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Nishikigoi Digest l l

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Growing jumbo Koi, theory and practice (Part 2) - Mike Snaden

Issue 2

October 2013

Azukari

International

The Biggest Koi Show on Earth Holland Koi Show 2013

- to leave or not to leave

1st Vietnam Koi Show

All England Koi Show

International Directory

Yagenji Sanke, 70cm, Yonsai Owned by Jeroen van Keulen Currently Azukari in Japan Photo October 2012

www.Niigata-Nishikigoi.com

The e-zine for the global Koi community

www.facebook.com/nishikigoidigest

On September 6th I was sat in a car on route to Manila Airport with my good friend Mike Hernandez, destination Vietnam, a trip you can read about in this issue.

‘Are you really going to publish Nishikigoi Digest International every month’, Mike asked.

‘Absolutely’, I replied without doubt or question.

That day was the first of around 16 that have been spent on the road during September with trips to Vietnam, Manila (close to home but 4 days away), and Taiwan. Being on the road is essential to give Nishikigoi Digest International its ‘International’ flavour, it doesn’t work hand in hand with getting things such as editing and layout sorted.

Feedback, contribution and suggestions are all very important for the future of Nishikigoi Digest International. I so want to hear from readers about what they want to read about.

The network of contacts we have globally makes it possible for us to investigate and write about pretty much any Koi related subject that you are interested in so please get in contact with us.

It’s disappointing that we accepted several contribution offers for this issue which have failed to materialise. Notwithstanding that i think there is some great content in Issue 2 and I’m extremely grateful to those that have contributed.

Part 1 of Mike Snaden’s ‘Growing Jumbo Koi’ interview created some ‘deep’ conversation on discussion forums around the world, in this issue we conclude with part 2.

With harvest season upon us ‘azukari’ is perhaps never more a timely topic, whether you have a Koi awaiting harvest, or whether you are buying a Koi with a view to leave it in Japan.

We have several show articles in this issue, one thing that I go on and on about is the lack of judges feedback on show winners. This issue we have the words of Mike Harvey, judge at both the NVN and All England Shows giving his appreciation of the champions.

Of course, Issue 3 is the ‘Harvest Issue’. I can’t really tell you the contents because I simply don’t know. For sure we’ll bring you the shows in Niigata, thereafter the harvest season in words, but rather more in pictures. You won’t want to miss it, that’s for sure.

Mark Gardner

mark@justkoi.co.uk

Welcome to Issue 2 of Nishikigoi Digest International Contents: (click to go to article of interest)

Growing Jumbo Koi, theory and practice (Part 2) - Mike Snaden

Page 3

Azukari - to leave or not to leave

Page 14

1st Vietnam Koi Show

Page 26

The Biggest Koi Show on Earth - Holland Koi Show 2013

Page 35

All England Koi Show

Page 47

International Directory

Page 57

Growing Jumbo Koi Theory and Practice

Growing Jumbo Koi - Mike Snaden NDI – We touched on water temperature a little earlier. Can you give us an idea of what you consider your ideal temperature regime would be?

Mike – I don’t think there is any point trying to heat the Koi to any kind of temperature in winter, and there’s certainly no point in feeding the fish in winter, unless you’re at 19 degrees or more the fish aren’t going to grow anyway. However, if you keep the water temperature during winter months at say 15 degrees the fish will lose quite significant weight.

Most breeders tend to keep their fish at 12° C in the winter months, literally from the time they are harvested at the end of October or beginning of November through until the following April, and they’ll keep those fish indoors and they won’t feed the fish at all. At 12° C sure the fish will lose a little bit of body weight but they won’t lose any significant amount of body weight so it’s quite easy for them to put it back on again.

You can go lower in winter, you can drop it down to maybe 7-8° C no problem at all but I think if you are going to go that low you need to know that the fish are in extremely good shape health wise and parasite wise before you drop it that low.

Interview with Mike Snaden - Part 2

As far as summer temperatures go what I usually try and recommend doing is to get up to let’s say 20 degrees, something like that,

by May time and then if by the end of June

you were up around 22-23° C start feeding a summer growth type of amount of food if you like but it’s important I think not to overfeed the fish early in the summer because I think if you feed them too much too early all the fish do is make eggs and get fat and the problem with that is that when you get through into the main growth months, which is really August onwards, if the fish are too fat in those months then you find yourself not actually feeding as much as the fish really could be utilising for growth because you are worried about them being too fat. So, I think it’s better to go very very steady through that first part of summer with that 23 degrees and then August onwards you can literally pretty much double the amount of food you feed them and really start getting serious growth out of the fish, I think that’s a much better regime. I think really your optimum summer growth temperature is going to be 23-24° C, some people heat higher than that but I think the problem you’ve got with that is that with big fish, the metabolism with those is such that if you start heating them to say 26 or 27° C the fish have a much lower appetite, basically because their gills aren’t so efficient at getting the oxygen out of the water and the oxygen levels are lower, so effectively the fishes growth metabolism goes up so they grow faster if you like but they won’t eat so much food so if the water is too hot the growth is too fast and the fish don’t eat enough food so consequently you can’t get the body on the fish, so I think 23 or 24° C is really where you’d want to be.

NDI – Lots of people that read this interview

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Growing Jumbo Koi - Mike Snaden won’t have the same climate as in the UK, for example people in countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. This may be a difficult question for you to answer simply because you’ve no experience of doing it, for the people in those countries where daily temperatures of 30° C are normal, if you were them would you still be trying to manage the temperatures as you’ve explained above?

Mike – I would but the trouble is, like you say Mark, some of those countries don’t really have a winter so I think it can be difficult to raise fish and keep them big and youthful, it’s feasible but it’s just difficult. What I know some hobbyists are doing, certainly in Indonesia and I would imagine other places as well, is putting chiller units on their ponds to cool the temperature down but I think perhaps you’ve got to be a relatively wealthy Koi keeper to be keeping fish in that manner because I don’t think those units are cheap to buy, or to run, so it’s kind of difficult. I don’t really envy people in hot countries, as much as our climate is not great and it costs a lot to heat the fish at the end of the day it’s easy for us to choose what the fish temperatures are going to be whereas in some of these other countries there’s not an awful lot they can do about it.

NDI - Again something we touched on briefly earlier, feeding. Your main feeding period starts in May after a period of fasting?

Mike – Yes, towards the end of May is when I start feeding.

NDI – And what sort of percentages are you

talking about when you start feeding and what kind of food are you using?

Mike – I’ve never actually calculated and done it on body weight but 2% of bodyweight per day is the norm. With young Koi such as tosai it’s possible to use a little more than that, perhaps 2.5%, and with jumbo Koi they are a lot lazier in their eating habits so with bigger fish you’d be looking more like 1.5% of bodyweight per day. What I tend to do personally is feed the fish with a general kind of feel for what I’ve fed in previous years with a rate that I think is about just right and then just observe the fish week on week and if I think they are putting on too much weight then I ease off on the food and if I think they’re not carrying enough weight then I increase the amount of food that I’m giving. It’s not a scientific way of doing it but it seems to work reasonably well for me. I think it’s quite easy to a degree to overfeed fish, particularly young fish, so in that regard it’s probably better to stick to the 2% or 2.5% daily feed rates because what you’ll find, if you actually overfeed small fish, or any fish for that matter, obviously they get too fat, that’s one problem, but it’s quite easy to raise young fish and overfeed them on a daily basis. When you first get them they eat a lot but what happens is that if you’re overfeeding after a few days they start to eat a lot less and then you find yourself thinking the fish are fussy eaters and they’re just not eating enough whereas in reality you just trying to overfeed them and that’s why uneaten food is floating around all the time.

Above and below, this hobbyist in Indonesia utilises large air conditioning units to cool the pond’s water.

NDI – A question I often get asked is ‘what food do the breeders feed?’ I know there is no definitive answer to that, breeders will use lots of Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Growing Jumbo Koi - Mike Snaden different types of food depending on the type of Koi, and brand preference. For you personally what food are you using as a general rule?

Mike - Lately I’ve been using FD food. I think ultimately I would like to be using Saki Hikari but it’s the same scenario as it is for a lot of breeders, they’d also like to feed Saki Hikari to everything but they can’t really afford to so it’s kind of a tricky one.

Above and below, Mike’s Koi feeding, on this occasion they were being fed with FD Foods pellets.

Personally I think most Japanese foods are actually pretty good, the ones that are actually made in Japan.

I don’t think that you can go far wrong with those because the Japanese manufacturers are not just giving food out to a bunch of hobbyists to get on with it and then putting the food into production. What the Japanese companies are doing, and I’m sure you’re aware of this yourself Mark, is to sell the food to a certain breeder who will trial it for quite a while and during the course of that the breeder will report back to the food company and say ‘well OK, the fish are doing OK with this’, or perhaps they’ll say, ‘my fish are getting too fat with it’, or ‘the body types too weak in the tail tube’.

Various different things they’ll report back with and the food companies will try to continually keep on tweaking and adjusting the recipe until the breeder’s happy with it. Because of that I think the food companies in Japan have got a whole lot more understanding than companies outside of Japan that basically manufacture something that they think is a pretty close replica of a food that they regard as being good but in reality the problem being is that you might find your fish in the first year you feed it are fine, and maybe in the 2nd year you think they are fine as well, but when you are trying to grow this fish through to jumbo you might end up with a fish that effectively, after 6 years of feeding with that certain brand of food the body type is actually not

too good and you might even find yourself looking at the fish and thinking ‘well it’s too fat, the tail tube’s too weak’ or whatever and maybe the fish was no good to start, but in reality the food that you’ve raised that fish on tirelessly for 6 years is actually no good. So, personally I think, for me it’s just got to be Japanese foods.

NDI – OK, with regards to the specific type of food, are you feeding a growth food, colour food, a mix, wheatgerm, what do you prefer?

Mike – I don’t like too high protein. I think high protein food is OK for young Koi like fry or tosai. I think young fry can utilise much higher protein levels than older fish can. For me I think somewhere from 35 through to 40% is about right for generally raising fish and with those kind of protein levels it’s easier to feed the fish and get it right as it were. I think if the protein is too high you end up with some fish that will grow quite easy and some fish will just get too fat too easily. I think it’s hard to control what goes on with the whole pond environment with a food that is too high in protein.

I tend to use a fishmeal base food with some colour ingredient in there, or a certain amount of colour food mixed in it, and I think for me that’s about right. I’m not really interested in wheatgerm food but that’s really just my preference, at the end of the day I think that fish need to be fed very much on a fish meal based food.

NDI – Lots of people consider wheatgerm food as the starter food for the season for example. Is that something you agree with or perhaps just a marketing ploy or a bit of a fallacy?

Mike – I think it’s very easy for fish to digest wheatgerm Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Growing Jumbo Koi - Mike Snaden food so I think yes, starting off in the early part of spring or summer it’s not a bad thing as it’s easy for the fish to deal with it and utilise that food but I wouldn’t personally be inclined to feed it beyond that. What I do think it’s good for is conditioning fish for shows because at the end of the day you’ll find that using very low protein food, or wheatgerm food, you’ll get much better skin condition on the fish. So, if you’re trying to prepare fish for Koi shows in that instance I think that wheatgerm food is quite a good move because it will allow the skin, particularly the skin on the face of the fish, to brighten up a lot compared to higher protein food which, let’s face it, when you’re feeding fish through the summer months quite heavily the skin of the fish can go out of condition really easily, it’s quite common to see fish that are kind of quite yellowy skinned or very muddy skinned. Personally I don’t think that’s a problem because it’s something that’s quite easy to address. If you’ve got a Koi show coming up, or likewise going into winter, you can stop feeding those fish and because there’s no real loading on the kidneys or anything the fish actually brightens up, effectively the fish is kind of in detox mode when you stop feeding it.

NDI – We spoke at the beginning about pond systems, pond size and depth. In terms of the full system can you explain your ideal system in terms of filtration etc?

