MY EXPERIENCE
A keen fishkeeper with over twenty years experience
I won my first fish at a local fair when I was six years old, and that is when the bug hit me. I moved on to a small aquarium in my room. As a teenager I asked my parents if I could put a pond in the garden, they agreed. I starting digging during the school holidays, but my parents became unhappy when they could not see me above the level of the garden. I added a liner and then tried many types of filtration with differing levels of success.
ON GOING EDUCATION
2010 - 2022 and beyond
Back in 2012 I decided I needed to learn more about my fish and our hobby. I started by buying the essential koi health bible. "Step by step advanced koi diagnosis and treatment" written by Duncan Griffiths. That book is a must buy for all budding koi keepers. After studying the book I completed Duncan's fish health course and passed the final exam. That alone helped me better diagnose my fish. I have since learned how to use a microscope and scrape fish safely.
Since covid I have been taking the courses for the Koi scholarship with Koi Organisation International. I have now passed the course and I am now officially a certified Koi Keeper.
The courses completed for the scholarship are:
• Anatomy.
• Physiology.
• Biosecurity, Quarantine and record Keeping.
• Nutrition.
• Pond Construction.
• Pond Filtration.
• Water Quality.
• Diagnosis & Treatment.
• Lab part 1, Chemicals, Testing, equipment, Microscopes, etc.
• Lab part 2, Aural exam conference call discussing pond scenarios, legality & pond keepers assistance, etc.
Advanced nutrition course (level 3) completed April 2023
Advanced Filtration course (level 3) Completed January 2024
KOI POND MK2
June 2010
Time for the big upgrade to my pond filters. After doing a huge amount of homework I decided to go with a drum and shower combination. The improvement in water quality was amazing. No areas for detritus to collect and the waste products are removed from the water much quicker than before. Also this filter system is so much less labour intensive. BEWARE a reduced need for maintenance can lead to complacency and then problems can begin.
KOI POND MK1
August 2006
Built and installed my koi pond. 14ft x 12 ft x 7ft deep. The original filtration was block built settlement with k1 bio and Jap matting. Easy pod on a skimmer line. This worked well for the first few years until I had a devastating bacterial infection that wiped out most of my best fish. After many months of heartache we realised that the problem was in the filthy jap matting area, that was not designed correctly. Time for Mk 2