KOI CLUB OF SAN DIEGONEWSLETTERNovember 2025 |
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NOTICE Being a member of the Koi Club of San Diego does NOT permit free admittance to the Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum. The volunteers from our club are only allowed free entry while they do their volunteer work. So far that includes Lenore Wade on free Tuesdays, Jack Chapman, Rick Leach, Matt Rhoades and Linda Pluth (and anyone else on the filter cleaning crew). Any questions or problems with this, please contact Linda Pluth, Japanese Friendship Garden Liaison, lpluth@cox.net, 619-200-4146 (leave a message) or at a meeting. Thank you for your attention and cooperation. Submitted by Linda Pluth.
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36TH ANNUAL KOI SHOW MARCH 7&8 2026 Del Mar Fairgrounds Bing Crosby Hall 2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard Del Mar, CA |
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Koi Club of San Diego Meeting
November 9th, 2025
Social hour - 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm
Meeting begins at 1 pm
Potluck, bring your own chair
OUR HOST WILL BE
Joy Arnswald
1026 Marine View Dr
Vista, CA 92081 |
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STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING
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Wednesday, November 12th at 7:00 pm (earlier if you are ordering food) ALL MEMBERS ARE WELCOME!
Dennys
2691 Navajo Road El Cajon, CA 92020
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Fresno Koi Show Spotlight
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Congratulations to our Club's Matt Rhoades for winning Mature Champion B!
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Matt presenting San Diego Koi Club Friendship Award |
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Reserve Grand Champion (A) & Reserve Grand Champion (B)
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Friendship Award - Doitz Showa
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Koi Club of San Diego Ponder Profile
by Lenore Wade, photography by Bill Newell
Joy Arnswald |
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As I walked through the gate of Joy’s home, I wasn’t sure where to look first. My eyes darted in every direction. I saw birds flying around, fish swimming in the pond, a pool, flowers, fruit trees, and greenery everywhere, and there he sat…Marvin. He is a cat that knows he is king of the house and the yard.
Joy’s late husband, Bill, was the light in her life. A cement contractor by profession, but a creative engineer in every other way. He raced speedboats, owned and flew airplanes, and left a magical world for Joy to live in.
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The large yard doesn’t have anything that you don’t want to see and investigate. The pond and waterfall are unique in their setting, surrounded with trees, both inside and out. The pond is about 3 feet deep and, to my eye, looks about 12 by 15 feet in size. The 20 fish love their environment, as will you.
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The real center of the yard is a wooden, six-sided open patio covering with pillars. Joy and Bill loved entertaining and especially loved doing karaoke. There are 3 TV screens around the setting so everyone can be a part of the festivities. Also under the cover is a full kitchen, bar, and seating area. There will be lots of places to sit and enjoy the meeting. No need to bring chairs, as Joy is sure she has enough for all.
They bought the 1 ½ acre property in 1998. The first thing Bill built was a huge garage and workroom, while they lived in a part of the small house. Over the years, he enlarged the house and created an open and welcoming environment with a small guest house attached. |
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Joy feels blessed that about 15 years ago, Bill hired a young man as a gardener. Ivan learned everything from him, including how to care for the koi. Joy openly admits she knows very little about the fish, except they give her great Joy and a living memory of Bill. She is hoping that Ivan will be at the meeting to learn more of what he needs to know.
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Joy worked for 38 years as a flight attendant for United Airlines. She and Bill loved to travel and learn about what they saw. Since she fell in August damaging her right shoulder, she is somewhat limited as to what she can do. With physical therapy, she is slowly getting better and looking forward to traveling again. Her 2 daughters are both nurses, so with the girls, their husbands and grandchildren she is well looked out for.
Everyone who visits, loves the welcoming yard. She is looking forward to hosting a wedding for friends in the Spring.
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I hope you come to Vista for the next meeting on November 9th, and feel the same warmth and welcome as I did. Don’t forget your dish to share. The gate will be open and there is a lot of room to park, don’t be afraid to use the gravel area. Please be kind to the others and park so there is room for all. |
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From the President's Pond
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A Memorable Gathering at a Garden Paradise
Dear Koi Club Members,
This past weekend, we had the distinct pleasure of
holding our monthly meeting at the stunning home and pond of Vu Nguyen and Gregg Dotzman. Nestled
on a gentle hillside, their property is nothing short of a plant heaven
retreat—a hidden gem that is home to exotic plants, koi, expansive views and
dogs for all to enjoy.
From the moment we arrived, we were greeted by the
vibrant sights and scents of lush gardens, which overflowed with exotic fruit
trees and rare botanical treasures. Passionfruit vines climbed the entire fence
surrounding the 3-acre lot. So many fruit trees and shrubs (I found a new fav,
the Lime Finger or Citrus Caviar). It was a feast for the senses before we even
reached the pond.