Mike – You’ve got to firstly start with the footprint that you’ve got available. Let’s just say for argument’s sake you’ve looked at your garden and you’ve worked out you can get a 30ton pond in there. Then you have to look at the the pond, say OK, the pond is going to be 30tons, stick to, as we’ve talked about before, the 1.5m depth as a maximum. Ideally I would say 1.3 or 1.5m is where you want to be but, assuming you’ve got that pond of 30tons, what you’ve then got to look at is turnover rate and dynamics of the pond.

What I would say is that if you’ve got a 30 ton pond, or whatever pond you build, I really think you need to turn the pond over every hour in order to make good water, I don’t mean good parameters, I mean water that’s a really good eco-system for the pond, that’s very much alive with bacteria. So, with that in mind, if you just said OK then the pond’s 30 ton it’s going to be turned over at 30,000 litres per hour that then is going to determine your bottom drains. Personally I think if you’re going to run anything less than 15 or 18,000 litres per hour you’re going to start to perhaps suffer with issues of settlement in the bottom drain and that is the worst thing you can do. When you build a pond you’ve got to look at the dynamics and basically keep all of your pipework clear and clean all the time. So, whenever you build a pond don’t look at the pond design and say OK this pond is let’s say 12m long and 4m wide and decide from that you need 3 bottom drains, what you’ve got to look at is the dynamics of it. So, if you’ve got a 30,000 litre intended turnover rate basically, if the pipework runs are not too long and kept nice and simple, you should be able to rig a pond up so you’ve got 2 bottom drains in there with 25,000litres per hour of flow with let’s say 4-5” of head loss on the pipework but the one thing you can be sure of, with the head loss on there the bottom drains will stay clear all the time. So that’s really the most important thing I think with any pond when you come to think about building it is keeping those bottom drain runs clear.

Above and below, Mike believes that getting the bottom drains right is crucial for a succesful pond design and that getting it wrong risks waste matter settling in the pipework.

Personally I think it’s incredibly bad if you build a pond whereby you allow settlement to occur in any of the pipework anywhere in the system, it’s got to be clean.

Beyond that you’ve got to look at filtration. I’m not a big fan of mechanical filtration, or should I say pressurised filtration, because to my mind what you’ve got effectively is something very similar to a big teabag whereby you’re Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Growing Jumbo Koi - Mike Snaden using beads or sand to physically trap the waste and then once you’ve trapped the waste you’re forcing water through it. Therefore any component of that waste that is biologically decomposing is being dissolved into the water and adding to the TDS levels and also discolouring the water. That’s just something that I’m really not a big fan of.

I’m also not a fan of excessive aeration for the same reason we spoke about earlier. I think you need to maintain an O2 saturation of say 80%+ so then you know that if you have issues with weather or power failures everything is OK but I don’t think it’s good to go excessively beyond those levels because at the end of the day you could put 10 times the amount of aeration in there and only get 2% more O2 saturation anyway which personally I think is a wasted effort.

NDI – The system you have running here, you had a blank canvas to build that pond and chose to run ProfiDrum and Bakki Shower. Given you could have chosen any system to run, what was your rationale to choosing that system?

Mike – For that particular system what I wanted to try and recreate was the optimum conditions for trying to raise fish jumbo, the reason being that really more than half the fish that are in that pond already belong to people and a lot of those owners are actually overseas and they are people with big dreams and, because they’ve got big dreams, I’ve got to make sure that those dreams and hopes become realised as often as possible. So, I wanted to produce a Koi pond that was basically not only perfect in terms of dynamics and filtration but also a good ecosystem for the fish. So, what I opted for there was a pond of 38 tons, which is 8500 gallons, using 3 bottom drains running a total turnover rate of about 83tons per hour, so effectively that’s about 210% per hour turnover rate with about 27,000 litres on average per hour per bottom drain.

When I first went into the ProfiDrums I went to the Holland Show in search of what I thought was the best drum filter I could get for my own use, at the time I wasn’t intending to sell them, and after looking at all the various manufacturers that I could find someone else actually recommended to me that I go and chat to the guys at ProfiDrum and consequently that ended up being the route with it. The idea I like with it is that the waste from the bottom drain goes into the drum filter and effectively gets removed from the system before it gets chance to decompose. Every 1020 minutes the screen then cleans itself and that waste goes straight off down the drain so you’re then putting water over the showers that is really already very clean in so far as the waste hasn’t started adding to the TDS levels.

If you’ve got a pond that’s already very biologically heavily loaded whereby you’re actually physically having to use bacteria to break down the waste it will use a lot more KH, add a lot more to TDS levels and also GH levels so the balance between all the water parameters becomes a lot more difficult to manage. What I figured with the drum filters, the waste is getting taken out of the system before it decomposes and then there’s a lot less waste to be dealt with by the actual Bakki Showers so therefore the showers aren’t using, or aren’t creating, so much acid by-products so they’re not consuming so much KH and also are not adding so much to the GH or TDS levels.

I went for showers on that particular pond because I wanted to use a system that I’ve been using now for 10 or 11 years because to my mind there are so many advantages with it because of O2 saturation, gas desaturation if you like, or gases being released, and also because none of this is happening with any pressure, it’s all kind of finding its own equilibrium because of the water being able to tumble over the media so freely, so there’s no pressurisation of Above, the Profidrum installed on Mike’s pond, note the anything there. Of course, I think with the showers, if they submerged UV light, Mike is a firm believer that UV lights should are degassing, then you need to get rid of the air around be installed in settlement chambers.

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Growing Jumbo Koi - Mike Snaden them so I think the showers need to be able to breathe properly and be ventilated properly so you don’t find yourself in a situation whereby gases are being broken down and released by the media but effectively getting dissolved back into the water again because the showers can’t breathe properly, so I think this is also important.

NDI – So in your Bakki Showers you are using genuine Bacteria House media?

Mike – Personally I wouldn’t use anything else because what I’ve found, and I’ve actually got here 3 copies of Bacteria House, and none of them are the same. If you took a picture of it and put it on a website people might think ‘oh yeah it’s Bacteria House’ but if you come to use it it’s very different in so far as none of the materials are as hard as Bacteria House. One of those 3 copies in particular, if you put it into a system and it’s only in there for let’s say a week it’s clearly not been fired properly or it’s not a proper ceramic because that media you can then take out and you can literally break it in one hand which you can’t do with Bacteria House. Bacteria House is a ceramic, it’s not something that’s made up of minerals that will get dissolved by low KH levels and things like that, it won’t get dissolved by acids in the pond. Bacteria House, basically after you’ve run it for 10 years you can take it out of the system and use it in another system if you want, it’s not something that wears and becomes disposable. The other thing I’ve also found with it is that Bacteria House is, compared to the copies, a lot more porous, the pores are bigger but also one easy way to see that is to actually literally put it up to your mouth, like a mouth organ, and try and blow through it. None of the copies have got that same kind of porosity, there’s no way you can blow through it in the same manner. The problem I think is that if the pores are too small like on the copy medias, or alternative medias, that people use, what happens is after a few months the

water doesn’t physically pass through the media anymore because basically it’s become kind of jellified and bunged up in the middle. You then run the risk of creating a bacterial disaster if you like by running that media, whereas with the proper Bacteria House the water does manage to soak and permeate all the way through the media, it won’t actually stay in there and block up and I think that anyone that’s ever run the systems can attest to the fact that if they take any piece of media out at any stage during the system’s life and broken that media open it smells fresh, it looks fresh there is no blocking up going on in there and that’s something you just won’t find with any of the copies that are out there.

NDI – The new pond system we’ve discussed has been running here for around 12 months now?

Mike – In actual fact in September 2013 it will be 2 years.

NDI – Is the system still running as it was designed originally or have you changed anything?

Above, the ProfiDrum and 2 sets of Bakki Showers are installed in a seperate room behind the pond keeping them out of sight.

Below, 2 Flowfriend pumps deliver a turnover of 82,000-83,000 litres per hour for just 600w power usage.

Mike – The only changes I’ve done to it, of course I’ve been playing around and watching the parameters really closely, but basically it’s running as it was in the beginning, the turnover rate is slightly higher than what I was originally intending, I was intending for it to be 38 tons with a turnover rate of approximately 70 tons or 72 tons per hour.

What I found was the bottom drains were working more efficiently than I imagined they would so I found myself being able to up that turnover rate to sort of 82-83,000 litres per hour and that’s using about 600w in total for the 2 pumps. As far as changes go the only actual change I’ve done is to put in more extractor fans where the Bakki Showers are in order to help them keep breathing properly, basically because of what I said earlier regarding gas levels building up in the filter house and getting re-dissolved into Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Growing Jumbo Koi - Mike Snaden is this something you would offer as an ideal system?

Mike – Personally I think yes, the system is a massive overkill. By that I mean effectively we’ve got a pond that’s 2 tons smaller running outside with half the number of Bakki Showers and that systems not half as good, the difference between the 2 ponds is kind of incremental really, the outside pond which we’ve got which has half the number of Bakki Showers, and a lesser turnover, sure the water’s not as good, but the new one is not twice as good. Parameter wise it quantifies as being perhaps 10% better on paper as it were. But I have no doubt that the higher turnover rate makes it a better performing system and a better eco-system for the fish irrespective of what the parameters are.

Above, Mike’s pond provides an incredibly tranquil environment. With no in pond aeration, and sub surface Bakki Shower return weirs there is almost no surface disturbance whatsoever. Also, because the showers and ProfiDrum are housed behind a concrete block wall, effectively in a room of their own, there is almost no running noise whatsoever. The Koi also seem to appreciate this, they glide around the pond in a very relaxed manner, when feeding they do so very calmly just rising to casually take pellets from the pond’s surface.

the water so I put plenty of fans in there to ensure there’s plenty of aeration to help the showers degass properly.

The other thing I have trialled is using an air curtain on there to see how that affects the condition of the fish but, after running it for a couple of months now I’ve actually

reverted back, as I thought I would, to not using any aeration at all, for me it just seems to work better that way.

NDI – For any hobbyist out there looking to build a pond

As far as parameters go I look at a lot of parameters, I don’t just look at ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and hardness, I also look at components of the hardness because one thing that’s important to me is to understand what’s going on within the whole system. At the end of the day if you’re trying to chase low TDS levels and keep those differential levels between raw water and pond water as small as possible I think you need to know what’s contributing to the TDS levels in the pond. There’s about 14 parameters I test on a regular basis just to see and keep a track on where those parameters are going and one thing that I’ve found is that the main component within the food that adds to the TDS level is actually calcium. Basically the food is pretty rich in calcium and it seems that the food, even when you are running a pond with particularly soft water and low TDS, there’s an awful lot of calcium in the food which the fish just can’t utilise so they excrete it as waste. Specifically I think that’s the one key component that an over stocked pond will suffer with, a complete rise in calcium levels, especially if the pond is overstocked, overfed and under maintained.

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Growing Jumbo Koi - Mike Snaden In the western world everyone puts UV lights after the pumps. What people tend to do, when designing a filter system, they go into a settlement chamber, they go through a biological system and then they go through their pumps and through heat exchangers and UVs and that kind of thing and I think that’s a really bad thing to do because, assuming that your pond filter is any good and it’s actually making a good ecosystem, you need that water to go back to the pond alive. I think anyone that’s been to Japan will have noticed that the breeders have got UV lights over settlement chambers and they are doing that for a reason, that reason being is that waste that settles in settlement chambers basically starts to create and release bacteria into the water from the moment that waste stops there in the settlement and the last thing you want is for that bacteria to then go straight through the rest of the system and reproduce in the whole pond. The UV needs to be over the settlement so all of that festering waste in the settlement is getting hit by the UV all the time and then, after that you then go through your biological bays and back to the pond because then, with any luck your waste is creating bad bacteria whilst it’s in settlement, the UV is trying to deal with that to keep it relatively healthy, the biological bays can then concentrate on making water that’s biologically really nice and very much alive with bacteria and then that bacteria can also go back to the pond and keep the pond alive as it were and I think that’s much much better.

