Koi Pond Construction

The video playlist covers all 10 parts; therefore, please sit back and enjoy.

This series of 10 videos shows the entire pond construction process for a concrete Japanese theme koi pond - preparing the site/excavation, rebar & plumbing, pre-work for shotcrete & skimmer installation, shotcrete, faux/artificial boulders & waterfall using rebar/lath - free-form structures, scratch coat, texture coat/waterproofing, waterfall & boulder painting, installation of advantage filter by Sacramento koi, pond lights; electrical work, landscaping/stepping stones

Andrews Koi International Grow-Out Contest

This article will summarize what Andrew had to say about these different categories. A video of Andrew’s speech is available on both the Nishiki Koi Club’s web-site and on Andrews Koi International web-site. The video was taken by our own club member and web-master, Caesar.

Selecting koi for showing

The three main criteria for selecting a show fish are:

1. Good body shape
2. Very good pattern
3. Color quality

Koi judges look for koi with proper body confirmation, very high quality color and patterns . When selecting koi look for quality colors that are even and look for white that is shinny. Of course, make sure the body confirmation and patterns are the best you can find.

Growing large koi

If your desire is to pick a fish to grow large then the key is to pick a fish with a strong bone structure. Characteristics to look for are
1) a longface
2) big mouth
3) big head
4) tall body and
5) strong tail joint.

The strong tail joint allows the fish to swim quickly for the food and to exercise more; making it hungry.


Selecting fish for a private pond

If you just desire to stock your pond for your enjoyment Andrew recommends

1) mixing colors
2) select a lot of reds
3) have a least one blue fish (e.g. an Asagi)
4) having at least one Chagoi
5) add white and gold to taste and 6) all others to be Gosankes.

A lot of red will help your pond look happy and the Chagoi will be the biggest and friendliest.

Pond equipment for growing koi

Andrew mentioned that a key component to growing fish is the “hardware” you use, i.e. your pond and equipment. He recommends 10% water changes daily, feed the fish 8-10 times a day,
maintain a high oxygen level, and have currents in the pond.

For water changes Andrew strongly urges that the water added is via a drip system because introducing 10% new water daily will stress the fish.

It is not practical for most people to be able to feed their fish 8-10 times per day and to keep the
feedings consistent. Andrew recommends an automatic feeding system so that the fish are feed
consistently. This he believes will help maximize growth. Of course, the more frequent feeding should be when the water temp is greater than 70℉.

Koi that exercise eat more and that is why Andrew recommends having currents in the water. He
points out that currents should be active during summer months (water > 70℉) only.

And we should never forget the filter! When choosing a filter Andrew recommends getting at least twice the size you think you need. One can never have enough filtering nor can it be too big. Andrew pointed out that filters should be rated by how many fish they can support or how much food can be feed to the fish. Andrew doesn’t feel that the gallon rating on filters is appropriate since equal size ponds require different filters based on the number of fish and amount of food feed to the fish.

Koi nutrition

During the summer growing season (water temp > 70℉) it is recommended to supplement the feeding with vegetables and freeze dried krill or shrimp. Feed the fish with food that is greater than 42% protein.

The freeze dried krill and shrimp is a good treat for the fish as well as an additional supply of protein. Feeding the koi vegetables weekly helps provide needed nutrients.

One interesting recommendation that Andrew made was to also supplement your feeding with vitamin C. He recommends cutting a citrus (lime, lemon, or orange, for example) into some slices and throwing that into the pond. The fish will munch at the pulp and this action will not only provide vitamin C, but also give the fish something to do.

Koi transportation

When transporting koi, for example to a koi show, stop feeding the koi two days before the
transportation. Fill a plastic bag with water up to the koi’s shoulder and fill with oxygen. Tie the bag with a rubber band. There is a technique to tying the rubber band so that it doesn’t snap and fly off when removing it.

When returning fish home let the bag set for at least 30 minutes before letting the koi out. Andrew also recommends treating the koi with treatments such as salt as a preventive measure from transporting unwanted parasites or other biological nuisances.

by Andrew & Blanca Corlett

New Editors for the Nishiki Koi Club Newsletter

During the April 10, 2010 general meeting Andrew and Blanca Corlett volunteered to become the editors for the monthly Nishiki Koi Club newsletter. We (Andrew and Blanca) are delighted to help with this task and hope that we can follow the footsteps of those before us who have done such a wonderful job; the praise we heard about the past editors at the last meeting was just outstanding.

We joined the Nishiki Koi Club in November of last year (2009); just in time for the December Holiday Party. We currently have 6 koi and our desire for more is great. However, our pond is only approximately. 1500 gallons so we have to cap the number of koi to a small number. We think we are currently one over our limit. (Fortunately for many of us, Fish and Game doesn’t regulate this hobby! )

Our pond was built and completed in February of 2009 and we added our first koi on May 3 of that same year. We initially placed 4 tester red and white goldfish in the pond. One of the goldfish died immediately and the other three thrived all too well.