And what a pond it was.
Nestled in-between to bungalows, the koi pond was
a masterpiece of thoughtful design and natural beauty. The real showstopper,
however, was the large viewing window built seamlessly into the side of the
pond. Members were mesmerized as they watched the koi glide gracefully past the
glass, their colors shimmering like living jewels in the clear water. It
offered a perspective we rarely get—a true window into the underwater world we
work so hard to maintain. And I’m pretty sure the koi enjoyed watching us as
much as we did them.
Our meeting was lively, full of great
conversation, a helpful lesson on how to winterize your pond followed by a
candy Q&A game (perfect for Halloween time). We shared tips, admired the
koi, and—thanks to Vu and Gregg’s generous hospitality—even sampled some fresh
fruit straight from the garden.
A heartfelt thank you to Vu and Gregg for opening their
home and sharing a remarkable space with us. It's moments like these that
remind us how special our koi community really is.
Until
next time, keep your ponds clear, your koi happy, and your butt in a chair
enjoying both!
Warm
regards,
Cory Burke
President, Koi Club of San Diego |
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OCTOBER MEETING PHOTOS
Vu Nguyen and Gregg Dotzman
by Bill Newell
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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS! Vard and Cheyenne Hunt WELCOME BACK RENEWING MEMBERS!
Jack Chapman Galen and Maureen Hansen Tony and Sasi Limvorapun
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KHA KORNERby "Koi Jack" Chapman |
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Fall/Winter
Season in Southern California Updated
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KHA Korner: Oxygen
What’s the big deal about oxygen??? You have all seen many ponds and just about nobody ever say’s anything about oxygen or having oxygen problems – just that you need to have a waterfall or fountain or tower filter or air pump and run it 24/7/365. So, get over it Koi Jack and move on – Well no I just can’t, and it is a significant issue in regard to your koi’s general health and development – BIG TIME. Yes, almost all ponds out there have sufficient oxygen levels to support koi survivability!!! They can live a few days in the 5ppm range and require at least 6pmm to maintain life sustaining functions. You need to be at 6ppm or above or risk the loss of koi. Again, what is the big deal? Well to quote Recirculating Aquaculture Systems “Of all the water quality parameters, dissolved oxygen is the most important and most critical parameter…” Now before you jump all over me for quoting the bible for raising fish for food and/or sale – there goal is to get the most growth and have the healthiest fish for the highest possible metabolism of food. If you want to achieve the best your koi have to offer – then I say the above quote is very relevant. To quote Christopher Neaves, L.R.S.M. “It is an undisputed fact that koi have better growth and better color in oxygen-rich environments.” I know I’m just a name dropper LOL.
Some of the general informational facts affecting the available oxygen in your pond include.
1. As the temperature of the water goes up the water capability to hold oxygen goes down. Your koi’s requirement for oxygen is just the opposite – needing more oxygen as temperature goes up to support koi increased physiological demands’. Translation – higher metabolism and larger food consumption.
2. At sea level dissolved oxygen in ppm at saturation are
50F = 11.29ppm
59F = 10.1
68F = 9.11
77F = 8.27
86F = 7.56
3. You need 5 milligrams of oxygen for every milligram of ammonia converted to nitrate. (Chris Neaves) You also have the oxygen requirements for all the other living matter (plant, animal and all the other microbes) in your pond. So a lot of oxygen can and is required on any given day – even more with a heavy fish load and summer feeding schedules – but nobody has too many koi right.
4. Algae make a lot of oxygen during the day but just turns around at dark and consumes a lot of oxygen.
5. Decomposing organic matter in your pond requires oxygen in the process of rotting to nothing.
6. Your koi needs oxygen to convert food into energy, growth, color and general health to include the immune system.
7. Don’t forget the difference between 7 % oxygen and 8% oxygen in a whapping 12% less oxygen. (Chris Neaves)
8. Ammonia is more toxic with reduced oxygen levels.
9. Salt in the pond will reduce the capacity to carry oxygen.
10. More oxygen in the water means less carbon dioxide CO2 (a good thing). It will also raise the pH slightly. The opposite is true for lower levels of oxygen due to the synergistic effects leading to increased incidents of illness, reduced growth, reduced color, languid behavior, resting behavior after eating and hanging out at the surface and at the waterfalls.
11. Supersaturation of oxygen can lead to gas bubbles seen in the fins. Very dangerous to koi but I’ve never encountered it nor have I meet anyone who said they have seen a case of it. Yes, just like humans – if one of these air bubbles gets to the heart or lungs it can and does cause death.
12. It is recommended for ponds below 8ppm of dissolved oxygen that the water be enriched with oxygen. To quote Dr. Johnson DVM “Levels over 8 ppm are desired, but 11 or better (up to 14 ppm) are glorious.”