I think one of the worst things people can do is put a UV system after the filtration, I think it’s a big mistake.

NDI – I think the general reason for people doing that is a belief that it’s the cleanest water and therefore it won’t make the quartz sleeve get dirty and if the quartz sleeve gets dirty the UV will stop working.

Mike – Yes, it is the cleanest water, but it will also make

the most sterile water and I think that sterile water for raising Koi is just no good, the water’s got to be alive, it’s got to be an ecosystem. To put the UV over a settlement chamber you can do it in such a way that you can buy a conventional UV and make a lampshade of sorts for it and suspend it over your settlement bay. Of course you need to make sure it’s safe and you’re not actually physically looking at it all day long but it’s very easy to make it so the UV is shining down into the settlement area and consequently keeping it healthy and allowing your filters to produce good water and good bacteria and make the pond abundant in that.

NDI – Talking of sterile water, around the world people are using things like ozone on Koi ponds, what are your thoughts on those systems?

Mike – You’ve just struck on something else that I’m not particularly fond of, personally I think people worry too much about ozone levels. The way I see it, ozone to me is something which is quite a potentially dangerous thing to play around with, but also the way I feel about this is that if you’ve got fish that have been properly quarantined and are basically free from bacterial issues they should really stay free of bacterial issues in a pond that’s of a decent design and consequently to my mind you don’t really need to put ozone on there. The other theory of my own really is that if you are in a situation where you are using ozone to actually oxidise organic levels in the pond you’re not just oxidising organics, that ozone level that’s being put into the pond is oxidising everything indiscriminately, and to my mind this includes the fishes colour, and I think you’ve got to consider the fishes colour as being a living organism in its own right, these pigment cells are literally a living creature that live on the fish and if you consider it that way you look at it slightly differently. The way I see it is that it’s kind of similar in

a way, I think ozone in a way kind of attacks the colour and makes the colour kind of harden up but also makes it become thin so I think that colour doesn’t really last so long on a fish that’s been kept in an environment with high ORP levels and the way I see it is that is you look at let’s say a mudpond, and one thing I’ve done is a lot of testing of ORP levels in mudponds in Japan. None of the ponds we run here run above 200mV of ORP and the fish generally speaking keep pretty good colour condition long term no problem at all. I wouldn’t encourage a low ORP but I certainly wouldn’t want to make it high either, what I mean by that is a mud pond typically I’ve found is generally on average 100mV of ORP level and what you’ve got to think about, and this is always something I try and explain to people, is that a new mudpond is an environment for keeping Koi and it really is quite a volatile one and any breeder will say that if they build a new mud pond they’ll never put good fish in their in the first year because at the end of the day any breeder that knows what he’s doing will realise that fish never actually do very well in the first year, or the subsequent 2nd year, and it’s not really until the 3rd year onwards that mudponds start to actually work properly and the reason for that being is that what you’ve got effectively is very very heavily decomposed fish waste that’s in the bottom of the mudpond that kind of makes that sediment or silt but it’s not the same as fish waste that’s built up in a vortex. Fish waste that gets built up in a vortex and stays there too long rots and bacteria can’t get to it but in the mudpond it very different because the fish waste in relation to the surface are on the pond bottom is so small and when that fish waste hits the bottom of the pond the bacteria then work on it and break it down so thoroughly that it almost becomes very much like sinking mud sort of like you’d find in the sea as it were, it’s very similar to that. What I’ve found is that that mud that’s in the bottom of the pond is very much the same as what facial clays are made of, like Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Growing Jumbo Koi - Mike Snaden anti oxidising clays and I think that what you’ve got there effectively is anti-oxidising facial clays. Basically these are clays that have a negative ORP and it is literally a case of anti-oxidising, I think that the mud pond, any pond that’s mature, the fish do well in there because you’ve effectively got an anti-oxidising environment for the fish, or basically a pond that’s very clean and healthy but doesn’t run a particularly high ORP level because of that negative ORP in the clay at the bottom and I think this is part of the magic of why mudponds work so well. So, for that measure if you like, personally I don’t get hung up on ORP levels on my own pond, I’m interested to know what they are but I’m certainly not interested in trying to raise those ORP levels. I try to get clean water by justifying it being low in TDS, not high in ORP. It’s easy to say, well OK the ORP is low we’ll lift the ORP up by using potassium permanganate but at the end of the day you can oxidise all your organics in the pond using potassium but you can still have a high TDS level afterwards so I don’t think there is any point in dressing up your ORP levels in order to deem your water as being clean, you’re much better off using conductivity or TDS levels to determine it’s clean.

NDI – Just to give people some idea of the numbers that are being achieved in the main pond here, what sort of growth rates have you achieved so far?

Mike – There are fish that have been in that pond, they’ve not been in there so long as yet because the pond is quite new, one is 5 years old and about 83cm, but there are quite a few sansai that came in as tosai that are 70cm+ that are in there now. So far I’m quite happy with it but my long term aim with that particular pond is to use it as a tool whereby in a few years time people will come here and they’ll see fish of 85-90cm and hopefully beyond and look at those fish and be able to say ‘wow’ and consequently hopefully they’ll turn around and ask when

those fish came into the country and how did they get so big, and I can then turn round and explain it’s not such a big deal but if you concentrate and work on making good water you too can achieve the same thing, that’s the reason for trying to inspire people with a pond that hopefully is performing as well in the future as it has so far.

NDI – One thing many hobbyists talk about, certainly when I talk to people in Indonesia and the Philippines, are issues with maintaining the colour on Koi. In some cases I’m sure this is simply down to the fish being wrong to start with, other times people suggest it’s a temperature problem, the fact their pond is naturally too hot, the fish grow so quickly so easily and lose colour, and another thing that perhaps contributes to loss of pigmentation is lack of natural light. How do you consider those aspects in terms of maintaining colour?

Mike – I think it’s really important to keep the temperature and levels of light in keeping with each other, and I think this is also one reason for giving fish a proper winter. If you think about it, as far as the UK is concerned, during our winter months we don’t really get as much daylight, the day time is usually pretty cloudy, and if you try to use elevated temperatures and keep your fish growing at the end of the day they are not going to get enough light to keep that colour thriving so you are going to end up with fish whereby the colour is going to look really weak and washed out. Really you’ve also got to apply the same theory in the summer, if you’re raising fish in the summer you’ve got to think about whether the fish are getting enough light. You don’t want them getting too much sunlight because that will kind of age the colour too much and vice-versa if the fish aren’t getting enough light you need to think about trying to supplement the light a little bit, maybe with

things like metal halide lighting, something like that, it won’t save anything from losing colour but it will kind of help a little bit if you are in a bit of a compromised situation. In Indonesia and other countries like that, like you say, they do suffer a lot with the colour not keeping on the fish, and I think a large part of that is to do with the temperatures being too hot and the fish getting too much sun, the colour’s aging too quickly and then you get an awful lot of teri weakness with the fish because the colours not got a chance to rejuvenate and catch up, which is one advantage you will get with the winter months. I think with fish that are wintered it’s so much easier to keep them looking youthful once they get big.

But, obviously you have to think how you are raising the fish during the summer months to make sure they do get big if you are then going to winter them properly. So lighting is important and in this regard I think it’s better as well to make sure the fish are getting a lot of light. It’s better to get morning light than afternoon light on them because, although the afternoon light is good for getting the temperature up, it’s also a little bit more intense and runs more of a risk of doing colour damage to the fish. At the end of the day if you’ve got a pond that’s getting full sun all day long the fish really have got nowhere to go, they’ve got nowhere to hide from it. If you’re in a situation where your pond is getting full sun all day long what you need to try and think about is shading it in such a way that, let’s say at 1 or 2pm, they start to get some shade. If half the pond is shaded, because the fish aren’t entirely stupid, provided you don’t put your auto feeder out in the sun so it drags the fish out into the sunny area, the fish will predominantly try and stay in the shaded area if it’s too hot and sunny for them. It’s better to give the fish the option of knowing what’s best for it.

NDI – One thing connected to the growing of Koi which I’m asked about a lot in various parts of the world Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Growing Jumbo Koi - Mike Snaden is the pushing Koi too hard in terms of growth and development. We’ve seen breeders in Japan who’ve gone to the point that it was a big deal that this was a 70cm nisai etc., but now everyone seems to have pulled back because it was making fish too weak, because it was overloading organs and the fish generally weren’t strong enough and you get to 3 or 4 years old and the fish just go belly up and die. For people in a tropical climate where they can feed all year do you think there is a danger that hobbyists could do just that and grow fish too quickly?

enough and not too quick, providing you’re just allowing them to grow and not forcing them and I think there’s a big difference between those two.

Mike – Yes, I do subscribe to the theory that much as people in these climates can grow fish easily and have a lot of fun with the fish I think also the success rate doesn’t really work hand in hand with that. They can grow fish really quickly but also get a much higher failure rate, they can get fish like you say but they look old and haggard if you like because they’ve not got any winter months to rejuvenate and I think, in some regards, in days gone by breeders were trying to push for tosai that were 40cm+ or even 50cm+ and a lot of breeders have now realised in the last few years that they actually ruin an awful lot of fish trying to get them that big and consequently they’ve also kind of come to the conclusion that in actual fact pushing those fish an extra 10cm as tosai doesn’t necessarily mean when the fish get jumbo they are going to get any bigger or grow any quicker. And a lot of these breeders have realised that the success rate of fish, or jumbo tosai, worth keeping is much much higher if they are raised in a slow manner. I think as you’ve already suggested Mark, a lot of breeders I think do have a lot of issues whereby if they raise fish really big as tosai and then end up with 70cm nisai the fatality rate if you like of those fish not getting as old or as big as they should I think is particularly high. To me, hitting 80cm as 5 years old and then carrying on beyond that is plenty quick

Mike – Yes you’re right, and you do need the right bloodlines, the right genetics and a breeder with the right kind of business model and then you’ve got to hunt down the fish that are good examples for that breeder.

It’s no good choosing tosai from a breeder of say 35cm and the dealer is saying ‘these fish are jumbo tosai’ when in reality all of the breeders’ best ones are all sort of 40 or 45cm, chances are those ones that are 35cm basically aren’t going to make the grade size wise and that’s why the breeder’s getting rid of them and sold them off to the dealer at a better price. So I think you need to know whatever fish you buy, whether it’s tosai or nisai, they’ve got to be on par for what they should be at that age from that breeder. So I guess in that regard a lot of it comes down to trust of the breeder or dealer concerned, or you own experience of how you should grow fish from that breeder.

NDI – Just a last point really and to bring what I think’s been a very interesting conversation to an end, what most people are under the wrong impression about is that there are 85cm Koi swimming all over Japan, 85cm anywhere in the world is a big fish and therefore it’s important for hobbyists to be realistic with their objectives of what they can achieve.

Want to see more of Mike’s pond? Check out the video at: https://vimeo.com/69961594

Above, Mike searching for jumbo tosai Kohaku at Takigawa Koi Farm, Hiroshima.

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Azukari

To Leave or Not To Leave

Azukari - To Leave or Not to Leave You may have heard the phrase ‘azukari’ written in books and magazines, quite probably you heard Koi referred to as being ‘azukari’ somewhere on the Internet.

For many hobbyists having a Koi that is ‘azukari’ is something of dream, for others it’s a source of disbelief.

The Japanese word ‘azukari’ literally translates as ‘under custody’ or ‘under supervision’. In the instance of Koi it means a fish that is left in the care of the breeder or dealer in Japan.

In this article we’ll look at some of the reasons why someone would purchase a Koi, invariably an expensive Koi, perhaps even just from a photograph, leave it in Japan and then allow it to be placed into a ‘natural’ mud pond for 3 months of the year.

We’ll also look at some of the reasons why you might want to reconsider your ‘dream’ of leaving a Koi in Japan.