The number of gold fish expanded to eight (8) and the number would have been exceptionally larger if it were not for our first two koi eating the fry! We quickly removed the goldfish and gave them to some of the neighborhood kids withholding one that we’ve placed in a 10-gallon aquarium in Andrew’s home office. Not sure why he is keeping it. We have named all of our koi after observing their personalities and hope to introduce them in the monthly “Your Koi” column over time.

Our pond was built as part of a larger landscaping project on our property. The main contractor subcontracted the pond work to Eric Triplett of The Pond Di"ers. When we first met with Eric he greeted us with great enthusiasm and knowledge. We had many questions that we wanted to ask and to learn as much as possible about the needs of koi and pond construction. As he started to explain different aspects you could see in his eyes and hear in his voice the vast amount of information he had and wanted to tell us. Containing himself, we spent several hours discussing many different aspects and technologies.

At one point Andrew stopped Eric in mid-sentence and told Blanca “we either need to call 911-now or we have the right guy!” Andrew was very surprised about the excitement and enthusiasm that a person could have over “fish” that it came as a bit of a shock.

Now that we have our pond and koi we too understand about this enthusiasm and excitement. We reasoned that if there were people like Eric and us, then there must be other “wackos” too and that is how we started to look for koi clubs and found Nishiki Koi Club.

Before any of us jump to conclusions, we want to say that we have refined our idea of what a “wacko” is and conclude that koi are unique animals and have a purpose in beauty, enjoyment, and relaxation for all of us. We are fortunate enough to Blanca is a social worker for the County of Orange and is working on her education in the field of Optometry. Andrew is a software and

electrical engineer building products for the Telecommunications industry. He is working on applying his knowledge and skills to projects related to koi.

Sincerely,

Andrew & Blanca!

how to grow big koi - 2010 contest

show results

(recap of videos listed below) The regularly scheduled May club meeting was held at Andrews Koi International for Andrew Moo’s 10th Anniversary Grow-Out Contest. Many club members and non-members showed up for the contest and to purchase new fish for next years showing. After the awards where given Andrew Moo spent some time providing pointers for koi selection, nutrition, transportation and pond equipment. The categories that Andrew spoke about were:

Selecting koi for showing
Growing large koi
Selecting koi for private ponds
Pond equipment for growing koi
Koi nutrition
Koi transportation

This article will summarize what Andrew had to say about these different categories. A video of Andrew’s speech is available on both the Nishiki Koi Club’s web-site and on Andrews Koi International web-site. The video was taken by our own club member and web-master, Caesar Yanez.

Selecting koi for showing
The three main criteria for selecting a show fish are:

1. Good body shape
2. Very good pattern
3. Color quality

Koi judges look for koi with proper body confirmation, very high quality color and patterns . When selecting koi look for quality colors that are even and look for white that is shinny. Of course, make sure the body confirmation and patterns are the best you can find.

Growing large koi
If your desire is to pick a fish to grow large then the key is to pick a fish with a strong bone structure. Characteristics to look for are:

1. a long face
2. big mouth
3. big head
4. tall body and
5. strong tail joint.

The strong tail joint allows the fish to swim quickly for the food and to exercise more; making it hungry.

Selecting fish for a private pond
If you just desire to stock your pond for your enjoyment Andrew recommends

1. mixing colors,
2. select a lot of reds
3. have a least one blue fish (e.g. an Asagi)
4. having at least one Chagoi
5. add white and gold to taste and
6. all others to be Gosankes.

A lot of red will help your pond look happy and the Chagoi will be the biggest and friendliest.

Pond equipment for growing koi
Andrew mentioned that a key component to growing fish is the “hardware” you use, i.e. your pond and equipment. He recommends 10% water changes daily, feed the fish 8-10 times a day, maintain a high oxygen level, and have currents in the pond. For water changes Andrew strongly urges that the water added is via a drip system because Koi transportation

When transporting koi, for example to a koi show, stop feeding the koi two days before the transportation. Fill a plastic bag with water up to the koi’s shoulder and fill with oxygen. Tie the bag with a rubber band. There is a technique to tying the rubber band so that it doesn’t snap and fly off when removing it. When returning fish home let the bag set for at least 30 minutes before letting the koi out. Andrew also recommends treating the koi with treatments such as salt as a preventive measure from transporting unwanted parasites or other biological nuisances.

by Andrew Corlett & Blanca Corlett (Nishiki Koi Club members and newsletter editors)

part 1


part 2


part 3

how to grow big koi - 2009 contest

Baby duck feeding koi or is it the lastest in automatic feeders

Tomigai koi food source

Tomigai Koi Food was originally created by Kois and Ponds, Corporation to supply the market with the highest quality Koi food. Formulated in conjunction with the Japanese experts on Koi, this product boasts cutting edge formulation direct from Japan and enjoys the endorsement of such prominent names in the Koi industry such as Sakai, Dainichi, Marudoh, Isa and Tani among many others.