Meeting Notes

May, 2010

Thirty-five attendees came out, less than a week after the Big Spring Auction for the meeting on May 1, 2010. There were 68 items in the auction. The meeting started with a "history lesson" from Gerry Hoffman, chairman of the 50th Anniversary Committee. The club's 50th anniversary will be celebrated next month, June 5th at the D.C. National Aquarium. Gerry gave a power point presentation on the history of the club’s newsletter, Delta Tale.

John Bianchi, the owner of Blue Ribbon Koi in Catharpin, Virginia was the featured speaker. He gave a presentation on "The Elements of the Koi Pond." John is a founding member of the Mid-Atlantic Koi Club (MAKC) and is a member of the Washington Area Marine Aquarist Society (WAMAS). He spent years in restaurant management before going into business with his father, Bob. Together they own a store that specializes in marine aquatics and koi. John described his jump into the koi business as "a hobby gone wild."

John has completed a Koi Health Management Course from the University of Georgia School of Veterinary Medicine and this is a tremendous help in his business. He can scrape fish, prepare slides, and diagnose diseases to determine treatment. This is a plus when dealing with fish that can cost thousands of dollars. The company also constructs koi ponds from 1000 to 20,000 gallons and John has designed a marine aquaculture facility at his store in Catharpin.

John's initial advice to those who wish to build a koi pond is to, "do it right the first time or else it can be a nightmare of a dream." He stressed that many people dig a hole, line the hole with a rubber liner and call it a pond. Indeed, this is a garden pond, but usually is totally unsuitable for koi. John stressed the need to put the koi in the right environment for their health, well-being, and success. One should consider that koi grow upwards of feet and can weigh 20+ pounds at maturity.

Slides were presented that showed koi ponds. One in particular was a 20,000 gallon pool amid a $250,000 landscape. John stressed the importance of gathering information FIRST. He urged people to join a koi club, read books and magazines, talk to professionals, and be careful with what is taken from the internet.

Photo Courtesy: www.blueribbonkoi.com

Pond location is important. The pond should be close to the house where it can be enjoyed, but not near trees. Trees drop pollen and leaves and their roots can interfere with liners. Ponds should be built away from rainwater runoff. Consideration should be made for access to electricity and water, and where the filter will be located. Avoid septic systems, underground utilities and irrigation systems. Budget is also a big consideration. Site modifications can drive costs up when retaining walls are needed or rainwater needs to be rerouted. Occasionally John runs into "surprises" as well, such as the time he ran into an underground spring and had to install sump pumps to divert the spring water away from the pond.

"Don't skimp on the filtration," John emphasized. The budget for filtration includes costs for equipment like bottom drains, liner, the filter, landscaping, utilities, labor, and skimmers. Bottom drains are a must as the koi are large waste producers. The bottom drain leads to the filter, which takes waste out of the pond right away. Clean, wasteless water helps keep the fish healthy.

Depth requirements for koi are often misunderstood. These fish get large and deeper water is better for their success. A minimum of three feet is good for koi, but six feet of depth is even better. Larger koi prefer deeper water. Deeper water provides protection from predators and also from extremes of heat and cold. Also, plants in the pond should be avoided. If plants are desired, a separate area can be constructed for them. Koi like to root around to feed, and plant substrate can quickly muddy the pond.

Photo Courtesy: www.blueribbonkoi.com

Dimensions are key. Build a pond as large as your budget allows. Often people say that they wish they had made their ponds bigger. (Editorial note: The pond often looks smaller after all the rock and landscaping is in place, so go larger from the outset!) Ponds should be no wider than 13 feet as nets typically top out at 8 feet. It can present major problems in netting out fish if the pond is too wide. Perfectly round ponds are generally not attractive in the landscape either. John called them "rock necklaces."

Filter capacity generally dictates cost. Budget can be broken down into varying capacities:

1-2500 gallons
2500 – 5000 gallons
5000 – 10,000 gallons
10,000 + gallons

With a pond of 10,000+ gallons redundant systems are put into place so if a system fails, there is a back up system. "You'll have another system as insurance," John said.