It is unquestionable that for many hobbyists having a Koi growing in Japan has an element of ‘excitement’, a thrill, a bragging right and certainly a talking point with both other Koi keepers and non Koi keepers, the latter are probably equally amazed that you would spend so much on a fish, put it in a plastic bag, and ship it 1000’s of miles from Japan in the first place.

Apart from bragging rights there are of course many other benefits, or perceived benefits, from leaving a Koi with a breeder in Japan.

Contributors: Jeroen van Keulen, Mike Snaden, Gary Smith and Tim Waddington

It must be said that for the majority of Koi being offered for sale at any given time of the year there is simply no value to leaving them in Japan as azukari. Many a time a breeder will politely suggest that you are better off shipping the

Koi and growing it yourself. Does this mean the Koi you are looking at is junk? No, of course not, but mudpond space is at a premium, certainly for larger Koi, the breeder may not believe that the Koi would benefit from being left under their care. They may not want to take the risk of something going wrong and having an unhappy customer the following harvest season.

Perhaps the number 1 reason for leaving a Koi to grow in Japan is because it has a chance of competing at Koi shows in the future. Of course, once a Koi has left Japan then there is no going back, however well it may have developed or grown in your own pond. If your goal is to compete in Japanese Koi shows then you can of course buy the ‘finished article’ and enter it, shipping it soon after, or alternatively you buy something with ‘show potential’ and leave it in the care of the breeder for maybe 1, 2 or however many years that potential will take to deliver.

There is often much talk of the magic of the mudponds and for many this is an overriding reason to want to leave a Koi in Japan under the care of the breeder. As hobbyists and professionals’ knowledge and understanding of keeping Koi develops the world over there are many who believe that mudponds can be equaled or bettered by a good quality concrete pond. Indeed, many top end Koi in Japan are grown exclusively in concrete ponds as they get older, the concrete pond offering a more controlled environment without the not inconsiderable risks that come with a mudpond.

It is important to consider that a Koi left as azukari will enjoy the mudpond for perhaps just 4 months maximum in any 12 month period. Should you purchase a Koi in October or November the Koi will then spend the winter in a relatively heavily stocked concrete pond with minimal, if any food, and a water temperature of perhaps 10oC. Not Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Azukari - To Leave or Not to Leave until May the following year will the Koi be transferred to the mud pond (for which you’ve paid between 20,000 and 100,000 yen ‘azukari’ fee). A couple of weeks after being placed there it will get fed, and it will enjoy the ‘high life’ until September when the food will be cut in preparation of the autumn harvest.

Unfortunately the ‘high life’ in the mudpond isn’t always quite so great, the mudpond ‘summer camp’ comes with a whole host of risks and dangers.

Above and below, Koi happily swimming in mudponds throughout the summer growing period.

First off there are the predators, several types of birds including herons and cormorants can be found hunting in mudponds.

There are bears which may or may not be able to catch a Koi. Then there is the weather, too hot and the Koi won’t eat enough.

If there is not enough rain then the mud pond water will not be ‘refreshed’ and start to go off. July, August and September are typhoon season. Heavy rains can, and have been known to, break the banks of mudponds, washing them and their contents away in landslides.

Other problems may also occur such as unidentified parasites or accidental spawnings due to a misplaced male resulting in a pond full of hungry fry.

Above and below, predators are just one of the dangers that threaten Koi left in Japan as azukari.

Of course, these risks are not new, they are the same risks that the Japanese have contended with for generations as Koi breeders.

For any hobbyist of dealer there is surely nothing that beats the magical moment of lifting your own Koi from the murky waters of a mudpond on a chilly autumn morning and seeing the skin glow before you knowing that the Koi has grown and developed well.

We asked several industry professionals for their thoughts and experience of leaving Koi in Japan as azukari.

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Jeroen van Keulen Koicentrum van Keulen, Holland NDI - What are your reasons for leaving Koi as azukari in Japan?

Jeroen - In the past I left Koi as azukari because it was exciting and because in my mind mudponds were miracle ponds where every fish would get better and I thought it was impossible to get the same result as the breeders did in their mudponds! Now I know better! Getting the fish to our indoor facility gives a lot less risk and we get similar or even better growth as the fish in the mudponds. So now I only leave koi in Japan on customer request or because I have the intention to use them on Japanese koi shows NDI - What are the benefits of leaving a Koi in Japan to be grown?

Jeroen - That you can enter your fish in Japanese koi shows and that it saves space in your own pond! I think that most people thinking about leaving a koi in Japan as azukari because they cannot get the same result as the breeders do should consider how they could make there pond better! It’s no use to leave a Koi in Japan for a few years to bring it home and knowing that the development will stop! Of course, if you’re buying Koi with the intention to enter them in a Japanese koi show you should leave them in Japan.

NDI - What kind of Koi do you generally leave as azukari?

Jeroen - Of course the most I leave in Japan are Gosanke, because most koi hobbyist looking for high grade koi are

Azukari - To Leave or Not to Leave

looking for Gosanke. But if I find other variety that I feel are worthy of an extra year mudpond I will leave them also! Regarding size, they can be tosai up to jumbo koi over 80 cm.

NDI - Can you give an idea of the costs usually associated with leaving a Koi in Japan to grow?

Jeroen - The cost of leaving a Koi in Japan is different from breeder to breeder, also it can depend on the variety of the Koi and the size of the Koi. NDI - How many Koi do you presently have in Japan for yourself or your customers?

Jeroen - At this moment we have 24 Koi in Japan of which 16 are customer Koi. NDI - What are the risks associated with leaving a Koi to grow in Japan?

Jeroen - You can make a very long list of all the risk factors!

But the most important are predators, earthquake, disease, flooding and drought!

Above, Ginrin Showa that was lost in mudslides in August 2011.

Below, Jeroen looks for his Sanke at Yagenji’s number 1 harvest.

NDI - Have you experienced any disasters?

Jeroen - Oh yes!!! Almost every year we have lost a few Koi due to the things mentioned above. In the Chuetsu Earthquake we lost of very special showa that we saw just before the earthquake. It came from the mudpond in exceptional condition and a few days later the earthquake took her as one of its victims. In 2011 we lost a very special Ginrin Showa due to a mudslide. And 2012 was an absolute disaster year for us! We already heard that in summer Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Azukari - To Leave or Not to Leave there was some severe drought, so before going to Japan I was very nervous! On the second day of my Japan trip I got the news that a very very very special goshiki was not found at the harvest. The next day I had an appointment with a breeder to check our two sansai azukari that he harvested that day. On arrival I saw his face and knew that something was wrong! One of the 2 Koi was not found at harvest! A few days later a sansai Sanke was harvested and one of the nylon lines that are used for predator protection was wrapped around the body of the Koi and completely pulled into the flesh! At the end of the trip a very promissing nisai Goshiki was harvested and it only grew one centimeter! 16 Koi as azukari, 2 lost, 1 completely damaged and 1 that didn’t grow! Are there risks involved in leaving koi in Japan?

NDI - In your experience how are such disasters normally handled by the breeder?

Jeroen - That is also something that differs from breeder to breeder!

Some give a guarantee for the first year, others don’t! So always ask if there is a form of guarantee!

NDI - Can you share any particularly special success stories from leaving a Koi as azukari?

Jeroen - A success story? That must be the story behind 3 Yagenji Sanke! In different years I bought 3 different Yagenji Sanke that all stayed at the farm for one or more years! All did very well at Koi shows in Japan. The first one took second place at the 2010 Niigata Nogyosai and she became best foreign entry at the 2011 Nagaoka Koi Show. The second Sanke took second place at the 2011 Niigata Nogyosai and she became Grand Champion at the 2012 Nagaoka Koi Show. The last one is my absolute favorite, she took first place in her class at the 2011 Niigata Nogyosai, third place at the 2012 all Japan Young Koi Show and Best Foreign Entry at the 2012 Nagaoka Koi Show. The last Sanke is still in Japan, my hope is that she will win some more nice awards at Japanese Koi shows. [Ed. This Sanke is also our cover girl this month]

This very special Goshiki was purchased from Hiroi Koi Farm as a tosai, photographed on 22nd April 2010 at approximately 30cm.

The picture on the right is the last time Jeroen saw her on 19th April 2012 when she was a 62cm, sansai and exhibited at the 2012 All Japan Wakagoi Show in Ojiya. She did not return from the mudpond in autumn 2012.

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Azukari - To Leave or Not to Leave An azukari success story, so far....

This Sanke was purchased from Yagenji Koi Farm as a nisai of 52cm in February 2011 (picture right). The centre picture was taken on 18th October 2011 when she had been newly harvested from the mudpond.

The Sanke was left for another year and in October 2012, when 70cm and yonsai, she was the highest placed foreign entry at the Nagaoka Koi Show (not strictly true as Jeroen also took the Grand Champion prize). The Koi remains in Japan and is scheduled to be harvested during mid October.

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Gary Smith Gatwick Koi, UK

NDI - What are your reasons for leaving Koi as azukari in Japan?

Gary - I could answer this many ways , I like to see the development of the Koi and to see if it gains the attributes that the dealer discussed with me or my clients, its nice to see how much the Koi grows in the mudpond, also there is the possible outcome of the increase in value of the Koi but, for me personally, it’s the gamble, I love to see them when they come out of the mudpond , there are no guarantees leaving Koi out there and its just amazing to see how they come out!

NDI - What are the benefits of leaving a Koi in Japan to be grown?

Gary - Many people can grow koi very quickly in this country nowadays , but many still can’t , or don’t have the patience or sometimes the conditions to grow the Koi and obtain the best results, this can be done by leaving the Koi in Japan.

NDI - What kind of Koi do you generally leave as azukari?

Gary - All kinds, its always best if leaving a Koi as azukari to get the highest quality you can afford. But, on the other hand, sometimes when you deal with a breeder very closely they will talk through the stocks and show you good Koi that could do well in the mudponds at prices that are not astronomical . These are the ones that can give you great pleasure when they come out of the mudponds.

Azukari - To Leave or Not to Leave NDI - Can you give an idea of the costs usually associated with leaving a Koi in Japan to grow?

Gary - This depends from breeder to breeder, and also on the age of the Koi. As we know the yen varies so much but last trip I paid 30k for most nisai and sansai which works out now (sept 2013) at around £185, one breeder where we bought so many fish even waved the fee! Some were a little more at 40k and 50k yen.

NDI - How many Koi do you presently have in Japan for yourself or your customers?

Gary - At the moment we have 29 Koi growing on at various breeders, these have been left at Shintaro, Sakai, Yagenji, Sekiguchi, Tanaka and of course Maruhiro . A lot of these are very nice quality, but around a dozen are the sort of quality that may stay in Japan for a few more years before they come to the UK, again, depending on how they do in the mudpond ! Two of these are customers Koi. NDI - What are the risks associated with leaving a Koi to grow in Japan?

Gary - This again depends on the breeder, I try and work close nowadays with a smaller group of breeders, these breeders will normally say ‘we will work something out if things go wrong’, some will just say ‘it’s all your own risk’.

You must get this sorted out with the breeder at the time, its no good going back when a fish doesn’t come out of the mudpond and demanding this, that and the other, when usually Koi are left at the owners risk! That’s why we work with the breeders we do as they usually will help us out when/if things go wrong. One breeder I have started to buy a little higher quality from, when asked the risk as these where expensive koi for me said, ‘no problem all left at the breeders risk!’ That’s what good relations bring!

Above, This Ginrin Showa was purchased by Gary as a nisai in 2011 and left with the breeder, Satoshi Tanaka as azukari for the 2012 growing season.

Unfortunately as a result of the hot summer it failed to grow in the mudpond.

The breeder offered to grow it for another year free of charge.

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Azukari - To Leave or Not to Leave NDI - Have you experienced any disasters?

Gary - Yes, and id rather not talk about it! All joking aside, one breeder we used to visit lost a lot of expensive Koi, and none come out of the mudpond. One that did got lost before shipping so simple, we don’t go there any more.

