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Mid Atlantic Pond Life

Issue No. 2, May 2016

MID ATLANTIC POND LIFE The MAKC Newsletter Published by The Hudson Valley Koi and Water Garden Club

Happy Spring!

A Message from MAKC Vice President Herb Ehrich Thanks again to our president, Jo Mead for all her efforts and leadership.

Thanks to all who volunteered their time and expertise to get the word out about MAKC during the winter, especially at the Adams Fairacre Farms event in Kingston, NY. Following that event, the members of our Outreach Committee are working overtime planning the Invitational Pond Tour event to be held in June. Thank you Peggy and It’s time for new beginnings Frank Almquist, Bernie and – one of which is this news- Kathy Carroll, Cheryl Benken letter. I take pleasure in see- and John Remington. ing this new issue, produced During my winter stay in by hardworking members South Carolina, I contacted from the Hudson Valley the Chapter Vice Presidents Chapter (which I founded to remind them that I would back in 2011). be happy to help in any way This new format will save MAKC revenue and enable our members to benefit from a variety of articles and experiences. I encourage all to participate by submitting articles, pictures, etc.

to ensure that MAKC members have all questions and concerns addressed. We are exploring the possibility of a future joint chapter meeting.

Finally, thanks to our Treasurer and Web master for their valuable contributions and hard work.

In This Issue

Hudson Valley chapter springs into the new season Herb Ehrich explains how solar energy can ensure a breath of fresh air during winter Linda Montgomery informs how and when to restart feeding koi when the weather turns warmer.

Reminder: It’s time to renew your membership for the upcoming year. Family/individual membership annual dues are only $30.

You can pay with PayPal to: Kgwgclub@earthlink.net.

Or send your check or money order, made out to Mid Atlantic Koi Club, to: Mid Atlantic Koi Club, c/o Jo Mead PO Box 91 Ulster Park, NY 12487

Mid Atlantic Pond Life

Issue No. 2, May 2016

You’ll Like What You Find on Facebook The Hudson Valley chapter has expanded its online presence thanks to a Facebook page.

Created by Cheryl Banken after a suggestion from Cherie Rua, the page has attracted interest and inquiries from potential new members. Cheryl explains that the page – Hudson Valley Koi & Water Garden Club – focuses not only on fish but also on cultural and ecosystem issues.

Members are encouraged to visit and ‘like’ the page, to help build the online visibility of the Hudson Valleychapter. ‘Like’ is the easiest and simplest way to share content. When you click the Like button, the content appears in the News Feeds of your friends.

A large number of "likes" can be influential in shaping reputations; it can also lead to increased exposure – such as appearing in Facebook’s "Recommendations Feed."

You can use the Share button, next to the Like button, to add a personal message and customize whom to share with.

Click here to see the Hudson V alley chapter Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=hudson%20valley%20koi%20%20water%20g arden%20club

MAKC Friendship Award Goes to David Hardcastle Long time member C arolyn Weise presented the Welc ome to the Mid-Atlantic Koi Club Friendship Award to David Hardcastle for a Size 2 Goshiki at the C entral Florida Koi Show 20 16 . The fish chosen is the one with kichi bene in the middle of the photo. C ong ratulations David!

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Mid Atlantic Pond Life

Issue No. 2, May 2016

Season Opener for Hudson Valley Members

By Ken Dreyfack A dozen members gathered at the Masonic Lodge in Saugerties for the season’s first meeting of the Hudson Valley chapter on Apr. 17. After updates from the Newsletter and Outreach committees, it was decided to create two new committees, a Trailer Committee and a Social Committee.

Headed by Herb Ehrich, the Trailer committee will inventory the contents of the MAKC trailer, estimate their value and recommend what should be done with the trailer. The trailer is one of the issues included in the member questionnaire distributed in April. Another was the importance of building education sessions into chapter meetings. Questionnaire results will be presented at the May meeting.

The Social Committee, chaired by Roe Ehrich, will examine options for the annual Christmas

dinner/party. One suggestion was that the party be held at Bella Luna, a Saugerties restaurant.

Herb announced that while he hopes to remain Vice President of MAKC, he would like to step down as Vice President of the Hudson Valley chapter – if a successor can be found. No one at the meeting stepped forward as a candidate to succeed Herb.

The locations for the rest of this season’s Hudson Valley chapter meetings were modified a bit and one meeting, originally scheduled for Nov. 2016, was cancelled.