I better close the above list before I lose everyone, but for those of you that are still with me less move on to my way of boiling down all the above. The hardest thing a koi does every day is osmoregulation mostly done by the gills. Put another way this body function consumes more energy each day than any other function by far. Add to that my experiences pond side over the past 8 years in southern California have shown gill snips under a microscope to almost uniformly demonstrate a general low-grade hyperplasia. To quote Dr. Saint-Erne, DVM “Hyperplasia, or thickening of the cell layers on the gill lamellae, often occurs secondarily to toxins in the water or pathogens on the gills. This results in decreased respiratory efficiency and can even cause death from hypoxia.” Or as I like to say it’s like the koi has pneumonia – it’s got this extra buildup of crud covering the gill tissue or put more professional, from Dr. Saint-Erne, excessive epithelial cells, white blood cells and “MUCUS” covering the pink gill tissue. Back to my way – It’s harder to breathe and get the bad stuff out (ammonia and carbon dioxide) and the good stuff (oxygen) in the red blood cells that make up about 35% of total blood volume.
To my way of thinking –A koi’s normal daily breathing activities plus any additional gill action required to meet oxygen demand caused by low to mild effects of hyperplasia ads up to a tremendous amount of energy expended by the koi on a daily basis. That’s energy it CAN NOT use for other body processes – which is why I’m writing this article.
So what’s a koi pond owner to do?
- After reading this and the disclaimer at the end of this article, you can choice to do nothing and most likely not much will happen and your koi will continue to survive.
- You could read up some more on this subject from a web search or review any of several basic books available on koi husbandry.
- You could observe your koi for any of the signs of oxygen insufficiency.
- You could get an oxygen test kit (titrate) low cost and see what your oxygen levels are (early AM and just before dark) and decide just how far you want to go to improve your pond’s dissolved oxygen content. A more serious approach would be to purchase an oxygen meter. There are many to choose from – I currently use a Pinpoint Oxygen Monitor and really like it.
- Now to the secondary list which holds a symposium of possibilities that individually or collectively can help improve oxygen levels in your pond:
- Reduce your fish load.
- Reduce your turnover rate. (less time to cycle total pond volume through filter system and over the waterfalls)
- Add shade to your pond. (lower water temperature increase oxygen carrying capacity)
- Add fountain(s) Even a water spitter will stir up the water at the surface.
- Add air pump(s) (this can be a big help when done right)
- Clean your prefilter more often. (reduce oxygen demand of decomposing organic matter) (maybe add a commercial sludge buster or even a potassium permanganate treatment after proper research)
- Good UV system (eliminate algae bloom)
- Improve pond water circulation system. (Get the low oxygen water at the bottom of the pond to the filter or moved to the top of the water column by air column, venturi or mixing educator. The more water atoms that come in contact with the surface – the more gas exchange and increased O2 level. No dead areas in pond circulation.
- Increase the width of your waterfall weir. Or add a waterfall.
- Consider a filter change or addition of a tower system. (Major improvement)
- Any prefilter system that improves your particulate matter removal. (Think sieve or barrel system)
- I’ll end with R/O system and or Ozone
Off the top of my head that about covers it – I know I forgot something for sure.
Only got two more things.
First: Why do this – I truly believe the less energy my koi expend meeting their daily oxygen demand the more energy they will have available to grow (length, girth and repair of body tissue), improve color and have a decreased incident of illness and disease (healthier with less stress).
Last is sort of a disclaimer to keep in mind. As in most cases you can overdo it and be paying money for increased dissolved oxygen that is of NO consequence to the koi and at worst leads to gas bubbles. Other environmental conditions aside, oxygen levels above saturation in freshwater fish do not result in any additional oxygen carried by the blood. The gills can only transfer so much oxygen to the blood, and each red blood cell can carry only so much oxygen.
My hypnosis’s is if they use less energy to get that max oxygen they are capable of carrying in their blood system then there is more energy available to fulfill to the maximum of what’s in their gene pool in association with the environment you provide for them to achieve that big smile on your face and pride in your heart when you look at or show your koi to friends or other koi hobbyist or bring or better yet bring them to the next koi show. See ya there!!!
r/koi jack
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PLEASE VISIT OUR APPAREL SHOP!THANK YOU JAMIE KANES FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL DESIGNS! |
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Koi Person of The Year 2025 Jill Rhoades
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Newsletter editor/ Webmaster: Julia Schriber |
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Membership Chairman: Jill Leach |
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Koi Health Advisor/
Librarian: Jack Chapman |
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Club Historian: Dr. Galen Hansen |
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Correspondence Secretary: Shirley Elswick |
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Japanese Friendship Garden Liaison: Linda Pluth |
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Koi Health Advisor/
Water Quality: Jack Chapman |
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To Host a Meeting: Tony Martinez |
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To Submit an Article: Linda Pluth |
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Program/Activities Suggestions: Matt Rhoades |
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