NDI - In your experience how are such disasters normally handled by the breeder?

Gary - Again, sorry to return to relationships but nowadays we always get a satisfactory outcome. Last year one large yonsai I purchased didn’t do to well in the mudpond so I said to the breeder, ‘no problem you can keep her and sell her as a thanks for all the good azukari I have left here’, she wasn’t expensive and you have to remember that a 70cm koi is expensive to ship so therefore expensive to sell. The breeder understood where I was coming from and, on the last day, I was buying some good quality nisai. I settled on a box of three, and was pleasantly surprised when the breeder said you only pay for two. Nice gesture! Also a customer had what should have been a sansai not come out of the pond and it was replaced with what I thought was a better Koi altogether, this breeder is a rather large farm and shocked me as we new it was on our risk.

Above and below, some of the Koi that Gary presently has as azukari in Japan awaiting harvest during the coming month.

NDI - Can you share any particularly special success stories from leaving a Koi as azukari?

Gary - Yes , hopefully in a few weeks. To be honest, we have left so many koi over the last few years I have always been pleased with the results . Probably the most noticeable was a Shiro Utsuri that was left at Maruhiro a few years ago. I didn’t even see the Koi, the agent just rung me and said ‘you must see the video’. I Purchased her at three years old and she came out simply stunning and now resides in Heather Payne’s pond . This year I’m hoping that we have bought many more Koi of this quality and hoping they will stay in Japan for a few more years.

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Mike Snaden Yume Koi, UK

NDI - What are your reasons for leaving Koi as azukari in Japan?

Mike - Koi left in Japan can be sold and shipped anywhere around the world. Whilst not my ideal choice, I feel that in some cases with very expensive koi, that this is a necessary way to offer such koi NDI - What are the benefits of leaving a Koi in Japan to be grown?

Mike - The benefits are twofold. Firstly, and mainly, the koi will have a chance to be entered into Japanese Shows, if desired. Secondly, as mentioned earlier, the koi are very easy to sell to a wider client base.

NDI - What kind of Koi do you generally leave as azukari?

Mike - Only Gosanke or Shiro Utsuri. To me, there is very little challenge with other varieties NDI - Can you give an idea of the costs usually associated with leaving a Koi in Japan to grow?

Mike - The costs vary quite wildly. In my experience, it varies very much case by case. Some breeders work with very fixed pricing from perhaps 20,000 yen to 50,000 yen for leaving Nisai. Others are happy to keep good koi with no charges, but it depends very much on the breeder, and the particular koi in question. For Jumbo Koi, 100,000 yen

Azukari - To Leave or Not to Leave is generally the norm NDI - How many Koi do you presently have in Japan for yourself or your customers?

will replace a koi in its first year of azukari. Some will offer a percentage of compensation in the second year. But, on a case by case basis, breeders can sometimes be more than generous in the way they handle things

Mike - Off the top of my head, I’d say around 20 koi of various ages

NDI - Can you share any particularly special success stories from leaving a Koi as azukari?

NDI - What are the risks associated with leaving a Koi to grow in Japan?

Mike - Haha... Not really. I generally encourage purchasers to ship most of their Koi. In fairness, most of our higher level clients can raise fish at least as well as the breeders anyway, with more pleasure, and less risk. I’ve only ever had one or two koi left out long-term, so have no amazing stories to tell. I generally have much nicer stories where people have grown the Koi long-term themselves.

Mike - The risks are immense! I generally find, that problems are very few. But, there are so many risks involved that people just fail to comprehend. Koi is Koi, and they are very susceptible to changes within their environment/climate. Rainy season carries the biggest risks, such as flooding, pH crashes, oxygen starvation. The worst part is, that with the very nature of the mudpond, problems with the fish themselves aren’t realised until it’s already too late NDI - Have you experienced any disasters?

Mike - A few, yes. To my mind, I always prefer to keep koi in my own pond and grow them, as it’s much easier to be in control of what’s going on. The biggest issue with a mudpond problem, is that if you need to replace a Koi, it can seemingly be an impossible challenge. Let’s face it, someone could be perusing our websites for five or six years before finding the koi of their dreams. Even when replacing with a superior koi, it can often be met with disappointment NDI - In your experience how are such disasters normally handled by the breeder?

Mike - Generally, impeccably. In general, most breeders

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Azukari - To Leave or Not to Leave The following 3 Koi are all Koi handled by Mike Snaden and presently azukari in Japan.

Matsue Kohaku, bought and sold as nisai sized around 54cm. As sansai last autumn the Koi measured 67cm.

Matsue Kohaku, bought and sold as nisai sized 58cm. As yonsai last Autumn the Koi measured 75cm.

Sakai Hiroshima Sanke, bought as nisai last Autumn sized 62cm. It remains in Japan presently unsold.

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Tim Waddington Quality Nishikigoi, UK

NDI - What are your reasons for leaving Koi as azukari in Japan?

Tim - The main reason is to get growth from the Koi at important stages of its development. There are VERY few hobbyists ponds that can do the same as a mudpond in Japan for growth and development.

Azukari - To Leave or Not to Leave I will be taking advantage of leaving Koi in Japan.

NDI - Can you give an idea of the costs usually associated with leaving a Koi in Japan to grow?

Tim - The costs of leaving Koi in Japan at most Niigata breeders stay the same, 30,000 Yen up to nisai and 50,000 Yen for Koi above. Isawa Sakai is the same but like a few Niigata breeders they have started to charge more for putting fish in certain mudponds. I believe Matsunosuke charges 100,000 Yen to leave a Koi in his main mudpond.

NDI - What are the benefits of leaving a Koi in Japan to be grown?

NDI - How many Koi do you presently have in Japan for yourself or your customers?

Tim - The obvious benefits of leaving Koi in Japan is growth and development. I believe good quality nisai will gain so much more by being left in Japan until sansai than any other age. The nisai can develop its body and its length much better in a massive area of water and at such an important age. Its a very cheap way of doing it too.

Tim - I have around 6 pieces in Japan for clients as we speak. I hope to bring most of them back this coming Autumn and maybe leave some more out there.

NDI - What kind of Koi do you generally leave as azukari?

Tim - It is a big risk, make no mistake about it. Koi are a live animal and you pay the breeder to grow your Koi in his mudponds. Koi have been known to die in the mudponds and the client, no matter how upset, has to take the loss on the chin. Of course many breeders are prepared to replace the Koi are make a big discount on a new Koi but at the end of the day they do not have to.

Tim - I have clients who want Koi leaving in Japan for a specific reason, some do not have the funds to go straight out and buy a 3 year old Koi which has a much less risk factor than an 18month old nisai. Nisai are however cheaper than buying sansai and for the growing costs involved it’s shrewd to keep them in Japan for a season.

I would only really recommend growing high quality Gosanke, these are the only Koi worth doing it with. As a dealer it is also a good idea to buy Koi and leave in Japan.

The current climate restricts me from leaving Koi out there as I need to sell what I can. However in the future

NDI - What are the risks associated with leaving a Koi to grow in Japan?

NDI - Have you experienced any disasters?

Tim - Thank fully I have not really had any deaths while leaving Koi in the mudponds. The only problems I have found is if the Koi does not do what we hoped it would.

I have also had a few Koi that have damaged themselves while in the mudponds, split fins and also spawning. It is a huge factor which breeder you decide to trust with your Koi, this is very important.

As a dealer I would prefer my clients not to leave Koi in Japan because of the headaches it may cause if there is a problem. On the whole though, I have seen far more better results than bad results.

NDI - In your experience how are such disasters normally handled by the breeder?

Tim - Some breeders are very sympathetic towards any problems. While for me this is a good thing because it means I can keep my client happy. I do not however agree with it. I believe you pay your money and you take your chance. If a breeder turns round, like they have in the past, and just says, ‘Sorry, thats what happens’, then I am happy with that. At the end of the day this is a business and if something natural happens to a live animal in a open environment then why should a breeder lose the initial sale if something happens. The only thing I will not agree with if a Koi turns out to be male when it was put in as a female.

NDI - Can you share any particularly special success stories from leaving a Koi as azukari?

Tim - Over the years we have had a lot of success with leaving Koi to grow in Japan, all the way up to Grand Champions. I have been involved in going to Japan since 1992 and I would imagine have dealt with upwards of 500+ Koi that have been left in Japan.

It is worthwhile as long as people agree and standby the risks of leaving a Koi in Japan.

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Kim Cloet Kim’s Koi, Belgium

NDI - What are your reasons for leaving Koi as azukari in Japan?

Kim - Many years ago I realised that most of the nice, big Koi (mostly Gosanke ) that you see in breeders’ ponds are already sold out and owned by one of their customers.

So, if you want to become the owner of a nice big high quality Koi you have to start earlier in the Koi’s life and buy it as a younger Koi and then leave it in Japan for some years to hopefully develop and grow out to a nice big Koi. NDI - What are the benefits of leaving a Koi in Japan to be grown?

Kim - Leaving your Koi in Japan in the hands of a renowned breeder is probably the best way to get the best out of your Koi. They have the skills, the mudponds and the water conditions to make your Koi grow big without losing its beauty.

NDI - What kind of Koi do you generally leave as azukari?

Kim - Most of the time it’s female, nisai Gosanke. The average size when we buy them is around 53-58cm.

But I’ve also bought some other varieties such as Asagi, Shiro Utsuri, etc.

NDI - Can you give an idea of the costs usually associated with leaving a Koi in Japan to grow?

Azukari - To Leave or Not to Leave Kim - Usually when you buy a HQ nisai the first year is included in the price, after this depending on the breeder, the current age of your Koi and the mudpond it will grow in it’s between 30 and 80,000 yen.

NDI - How many Koi do you presently have in Japan for yourself or your customers?

Kim - Around 7 or 8 I think.

NDI - What are the risks associated with leaving a Koi to grow in Japan?

Kim - Murphy’s law is always around the corner so it’s always possible that something goes wrong while your azukarigoi stays in Japan.

Sometimes the Koi’s growth results aren’t as good as expected, also sometimes the Koi loses some of its quality while growing and the worst of all, the Koi can die.

NDI - Have you experienced any disasters?

Kim - To be honest all of these things have already happened to me.

NDI - In your experience how are such disasters normally handled by the breeder?

Kim - Usually when something bad happens in the first year it’s possible to find a solution with the breeder. You might get a new Koi or a very special deal for another Koi. But, when you leave a Koi for several years in Japan a breeder will not cover the risk during all this period, which is understandable.

I lost a Koi only one time until now. At that time that koi was already a gosai so I’d already invested a lot in it but, when this happened the breeder made a really nice effort on a new nisai azukari . The results of that Koi were really good so the bad experience is already forgotten.

But, with keeping azukarigoi and being able to follow Koi for several years and you get a lot of interesting information so it’s a recommendation for every serious Koikeeper.

Conclusion I think it clear that there is one overwhelming message from our panel, there are big risks with leaving Koi as azukari in Japan.

The benefits are mixed, a chance to possibly own a Koi that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to, be it from a cost perspective or simply because if you waited to try and buy an older or larger Koi they simply aren’t available.

The costs of leaving Koi in Japan are not cheap, and there are no guarantees of success.

As I said in the opening passage, risks aside, there is little to beat the thrill of standing in a mud pond on a chilly autumn day, hands a little numb, and picking your Koi from the murky waters of the mudpond to see it has developed superbly.

So, the decision is yours, to leave or not to leave.

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Congratulations on the launch of Nishikigoi Digest International

This newly harvested 58cm nisai Sanke was purchased by Swedish hobbyist Stefan Malm in October 2011.

60bu Champion 2012 Ojiya Koi Show

Grand Champion 2012 Ojiya Koi Show

www.torazokoi.com

After growing in our best mud pond for one season it was harvested at 70cm in October 2012 (main picture) and shipped to Sweden.

In July 2013 at 77cm the Sanke was awarded Mature Champion at the 1st Nordic Live Koi Show.