It was also decided that there would be no ‘business meeting’ in June in light of the membership event scheduled for June 11 (June 12 rain date) at Peggy and Frank Almquist’s home.

Links You Can Use Here are on-line links to articles and features you may find interesting and/or useful.

Please don’t hesitate to share your on-line discoveries with fellow MAKC members. Send them to Ken Dreyfack (kdreyfack@gmail.com) or Paul Tomasko (paultom96@gmail.com).

How to repair and maintain filter control valves (from Don Harrawood, Southwest Koi and Pond Association): http://koiorganisationinternational.org/?q=koi-articles/filter-control-valve-repairand-maintenance

Tips for adding plants to a pond (from The Pondguy Blog): https://blog.thepondguy.com/2016/04/23/do-you-have-any-tips-for-adding-plants-tomy-pond-decorative-ponds-water-gardens-q-a/

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Mid Atlantic Pond Life

Issue No. 2, May 2016

In Winter, Use the Sun, it’s Easy!!!

By Herb Ehrich

Upcoming Events

The sun is our greatest source of energy. With that in mind, I set out to install solar panels to generate power for my koi pond air pumps. We all know that koi need oxygen to survive. In winter, the oxygen you place into the pond is vital for koi health and to avoid problems in springtime.

I was lucky to know another koi enthusiast, a member of my MAKC Chapter, who used solar panels for his pond.

He was willing to share his experience and knowledge with me. After consulting with him, I set out on my own to begin my new project—utilizing solar energy for my family of koi.

Step by step Solar panels capture the sun‘s energy First I purchased at our local auto parts store a $35 kit that included two 12 X 12 solar panels with all the connections, designed to add power to car batteries. (I am running a 2 amp pump; if you want more, add more or better panels). Then at Walmart, I purchased a marine battery, and from Pent-Air, a 12 volt air pump and four air stones.

Using the + and – on the battery, I attached the solar panels to the battery. Next the battery wires, + and – are attached to the air pump and the switch.

The installation of a switch will prove to be priceless if the power goes out.

Long Island

A timer on the trickle charger adds electric power and keeps the battery charged overnight.

The solar panels give energy to the battery; the battery gives energy to the air pump. A timer on the battery charges electrically.

It is very important to understand the importance of using a marine battery not an automobile battery. Marine batteries have a + and – and a tie down with a nut and bolt, so when fastened, there is no jiggling. I recommend using a piston air pump, 12 volts which will run 24/7. Air stones are attached to the air pump, which helps keep oxygen in the water. The cost of the entire project is approximately An air pump sends oxygen into the pond water

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$250. Money well spent to ensure the health and wellbeing of your koi.

Mid Atlantic Pond Life

Issue No. 2, May 2016

When Do We Start Feeding Our Koi?

By Linda Montgomery This is a reprint of an article that appeared in the April 2011 issue of Bubbles from the Bottom, the newsletter of the NorthWest Koi and Goldfish Club, whose members live mainly around Portland, OR. Thanks to Linda Montgomery and to NWK&GC for their kind permission to reprint the article First, when should we start feeding our koi in the Spring? Although we have had lots of articles on this in the past, it is always good to do a refresher on some important things to remember when feeding koi that are coming out of the winter months…

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It is natural to want to start feeding your fish when it starts to warm up, but it is more important to go by the activity of the fish. I like to see the fish in my pond actively swimming and foraging for a week before I start to feed them. The fish will naturally get a lot of nutrient from the outdoor environment such as algae and bugs that accumulate in the pond, so they aren’t going to starve for that week!

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Since the koi are cold-blooded, the metabolism of your koi is going to be dependent on the temperature of their environment.

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Before thinking about feeding your fish be sure to watch the weather reports. If it looks like there is potential for a cold snap in the near future, hold off feeding.

As most of you know, it is important to remember that since the koi are coldblooded, the metabolism of your koi is going to be dependent on the temperature of their environment and you don’t want to feed them when they don’t have the capability to digest the food.

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When you do start to feed them, feed them very lightly! I use the same food that I feed in the summer (wheat germ food) except I use much less and I always soak it in orange juice (only for a few minutes). The orange juice gives them the very necessary Vitamin C that is so important at this time of year and soaking the food makes it easier for them to digest. You may also try feeding them lightly some canned peas, which is very similar to what they are naturally getting from the pond environment.