Koi Pond Essentials:

Bottom Drains: Not just for draining the pond, but for a continuous feed to the filter. Bottom drains are plumbed on 2, 3 or 4 inch pipes. John said that the dirtiest water is on the bottom of the pond, so bottom drains are an important component to keeping the water clean and clear.

Skimmers: A skimmer should not be used as the only filter in the pond. Skimmers remove floating debris before sinking and can also remove foam and proteins from the water. The number and size of the skimmers depends on the configuration of the pond. Ideally, skimmers should be located across from a waterfall or in a potentially poor area of circulation.

Vertical Sides: The pond should be built with straight sides and no planting shelves. This eliminates predator wading areas and promotes movement of debris towards bottom drains. The walls of the pond can be hard packed soil, or concrete block.

Aeration: Very important to koi ponds in the summer. Air is essential to fish and bacterial health. Greater than 5 ppm is recommended.

Water pumps: John likes external pumps and likes to see the pond turn over completely every 1 to 2 hours. It is very important to know your pond volume and John uses a water meter when he fills new ponds so he knows the volume, right down to the last gallon.

Filtration: John likes bead filters for mechanical and biological filtration. There is little chemical filtration on ponds, but he occasionally uses carbon to remove staining substances from the water.

Photo: Sherry Mitchell

It is very important to know your water source! Understand what the city or county does to your water and when they do it to keep your fish safe and healthy.

Filter Types:

1. Gravity Fed: Takes up a lot of space outside the pond.
2. Pressurized: John uses these. A pump pushes water through a chamber with mechanical and bio filtration. The filter uses bio beads and it is back washed regularly. He does not recommend a pool sand filter.
3. Trickle Towers: Water is pumped out of the pond to a Bakki Tower through special media, but the tower's are difficult to clean and maintain.

UV Sterilizer: Ultraviolet light kills algae spores and a properly installed and maintained UV sterilizer eliminates green water. UV also kills parasites and bacteria when the flow rate is slowed down. Proper flow rate is important for clarification of the water. The entire pond volume should go through the UV every 1 to 2 hours.

Install the UV after the filter so the water moving through it is clean, and replace the bulb every year. John likes to install the UV fixtures for easy removal in winter.

Valves, check valves, PVC fittings – all of these add up. Black flexible PVC pipe is a life saver and durable!

Water flow: Water flows through bottom drains and the skimmer to a pump basket then the pump pushes the water to the filters where debris is removed. After filtering, the water then moves past the UV bulb and finally is returned to the pond. A settling chamber is occasionally used to allow solids to collect and settle.

When landscaping around the pond, use large rocks. Small rocks get lost in the big picture. Also, using one large piece of liner, as opposed to several pieced-together liner sections is recommended. Rocks are anchored in place with black expanding foam, which helps create a waterproof waterfall as well.

Photo: Sherry Mitchell

Finally, once the pond is installed, the water can be prepared for the fish. The filtration system can be started, and dechlorinator is added to the water to neutralize dangerous chemicals and remove heavy metals. Bacteria like Microb Lift can be added and water tests are be performed. Even well water needs aeration and heavy metals removed. John said, "Chlorine is the number ONE killer of koi!"

Start right with your fish. John recommends that a few "test" fish be added during the first week. He followed by emphasizing the need to test and retest the water for nitrite and ammonia while the filter acclimates. After time, add more fish then continue to, "test, test, test." At 4-6 weeks the filter has achieved a safe level of bioactivity, but John warned that it can take a full year for a filter to fully mature. Add more fish cautiously and test frequently for ammonia, nitrite, total alkalinity, pH, chlorine and salt if needed.

Salt is an important remedy for stress. It reduces osmotic pressure reduces stress, and increases the slime coat on the fish. John recommends treatment in the .1% range.

Fish ponds add life to any garden. They can be a joy if built properly, or a nightmare if steps are skipped. Stay in touch with a qualified fish dealer to troubleshoot problems, and finally, enjoy the pond and the koi!

Submitted by Sherry Mitchell