Urakawa Koi Farm autumn harvests will start on 10th October.

Please visit our farm or watch our Facebook page for updates from our harvests.

www.facebook.com/torazokoi

2013 harvests will start from 12th October. We hope you will find your dream Koi at Shintaro Koi Farm.

www.facebook.com/shintarokoifarm.saito

1st Vietnam Koi Show

1st Vietnam Koi Show It was back in May that I learned that the first Vietnam Koi Show would be staged in September when I was contacted by organiser Brian Nguyen.

It wasn’t, however, until the middle of August that I decided to attend the event, along with good friend Michael Hernandez, and the breeders who would be judging, Kenji Tani, Hisashi Hirasawa, Futoshi Mano and Hisato Nogami.

One of the beauties of being located in the Philippines is that the Asian Koi scene is just a few hours flight away, Japan itself being just 4 hours or so. Our visit to Vietnam was to be from Friday until Monday morning.

Having picked Mike up from Kois and Ponds with plenty of spare time to allow for the often horrendous Manila traffic we made our way to the airport arriving around 10.15am, plenty early enough for us to check in.

My UK passport makes it simple travel around the world, never have I been anywhere where it didn’t allow me to just turn up in the country and get entry. I was surprised, to say the least, when the check in counter clerk asked me for my visa to Vietnam. ‘I’ll get visa on arrival’, I told him, indeed on route to the airport a fellow UK Koi hobbyist and visitor to Vietnam had mentioned the lengthy wait for visa on arrival at Ho Chi Minh airport on Facebook. It transpired that whilst there was visa on arrival you had to obtain an ‘invitation’ letter in advance. Visitors from Asian countries, including the Philippines and Japan, don’t require any visa so for Mike and the breeders there was no problem, for me it seemed that my first visit to Vietnam was over before it began.

The flight we were scheduled to take was a code share between Philippine and Vietnam Airlines, and it was a representative of Vietnam Airlines that offered the briefest glimmer of hope that I could maybe still make it to Vietnam. He suggested I had time to get to the

Above, the last minute visa issued by the Vietnamese Embassy in Manila that prevented the trip to the 1st Vietnam Koi Show being over before it had started.

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

1st Vietnam Koi Show Vietnamese Embassy in Manila, obtain a visa, and make it back to the airport, my deadline being 12.20pm. Mike and I were both in somewhat disbelief that it was even possible to get there and back in Manila traffic, let alone get a visa as well. However, in for a penny, in for a pound, I bade Mike farewell, and a safe trip, and headed for the embassy.

To cut a long story short, to my amazement, I was back at the airport by 12.10pm with my passport and visa to enter Vietnam, my wallet was 6500peso (£100) lighter though.

If you read the interview with Mike in Issue 1 of Nishikigoi Digest International you’ll be aware that he used to be a flight attendant with Philippine Airlines, many of his former colleagues are now senior cabin crew on the airline.

Following a hectic morning, the extra ‘refreshments’ that Mike’s former colleagues provided ‘in flight’ were most welcome.

I arrived in Vietnam with little idea of what to expect, a communist ruled country ravaged by war during my lifetime. Ho Chi Minh airport was bright and modern, only the immigration officers conformed to my stereotypical idea of what I might have expected, rather stern young ladies in military uniform. Upon leaving the airport building a Burger King which sold cans of Heineken beer was certainly not what I’d expected, although a very welcome find.

We were picked up by Brian and headed into the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly and still commonly referred to as Saigon. This was far from stereotypical ‘communism’, there were no stark grey buildings, and this appeared to be a vibrant city, bright lights and neon signs. The many hundreds of motor scooters weaved in and out of the large number of modern motor vehicles that made up the Friday afternoon city traffic. As we got closer to the city there were many signs for designer brands, certainly not my idea

of communism.

Brian Nguyen left Vietnam as a child, settling in California, USA which was home until he decided to return to Vietnam 5 years ago bringing with him his passion for Koi that had developed in the US. On return he found a country where almost nobody knew anything about Koi, he explained, ‘In Vietnam, Koi hobbyists are not so knowledgeable about Koi keeping skills, everything to them is like a whole brand new journey. I would say no one knows how to name the Koi and how to build a Koi pond right. I have to show them everything from the basic start.’

Above and below, 40 plastic pools were set up under cover in the Central Park of Ho Chi Minh City for the 1st Vietnam Koi Show.

Brian knew that a Koi show was a great way to expand and showcase Koi to the nation but with little first-hand experience of Koi show involvement it was an incredible challenge, and gamble.

‘I was very nervous and felt not too confident about this show. At the beginning I think I was the only person that knew about koi show systems, so I called around for volunteers and started to show them what, where and how and to start the Koi show. Even so, during the Koi show I still had to do a lot of volunteers’ work. It was a big scary challenge for me to throw this first Koi Show, but I love to be a part of this challenge, because it is one of my dreams. If I hadn’t started the Koi Show in Vietnam then maybe no one does.’

‘It is not easy for a person like me to throw a Koi show at such a famous central area (Central Park of Ho Chi Minh City). Koi is a new ‘pet name’ to the Vietnamese. The Vietnamese have known ‘carp’ for many long years, but a ‘colourful Japanese carp’ like Koi, they have never even seen once. I am the first person that brought Koi into the Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

1st Vietnam Koi Show Vietnam market over the last 4 years. The reason that made me throw a koi show at this central area is because I want everyone to see what the real Koi look like. I do have a few hundred clients that know me from Koi, but that is just a tiny percentage of the population in Vietnam. I want a much higher percentage of people in Vietnam to know about Koi, that’s why I picked this place for my 1st Koi show.’

The location of Tao Dan, the cultural park of Ho Chi Minh city certainly proved a great location for generating interest in Koi, many hundreds of people passed by the show over the course of the weekend spending time looking at the show Koi on display, as well as picking up leaflets explaining about the hobby.

Above, visitors seemed keen to get pictures of the Koi exhibited.

Below, a local TV crew were in attendance.

‘At first people (Koi Kichi in Vietnam) thought that this Koi show was not going to turn out the way shows in other countries had done. But, just from the second day (Saturday), everyone couldn’t believe their eyes that this Koi show was so nice and neat. They were under estimating me, heheheh.’

Above and below, The Koi attracted the attention of visitors to the show, young and old.

‘Everybody (Koi Hobbyists) liked the location, they liked the way we set up at the show site, all tanks under the tent, and almost everything well planned.’

‘The people that came by to see the Koi show; they had never seen this huge beautiful coloured carp in their life, they could not believe Koi grow this big and they could never really imagine Japanese Koi is in Vietnam now.’

‘I received many phone calls after the Koi show asking me to show them how to make a Koi pond and how to buy Koi.’ ‘90% people loved how I have done and they all said that I should do this event every year.’

‘There are many things that we need to add to make our Koi Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

show much more special; ••Koi shows are educational. To me, the judging team should spend time reviewing their decisions and answering questions after the judging is complete. This time we missed this part. Next Koi show, if we have a chance, we will make a Koi educational seminars right after the judging time.

••We need vendors around the show site.

••We need more sponsors from Koi breeders, Koi food companies, pond supplies companies, Koi dealers in Vietnam, etc.

••We need more prizes for winning Koi (especially non gosanke varieties).

Those are just what pop into my mind now; I know there is much more for us to change for our next show.’

Whilst the show wasn’t the biggest in the world, the numbers were certainly very respectable for a 1st show.

In total the were 40 show pools with 170 Koi, entered by 31 hobbyists.

The enthusiasm of the hobbyists involved certainly suggests a bright future for Nishikigoi beginning in Vietnam.

Above, Brian Nguyen organises the benching paperwork.

Below, judges and show officials.

Above and below, judges Futoshi Mano, Hisashi Hirasawa, Hisato Nogami and Kenji Tani.

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

1st Vietnam Koi Show

Above, preparing the photo certificates for winners.

Below, All Japan style trophies for the major winners.

Above, Futoshi Mano prepares the Grand Champion’s Shinkokai certificate.

Above, Vo Thanh Phuc, a very happy Grand Champion owner.

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

1st Vietnam Koi Show

Grand Champion 75bu Yonsai Owned by Vo Thanh Lhuc Bred by Isa Koi Farm

Reserve Grand Champion 70bu Yonsai Owned by Vo Thanh Phuong Bred by Ojayi Koi Farm

Grand Champion B 75bu Gosai Owned by Nguyen Van Phuong Bred by Ogata Koi Farm Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

1st Vietnam Koi Show

Mature Champion 70bu Yonsai Owned by Vo Thanh Phuong Bred by Suda Koi Farm

Adult Champion 55bu Sansai Owned by Nguyen Van Phuong Bred by Miya Koi Farm

Young Champion 50bu Nisai Owned by Truong Huu Phuoc Bred by Hiroke Koi Farm Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

1st Vietnam Koi Show

Junior Champion 35bu Tosai Owned by Tran Quoc Viet Bred by Hoshikin Koi Farm

Baby Champion 25bu Tosai Owned by Le Anh Nguyen Bred by Yagenji Koi Farm

Mini Champion 20bu Tosai Owned by Nguyen Thao Uyen Bred by Tani Koi Farm Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Quality Nishikigoi Importers of High Class Koi into the UK Follow our Japan trip, 4th November - 14th November, on our website and Facebook

www.QualityNishikigoi.com info@QualityNishikigoi.com Tel: 01925 950 401 facebook.com/QNKoi

twitter.com/NishikigoiUK

The Biggest Koi Show on Earth 2013 Holland Koi Show - Arcen

Main text: Johan Leurs Koi analysis: Mike Harvey Pictures: Rene Gerritzen Aerial pictures: Eric van Roy Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

The Biggest Koi Show on Earth - 2013 Holland Koi Show My friend Mark Gardner asked me to write an article about this year’s Holland Koi Show, which took place in Arcen, The Netherlands on the weekend of 16th-18th of August.

The reason why he asked me is, well at least in my eyes, is quite obvious. He knows there will be some good pictures available (also with a thanking note to René Gerritzen) and also he knows I’m a bit involved in the promotional aspect of the show itself, which is also always good for some inside information.

So ‘promotional aspect’ and a title like ‘The Biggest Koi Show on Earth’ go hand in hand, is maybe the thing which comes up in your mind first. Well, WRONG! First of all I am Belgian so there are no National feelings involved, and secondly I only just started with telling the truth.

The superlative ‘Biggest Koi Show on Earth’ has many justifications. Have you ever seen a Koi show where over 180 dealers try to present themselves in the best possible way? Ever visited a show where you can walk all day and have to go back the next day because you didn’t make it to see everything. What about 120 people in the crew, just to build up the whole ‘Planet Koi’. And, last but certainly not least, this year we managed to get over 20,000 people that were so Koi crazy they put Arcen in their agenda, 20,000 people, to be exact 20,128 people, with a valid ticket!

Count the visitors during the Nogyosai, Wakagoi Show, ZNA Koi Show and the Shinkokai together, include some Indonesian or Taiwanese Shows, and you don’t even come close in terms of visitors.

Why is it, you might ask yourself, that Dutch people are that Koi crazy? Well, in truth that’s putting it wrong. It’s not just Dutch people who bring the visitor count up to over 20,000 people, visitors at the Holland Koi Show come from everywhere. Most are from Holland of course, but Germany and Belgium are highly placed in the visitors

tables. Walking around in Arcen, I get the feeling that more German and Belgian Koi fans visit the Show in Holland, than shows in their own country. Not forgetting buses full of visitors from the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Spain as well as visitors from Asian countries.

Why? Let’s just say there’s something ‘magic’ about the show. This was the 21st edition, I’ve never missed one of them, bringing me to over 50 visits to the Show, because you cannot see everything in ‘just’ one day! Ha! Besides ‘that coloured fish’ the Nishikigoi Vereniging Nederland also presents at the same show a Holland Aquarium Show and a Holland Bonsai Show, just to make sure that it’s not only the father of the family who wants to go there but he takes wife, children and the neighbours with him. It seems to be a National ‘Koipoon’ Vacation in a traditional Dutch way!