Another concern that is not as often thought about…that the activity of the microorganisms in your biological filters are also governed by water temperature and you don’t want to feed too much too soon as your biological filters will not be able to keep up with the fish waste.

Now on storing food, the most important thing to remember is to store it in a cool, dark and dry place. Sunlight, oxygen and moisture will speed up the process of degeneration of the ingredients of the food.

Many of the ingredients (especially the vitamins and protein) become unstable when once exposed to oxygen. Because of this, once the food is opened it is important to keep it in Ziploc bags or some sort of sealed container. I have

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Mid Atlantic Pond Life

Issue No. 2, May 2016

When to Feed (continued) some tightly sealed plastic containers that I use for my koi food. Another very important point is to never store food where it can become damp; once damp the food can quickly become rancid and once rancid the food can have a long-term effect on the health of your koi.

As far as how soon your koi food needs to be used…there is some conflicting information on this. Some of the fish food manufacturers put an expiration date on their products but this is usually quite exaggerated. Chris Neaves who did the koi nutrition module for the KHA course says that there are probably enough preservatives in koi foods to keep them for 9 to 12 months, depending on where it is made.

USA Fresher than Imported Food If made in the USA it is probably much fresher than any imported food. Imported foods are generally at least 4-6 months old before they hit the shelves. Koi foods are relatively high in protein content (above 36%) and have lipids means that the manufacturer manufacturer has to add both natural and synthetic preservatives or the food would go rancid in a fairly short length of time. The natural preservatives being Vitamin E and Vitamin C. High levels of these two vitamins go a long way to preventing rancidity and free radicals. They are also essential vitamins for the koi.

Even if there is an expiration date on the bag of food that is a lot longer then 9 – 12 months, you should never store your

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your food longer then that. I always write the date at which I receive my koi food on the bag so I can keep track of how long I have had it.

But whenever I am unsure I go by what Chris Neaves has always said…“When it doubt…Throw it out! It is much cheaper to replace food then a whole collection of koi.”

Defrost with Care Now as far as freezing your koi food, you can freeze it. But the down side of this is that ice crystals form on the inside with the pellets.

When the food is taken out of the freezer and thawed these ice crystals make the koi pellets damp. So the food must be used very soon after removing it from the freezer, say a day or two.

Therefore, you do not want to freeze the koi food in large packets, rather you should freeze it it smaller amount packets that would be used in a day or two. Note: Chris also told me that an important point to know is that koi pellets are dried at the factory to less than 10% moisture.

If the moisture content is above this then we have problems with molds (often toxic) forming.

So long term storage must be in sealed bags to keep the atmospheric moisture down.

Also the storage temperat ure is important - keep it cool. Store away from any moisture source. Even a concrete store room floor will have moisture that is dangerous to the food.

Be sure to store the koi food off the floor (about 2 inches).

Mid Atlantic Pond Life

Issue No. 2, May 2016

Upcoming Events

Treasury Report Statement date: March 31, 2016

Mid Hudson Valley Sunday, May 22, 3-to-5 pm – Chapter meeting. Kathy & Bernie Carroll’s home

Previous balance: $ 18,457.52 Deposits: $60.00

Events calendar June 11 – New membership event, Peggy & Frank Almquist home July 17 – Chapter meeting Aug. 21 – Chapter meeting Sept .18 – Chapter meeting Oct. 16 – Chapter meeting Dec. 18 – Holiday party

Tri-State ZNA Koi Club Presents 5th Annual Tri-State ZNA

Koi Show July 29-31, 2016

2015 Tri-State ZNA Grand Champion

www.TriStateZNA.com

Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, NYC

Withdrawals: $ (16.05) New balance: $ 18,501.47

Current MAKC Officers President: Joann Mead

Vice-President: Herb Ehrich

Secretary: open

Treasurer: Anthony Vitale

Long Island Chapter VP: Bruce Levine

Hudson Valley Chapter VP: Herb Ehrich

South Chapter VP: Alan Mickelson

Central Chapter VP: Bruce Damme

Coming in our June issue What happens when an owner can no longer tend to a pond? Jo Mead explains how and why a pet trust can help ensure the future for fish.

We’ll also look at how Hudson Valley chapter members are rescuing fish and conducting web labs to check their health before finding new homes for them in members' ponds.

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