and hit the sensor wire in the controller. The wire completely came out of the water and fell to the ground. The sensor told the controller that the water was under 72 degrees. The heater turned on.

The next morning, this is what I found; branches covering ground. Sensor wire out of the pond. Pond heater on. Floating dead koi. I unplugged the heater and got my pond thermometer. When I read it a few minutes later it read 100 degrees; I had poached my koi!

Photos from the May Club meeting at the home of Loni Vogler

by Bill Newell

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!

WELCOME BACK RENEWING MEMBERS!

KHA KORNER

by "Koi Jack" Chapman

What is your daily swing in pond temp and feeding schedule brief?

Last month’s article was a might long even for even me, so I am going for a shorter one this month and have more of you successfully reach the end.  So, pond water temperature and feeding schedules have been the subject of several phone calls in the past month.  When thinking about your water quality, water temp is a key parameter for observation/recording and requires on occasion you take some corrective actions.   I’m going to stay with pond temperature for now and leave feeding schedules for a later date OR NOT - So what’s your koi pond temp both early in the morning and at dusk? The most important number is the difference in the two temps taken.  Koi can get severely stressed if the daily swing is in the negative larger than 5 degrees or in the positive 10 degrees or higher.   Yes, going up in temp is less stressful than going down in temp.   Staying with the rising amount -- a 7-degree increase will provide a high level of environmental stress and 5 degrees a moderate level of stress.   If we can keep our ponds down to less than a three degree change during the day or night, our koi will receive less environmental stress due to temperature change and be better off health wise.  Stress is accumulative and over time it reduces our koi’s growth, color, and even pattern potential, plus shortens their live span.  

During our summer months, local temps can approach or even reach 100 degrees “F” and a few years back I compared my koi pond temp to my pool temp.   I went back to my pond journal and found the following info for a previous August.   I added taking the temp of my pool in full sun right by my shade-sail covered koi pond.   What can I say – I’m stuck at home and bored LOL.  They are similar in size and volume, but my pond is 20 inches above ground level and the pumps run 24/7.  The morning readings (7AM) for the pond and pool were only 3 to 4 degrees different 73.4/75.7 and 73.2/76.2.  The evening temps (7PM) were much different 74.9/81.5 and 75.2/82.1.  So, I got a daily rise in temp in my pond of 1.5 to 2 degrees and the SHADE sail provides a temp reduction of 7 to 8 degrees for the koi pond vice the pool.  The ideal metabolic temp for koi is 65 to 77 degrees “F”.    Shade is one of the best things to think about when trying to moderate your daily temp swings or reduce overall elevated pond temps.  And just as a reminder: warmer water temps lower the oxygen saturation point (an issue with overpopulated ponds); increases the toxicity of ammonia and heavy metals; and most pathogens activity is increased by warmer pond temps.  I’ve also been called about koi flashing in the late afternoon and upon examination the koi pond in question was observing a daily temp change of 9 degrees and the koi were otherwise free of disease or parasites (microscope slide exam performed) and stress from daily temp change was seen as cause for koi flashing behavior. 

I know I said feeding schedules was a later date subject, but I can’t help myself, so the very short review looks like this for my pond this year.  At 58F I feed once a day koi food under 40% protein and at 63 F I add a second feeding of same or different koi food but still under 40% protein.  At 66F I change one of my two feeds to 40/42% protein.  Then comes 68F and for me a third feeding each day and two of the feeds will be 40 percent or above in protein.  Now at 72F I move on to four feedings a day and the variety of feed choices is truly for another article LOL .  And, at 74F I will finally move to my summer feeding schedule of six times a day with help from an automatic feeder, with feed choices and number of feedings for each for a later article.  Lastly, I rely HEAVILY on my early morning koi poop watch for indications that I’m overdoing feeding (quantity per feeding)) and or protein level and often have to make minor correction(s) to one or both items just mentioned.       

Stay cool and healthy – YOU and your KOI.

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: Lenore Wade   

lenorewade@yahoo.com

First VP-Program: Matt Rhoades

KCSDKoi.Kichi@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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