Ok, and so there’s the magical word you were waiting for, Koi! Does Holland also present the best Nishikigoi in the world you might want to know? The answer is no! For those Above and below, with 187 vendors the 2013 Holland Koi Show had plenty to keep the 20,128 visitors interested. who ever witnessed a show in Japan, it’s quite obvious that the standard at the ZNA Show, the Nogyosai or the Shinkokai is totally from another world. There you see fish which give you goose flesh, just by looking at them for a second. At the Holland Koi Show the standard in quality is the standard you can see in the rest of Europe, still a few steps behind the higher/highest quality of Koi you can see at the better shows in England.

But that doesn’t mean the Holland Koi Show doesn’t present good Koi! This year the winners of the 2012 Nagaoka Koi Show, a Sanke owned by Van Keulen, and the winner of the 2012 Ojiya Koi Show, a Kohaku by Makoi, were announced as Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

The Biggest Koi Show on Earth - 2013 Holland Koi Show participants and, knowing them myself from seeing them before in Japan, I thought they would have a fair chance of winning the Grand Champion title. However, sometimes you cannot compare a Koi winning a Show in Japan with the same Koi entering a Koi show in Europe one year later.

Both Koi looked okay for a nice title, but alas not more than that.

It was quite clear that the highest honour would go to one of the Koi which had already been in Europe for much longer and had already been present at Koi Shows in Europe in 2010, 2011 or 2012.

Firstly there was a Sanke of Jean Hoorne which in recent years has won all the major European titles at least once.

Also there was the gorgeous Kohaku from Nico Dewulf, the man behind Koifarm ND. This Kohaku was bought at one of the the masters of Showa, Isa Koi Farm, some years ago.

The same month it was bought over in Japan I witnessed it coming out of the mudponds and I was speechless. Now, after winning the Belgian Show last year, I can only say that the red and white has further improved during her stay in the inside pond of Nico. Strange, but true!

As with most other Koi shows in mainland Europe many of the highly acclaimed awards went to Belgian dealers and hobbyists. Grand Champion A went to KoiFarm ND with the Kohaku mentioned earlier, they also took the Jumbo Award home. Jean Hoorne took Supreme Champion with his Sanke, while Luc Borgmans from Interkoi took top honours with a Koromo , taking Senior Tategoi. Johny Lievens took the other big title, Grand Champion B, with a stunning Gin Rin Chagoi.

Highest Dutch entry was Floor van Dommelen from Floors Koi Shop taking Mature Champion with his Sanke.

To end with, what was my favourite Koi at this year’s

Holland Koi Show?

No question about that, a Kohaku owned by Floors Koi Shop which took first place Kohaku in size 7 and in the end judged as overall champion in size. The sheer quality of this red and white one is just amazing, and it keeps getting better and better, although it’s not living 8 months a year in a mudpond nor a 10,000,000 litre inside pond somewhere on the other side of the planet, but just in Floors home facility in his own store. Why didn’t it make it up to Grand or Supreme Champion? The size I would say, there’s still a difference of over 20cm between this fish and the ones which tooks top honours! But, somehow, this Koi reminds me of the Nogami Kohaku which took Grand Champion at the Niigata Nogyosai in 2011. There were also at least 6 or 7 candidates which looked twice as big but, in the end, the Nogami Kohaku won GC, just because of outstanding quality and especially the youthfulness it presented in it’s way of swimming and presenting itself. This Kohaku from Floor you cannot compare, not concerning the breeder, shape nor pattern, but she presents visually the same youthfulness as the Kohaku from Nogami San 2 years ago.

So, my choice for Grand Champion (but who am I?) would have been this Kohaku winning Grand Champion, but also Best Tategoi and even Most Unique Koi. Can a Kohaku be unique? Believe me, it’s possible!

Talking about the Nogyosai, soon bags will be packed again, and off to Japan. I guess in three weeks I will be standing, once again, next to Mark Gardner, taking pictures of the best Koi at the Nagaoka Koi Show or the Ojiya Koi Show or the Nogyosai. I bet there will be a next ‘bet’ again about which Koi will take Grand Champion here or there.

Again the general feeling will overwhelm me that you cannot see any better Koi than at a Koi Show in Japan. But, also again, the feeling will overwhelm me that there’s only ONE biggest Koi Show in the World, and that’s right here in

Above, Johan’s favourite Koi at the 2013 Holland Koi Show, a size 7 Kohaku entered by Floor van Dommelen of Floor’s Koi Shop in Holland.

In mainland Europe it is common for dealers and hobbyists to compete side by side at shows.

This Kohaku took Best Size 7 Kohaku and overall Best in Size 7.

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

The Biggest Koi Show on Earth - 2013 Holland Koi Show Arcen!

So see you next year on 15th, 16th or/and 17th of August.

Maybe the youthfulness of ‘that’ red and white will take over the flame and conquer, or maybe a new wave of Japanese Nishikigoi will spread it’s wings in Arcen and head out for glory. Just don’t be lazy reading it in these pages, go out and join the Arcen-addiction! Hell yeah!

To see all of the winners at the show visit www.hollandkoishow.com.

There is plenty to see at the Holland Koi Show, Koi and non-Koi related.

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

The Biggest Koi Show on Earth - 2013 Holland Koi Show

The international panel of judges from Holland, Belgium, UK, Sweden, Germany, South Africa, Japan and Thailand.

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

The Biggest Koi Show on Earth - 2013 Holland Koi Show After having walking around the show ring and viewing all of the Koi in the 79 vats it became fairly obvious to the judges that there were in effect only two possible contenders for the Grand Champion Award.

The first was a Kohaku, (which I later learnt was bred by Isa) and the other a Sanke.

The Isa Kohaku had an excellent body shape, with impressive volume, good consistent hi and kiwa. The shiroji was not as good as that on the Sanke and a small demerit was a slightly creamy white head when compared to the shiroji on the body, which for a koi of this size and stature was a minor distraction.

Nico Dewulf with his trophies, and the public admiring his impressive 92cm Isa Kohaku which took the Grand Champion award.

Beautiful rounded pectoral fins and an interesting pattern gave this Kohaku a certain presence.

Grand Champion

Kohaku 92cm (Size 8) Owned by Nico Dewulf (Koi Farm ND) Bred by Isa Koi Farm Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

The Biggest Koi Show on Earth - 2013 Holland Koi Show The Sanke, which was considered by some as a candidate for Grand Champion, had very strong hi and good shiroji and sumi. The fukurin was excellent, as can clearly be seen in the photograph, especially on the shiroji. The kata sumi pattern across the shoulder was particularly attractive, whilst the sumi behind the head was not as strong and consolidated as elsewhere on the body. It too had nicely rounded pectoral fins and an interesting pattern. However it lacked the same volume in its body as that of the Kohaku and this is why it was finally voted as runner up to the Kohaku.

In the end the Kohaku won with an almost unanimous vote in its favour. Once this had been decided the vote for the Sanke as Supreme Champion was in fact unanimous.

Supreme Champion Sanke Size 8 Owned by Jean Horne Bred by Sakai Fish Farm

It may be a surprise to some that a Kinginrin Chagoi should take the Grand Champion Award, being a single coloured koi, albeit with kinginrin scalation.

After all, this single coloured variety has to compete for the Grand Champion B award against a whole host of other multi coloured non-Gosanke koi which are more complex and therefore, where of a similar standard of quality, would be far more likely to take this award. At the Holland Koi Show there were no such other multi-coloured nonGosanke of a similar size. Indeed there were a number of other Chagoi of similar size but none had the same body, volume and skin quality as this one, added to which this Chagoi had excellent kinginrin. As we know the quality of kinginrin tends to deteriorate as a Koi grows to this size and in this particular Koi it has retained excellent kinginrin scalation despite its size. It was therefore awarded the Grand Champion B award ahead of other similar sized Chagoi and much smaller sized multi-coloured nonGosanke, and deservedly so.

Grand Champion B

Kinginrin B 90cm (Size 8) Owned by Johnny Lievens Bred by Ogata Koi Farm Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

The Biggest Koi Show on Earth - 2013 Holland Koi Show This beautiful Sanke has all of the elements that one would look for in this variety. A good body shape for its size, superb hi and sumi quality and an elegant ‘stepping stone’ sumi pattern.

The desirable kata sumi has a good lustre to it, as does the sumi elsewhere on the body.

Attractive tejima (black stripes in the pectoral fins) add to its beauty. Hopefully as this koi grows the somewhat creamy shiroji on the head will improve, nevertheless a stunning quality Sanke.

Interestingly this Sanke had strong competition from an excellent quality Kohaku which many judges had admired as they went around the show vats during the judging of Grand Champion.

This Kohaku took the Adult Champion award principally because of its good body shape with nicely rounded pectoral fins, high quality hi and good shiroji on its body. Again the shiroji on the head was a little creamy when compared to the ‘snow white’ on the body and the pattern at this stage of its development is a little boring.

However, and I stress this was not a factor in judging on the day, as this Koi develops and gains volume more shiroji pattern should be visible each side of the dorsal fin and the break in the hi pattern at the end of the dorsal should become more prominent, making for a more interesting pattern. In this case the hi quality made it a clear winner on the day.

When it came down to voting for the Mature Champion it was a very close call between these two Koi with the majority vote finally going to this Sanke.

Mature Champion (Sizes 5&6)

Sanke 59cm (Size 5) Owned by Floor van Dommelen (Floors Koi Shop) Bred by Isa Koi Farm

Adult Champion (Sizes 3&4) Kohaku Size 3 Owned by Else & Bjarne Hansen

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

The Biggest Koi Show on Earth - 2013 Holland Koi Show This was another Koi that caught the eye of the judges as they moved around the vats during judging on Saturday. The vignette (robing) on this Goshiki is outstanding and the consistent dark head with strong hi on the nose made an impression on all of the judges. The hi quality on the body is equally good – thick, lustrous and appearing to float on top of the vignette pattern.

Clean pectoral fins ensured that the finish of this Goshiki was exceptional and it was, if I recall correctly, a unanimous vote by the judges for the award of Baby Grand Champion. Some armchair critics might feel that this Goshiki lacks somewhat in hi on the front half, which it perhaps does, but the quality of the vignette in this area is of such a standard that any lack of hi was immaterial. What is perhaps unusual, and attractive to the judges at the same time, is to have a Goshiki that combines elements of both a Kuro Goshiki (with the solid dark head) and a more modern Goshiki (with an excellently defined vignette and clear floating hi without any robing on the hi).

Baby Champion (Sizes 1&2) Koromo/Goshiki Size 2 Owned by Rob de Vries Lentsch

At the Holland Koi Show the award of Jumbo Champion is given to the largest Koi, that is in length. It is therefore a benching award and is not judged by the judges. This particular Koi was the longest of all the Koi on the show.

Jumbo Champion

Kawarimono 98cm (Size 8) Owned by Nico Dewulf (Koi Farm ND) Bred by Marudo Koi Farm Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

The Biggest Koi Show on Earth - 2013 Holland Koi Show

Senior Tategoi Koromo/Goshiki Size 5 Owned by Luc Borgmans, Interkoi Arendonk

Junior Tategoi Showa Size 2 Owned by Dennis de Vries, Jade-Koi

Most Unique Koi Kinginrin B Size 3 Owned by Marcin Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

The Biggest Koi Show on Earth - 2013 Holland Koi Show Each year the Holland Koi Show has a ‘special’ variety for which 1st, 2nd and 3rd is awarded. This year that variety was all Utsuri types, excluding Shiro Utsuri, thus including Hi Utsuri, Ki Utsuri, Ginrin and metallic variants.

1st Place Size 5 Kinginrin B Owned by Peter Kluitenberg, Koivriend Coevorden

2nd Place Size 4 Kinginrin B Owned by Hans-Ulrich Schulten

3rd Place Size 2 Hikariutsuri Owned by Rudi van Laere, Super-Koi Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

Click on a box to find out more about the TOMiGAi product

2013 All England Koi Show Main text: Mark Gardner with contribution from Bernie Woollands Koi analysis: Mike Harvey Pictures: Rene Gerritzen The South East Koi Club staged their annual open Koi show, for the second year called the ‘All England Koi Show’, on the holiday weekend of 25th and 26th August.

The show is without question one of the premier shows in the UK, a status it has held for a number of years now.

Whilst I wasn’t there this year i’ve spoken to many who were, and seen plenty of comments on the Internet by show visitors and the general consensus seems to be that the quality of Koi on display continues to go from strength to strength.

A total of 403 Koi were entered in this years show judged by an international panel of judges led by Mike Harvey from South Africa and including Toen Feyen, Anja Albertsboer, Mark Kleijkers from the Netherlands,Louis Vanreusel from Belgium, Stefan Malm from Sweden, Carol McCall, Tony Sheffield and Gary Pritchard from the UK. Bernie Woollands provided us with the following

information on the major winners at the show.

The Grand Champion award, winner by an 11 to 1 majority, was a size 7 Kohaku exhibited by James Carter.

James, a regular exhibitor at the South East as well as other shows, was also the owner of the Jumbo Champion.

The Grand Champion was bred by Matsue Koi Farm and supplied by Yume Koi. The Superior Champion (a re-named award now restricted to size 7 entries) went to Paul Williams for another size 7 Kohaku which was bred by Yamatoya and supplied by A4Koi. It was one of many prizes Paul collected.

Above and below, plenty of Koi and dry goods on sale, as well as other attractions such as a bonsai display, to keep people interested.

The Mature Champion went to another of Paul’s fish, his size 6 Kindai Showa; a popular and regular fish on the show circuit for several years. I personally remember judging this fish as a size 4 at one of the Nationals held at Newmarket and again at this year’s National where it took the Mature Champion.

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

2013 All England Koi Show Paul also collected the Best Non Gosanke award with a size 5 Shiro Utsuri bred by Omosako and also supplied by A4Koi.

it’s the variety on their logo) this Koi was also awarded the NVN’s Friendship Trophy.

The Adult Champion went to an Showa bred by Fuijo Oomo, supplied by Connoisseur Koi and exhibited by South East member Ron Rance. This fish had taken the same award 4 year’s previously (2009) when it was just a centimeter within the size 5 group and beating much larger competition. Bigger now, but just as lovely, it retook this award. Such is the standard of many of our exhibitors Koi keeping skills that ‘returning champions’ occur quite regularly. However, Ron’s is a bit unique in that it’s a male. I know of no other male Koi successfully competing at this size and level.

Dave Newton’s Kohaku took the Young Champion.

This koi had previously taken the same award at the prestigious East of England show a month earlier. I don’t know the level of the competition there but our statistics demonstrate what an accomplishment it was here. The best of 142 entries as well as the most highly contested class within its size. Bred by Ogata Koi Farm, supplied by Dock Koi.

Above, some of the judges deliberating over their awards.

Below, the catering area’s tables and chairs are always full.

Above, Ron Rance’s Adult Champion, on the left in 2009, on the right in 2013.

Below, plants and trees brought over from Holland always attract people’s attention at the South East Show.

Our Baby Champion award was won by a Showa bred

by Isa Koi Farm and supplied by Koi Waterlife Centre. Its owner is Steve Battle, a local boy from across the river.

Steve was once a BKKS Trainee judge of good promise but resigned in his second year to concentrate on being a foster parent to troubled children. ‘Good things happen to good people’, my Mum used to say and that’s what went through my head when the computer spat out this result.

Our Best Doitsu award went to Darran Wood’s size 5 Kumonryu supplied by Koi Collection. Not surprisingly (as Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

2013 All England Koi Show The quality of the Koi entered at the 2nd All England Koi Show was very high this year and there were 19 Koi in size 7, (seven of which were Sanke, 3 of which were Kohaku, 3 were Showa, 3 were Kawarimono, with just 1 Hikarimuji and 1 Tancho.

There were 52 Koi entered in size 6 with 20 Kohaku, 6 Sanke and 5 Showa, making this size 6 competitive. After walking around the vats a number of times the judges were asked to put forward candidates to vote for Grand Champion. Two Kohaku were nominated as candidates and when voted on the Grand Champion, a Kohaku owned by James Carter, was a unanimous choice of the 11 judges. This Kohaku stood out amongst some other excellent Koi, with a body that had superb volume, a thick peduncle and which was well proportioned in all respects. Both the hi quality and the shiroji were very good and were enhanced by its excellent fukurin. An interesting pattern ensured that this Kohaku took the top ranking at the show.

Grand Champion

Kohaku Size 7 Owned by James Carter Bred by Matsue Koi Farm

The Superior Champion, a Kohaku owned by Paul Williams, was the other Koi which had been put forward as a candidate for the Grand Champion award and hence was an obvious winner when it came to voting for the Superior Champion later in the day. Whilst not having quite the same volume as the Grand Champion, it’s body shape was still good and the hi quality excellent. It has an interesting and distinctive pattern, with the only demerit being the difference in the shades of shiroji between the body and the head. The shiroji on the body was good but it was unfortunate that on the day the head was somewhat yellowish in tone.

Superior Champion

Kohaku Size 7 Owned Paul Williams Bred by Yamatoya Koi Farm Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

2013 All England Koi Show The Mature Champion award went to this Kindai Showa, also owned by Paul Williams. With any Kindai Showa it is important for the shiroji to be a really bright white as this is the ‘canvas’ upon which the hi and sumi are ‘painted’. With this Showa the shiroji on the body meets this criteria well. The hi quality is of an even tone across the length of the body, notwithstanding a single scale of sashi on the hi plate just before the dorsal fin which is a small distraction. The tsubo sumi (each side of the dorsal fin) is excellent, as are the tight balls of motoguro on each pectoral fin. The body shape is good with a nice clear white dorsal fin. The sumi on the head could have better definition to the edges and a line breaking the sumi above the left eye is a small demerit, but that said the sumi is thick and of a good quality.

Mature Champion

Showa Size 6 Owned by Paul Williams

The Adult Champion, owned by Ron Rance, is a more traditional Showa and as such is in marked contrast to the Kindai Showa (which has so much more shiroji visible on the body) which took Mature Champion.

A great body shape, with head and body in good proportion to each other, lays the foundation for what can only be described as a superb Showa and worthy Adult Champion. Excellent hi, sumi and shiroji are not easy to find on a single koi, with one element often not being quite as good as the others. What makes this Showa so attractive and exceptional is the fact that the quality of hi, sumi and shiroji are all superbly finished and of the highest quality. The beautifully rounded pectoral fins are enhanced by the strong motoguro and thick clean white which extends to the extremes of these fins. This Showa has an interesting head pattern , with the three colours blending nicely.

A beautiful koi in all respects.

Adult Champion

Showa Size 5 Owned Ron Rance Bred by Oomo Koi Farm Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

2013 All England Koi Show This Kohaku owned by Dave Newton won the Young Champion award. The quality of both the hi and the shiroji cannot be faulted. The lustre on the hi is excellent whilst the kiwa is sharp.

The nicely rounded pectoral fins compliment its good body shape. Having a fairly simplistic pattern, this koi benefits greatly from the white odome and clean white nose, giving the hi pattern a great ‘frame’ and showing off its hi quality to the fullest.

Young Champion

Kohaku Size 4 Owned by Dave Newton Bred by Ogata Koi Farm

The Baby Grand Champion, another Showa, owned by Steve Battle, is also a more traditional Showa, with strong sumi and less shiroji evident. It has a good body for a koi of this size and a nicely balanced pattern.

Baby Champion

Showa Size 2 Owned by Steve Battle Bred by Isa Koi Farm Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

2013 All England Koi Show

Jumbo Champion Hikarimuji 96cm (Size 7) Owned by James Carter

Best non-Gosanke Utsurimono Size 5 Owned by Paul Williams

Most Doitsu Kumonryu Size 5 Owned by Darran Wood Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

2013 All England Koi Show Each year the South East Koi Club chooses a special variety, or group of Koi for a ‘mini’ competition. This year’s chosen variety was Karashigoi or Kigoi.

1st Place Size 6 Owned by Scott Jenkins

2nd Place Size 6 Owned by Dan & Vicky Parker

3rd Place Size 7 Owned by Amanda Wyatt Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

2013 All England Koi Show Friendship awards are given by representatives of visiting Koi clubs to the Koi of their choice. Often this will be a Koi of a specific variety, sometimes a Koi that the representative feels should be recognised but missed out on a major prize.

South Africa Koi Keepers Society (SAKKS) Kohaku Size 5 Owned by Mark Denford

Holland Koi Show 2nd Place Koromo Size 6 Size 2 Owned by Dan & Vicky Parker Owned by Dick & Michelle McCormack

KZN Sanke Size 5 Owned by Mick Preston Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

2013 All England Koi Show

North East Koi Club Kawarimono Size 3 Owned by Helen Clark & Sue Churchill

Belgian Koi Society Hikarimoyo Size 5 Owned by Helen Clark & Sue Churchill

Banana Bar Koi Society Hikarimuji Size 5 Owned by Robert Robson

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

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International

Directory

Belgium Kims Koi

Leuvensesteenweg 333 Tel: 0032-(0)16-606009 3190 Boortmeerbeek Fax: 0032-(0)16-607099 Vlaams-Brabant Email: info@kimskoi.be Belgium Web: www.kimskoi.be Supplier of Koi, coldwater fish, aquatic plants and all kinds of related equipment

Japan Tani Fish Farm

1379 Shitakata Tel: 0081 (0) 476 26 9111 Narita-shi Fax: 0081 (0) 476 26 1341 Chiba Email: kenji@tanikoi.com Japan Web: www.tanikoi.com 20 minutes from Tokyo International Airport. All grades and sizes of Koi available. Export and trade supplier since 1965.

Philippines DnA kOi

Dr. Algeric F. Berdin Tel: +(32) 5110940 Minglanilla Cell: 09209206299 Cebu Email: algeric@dnakoi.com Philippines Web: www.dnakoi.com Supplier of high grade Japanese Koi, Saki Hikari and Tsubaki Koi food. Official Philippine distributor of the book Nishikigoi Mondo.

Koi Village

Indonesia

San Antonio St., cor. Santiago Tel: (632) 853-8387 St., Paseo de Magallanes, EDSA Cell: (0922) 889-0837 cor. South Super Highway, Web: advancedhobbyist.com 1226 Makati FBook: facebook.com/KoiVillage One of the largest Koi marts in the Philippines today where there are over 4000 Koi on display for sale at any given time.

Samurai Koi Centre

Taman Mutiara Tel: (022) 665 33 60 DIV No. 24 Cibabat Cimahi Fax: (022) 663 08 67 Email: kiki_sutarki@indo.net.id Bandung West Java, Indonesia Web: www.samuraikoi.com Supplier of high grade Japanese Koi, food and equipment.

Agents for Momotaro Koi Farm and Sakai Fish Farm.

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

International Directory

USA Mystic Koi & Water Gardens 1250 West Arrow Highway Upland Ca 91786

Tel: 909-920-3767 Email: shawn@mystickoi.com Web: www.mystickoi.com facebook.com/MysticKoiandWG Visit out beautiful full service Koi shop in Southern California. As a Shinkokai member we provide professional help and support.

International

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The ‘International Directory’ will appear in each issue of Nishikigoi Digest International.

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Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013

The end

Coming in issue 3 (out end of October) Harvest Special Niigata Nogyosai 60th Nagaoka Koi Show Ojiya Koi Show Koi Breeding Around the World Taiwan Koi Show Kois and Ponds Grow Out Competition

Keep up to date with all that’s happening with Nishikigoi Digest International at www.niigata-nishikigoi.com www.facebook.com/nishikigoidigest

Nishikigoi Digest International - Issue 2 - October 2013