FEBRUARY 2012 Newsletter
The February Club meeting AGM was well attended.
The first item was the appointment of the Club Committee. Current members were re-elected for the current year.
Club chairman – Danny Hughes; Deputy chairman – Mike; Club secretary – Dave; Club treasurer – Janice; Events organiser – Mike; Fundraiser – Kathy; Website – Sue.
The chairman reinforced the Club’s thanks to members concerned for holding social nights last year. Although no trips were possible, this was certainly made up by the numerous get-together’s.
Although Mike did not make February’s Club meeting, we have since learnt that he spent two weeks in the company of nurses and doctors at Grimsby hospital. It is reassuring to know that he is now on the road to recovery. His thoughts will shortly be focused on forthcoming events for the Club. We all wish him well.
It was announced that the Club received a favourable article in the KOI Magazine. (Issue 170, March 2012). To subscribe and receive the best offers, go to www.koimag.co.uk.
A request was made for any outstanding membership fees to be paid at the March Club night.
As a thank you to the chairman of the Club, the Committee made a presentation to Danny.
JANUARY 2012 Newsletter
Happy New Year!
The January Club meeting was well attended considering the cold, dark evenings.
Yearly subs are now overdue! Members who have not yet paid are requested to have monies available at the February Club meeting.
Club accounts have been audited and will be available and for discussion at the February Club meeting.
‘Salt but no pepper’. Did you know that salt has numerous beneficial effects on fish, not least a marked anti-parasite activity and the promotion of healing?
Some Koi keepers maintain a permanent low level of salt in their pond. Others add a low level over the winter to help the fish survive the colder months. Salt has many other uses such as high strength anti-parasitic dips and the reduction of ammonia and nitrite poisoning.
So how does adding salt to the water protect sick Koi?…. A solution of salt that has the same concentration as that of a fish’s body fluids is called isotonic. This level, in terms of what we are used to, would be 0.9% or 1½ oz/gal.
A salt solution more concentrated than the fish’s body fluids is termed hyper-tonic. One less concentrated is termed hypo-tonic.
If a Koi is placed in a hypo-tonic salt bath, such as the ½oz per gallon (0.3%) level maintained permanently or over winter by some Koi keepers, then the concentration gradient between the fish and the water is greatly reduced. Thus water influx and salt efflux are also reduced, relieving the sick, stressed or over-wintering fish. This level of salt also enhances mucus secretion by the goblet cells. This mucus then provides protection from parasites, bacteria etc and helps protect against colder temperatures.
So, Koi have adapted to live in freshwater and have evolved mechanisms to deal with the problems this causes. If the fish becomes sick, then elevating the level of salt to a mildly hypo-tonic level, confers physiological protection on the fish, and should reduce the parasite load. Very sick or heavily parasitic fish can be placed in a short-term strong hyper-tonic dip to rapidly kill parasites and promote mucus production.
So, to control parasites and boost the health of sick Koi, reach for the salt.
DECEMBER 2011 Newsletter
Chairman’s message - I would like to thank Members of the Committee for the excellent work they have done during the year, especially with high attendance to the Club monthly meetings, raffle money raised, monthly newsletters and the Club website. North Lincolnshire KOI Society continues to be one of those friendly KOI clubs. A special thanks to both Keith & Pauline and Merrick & Angie for hosting our social nights, which were much appreciated. I would also like to welcome our three new Club members and lastly wish everyone a Merry Christmas and trouble free New Year….. Danny Hughes.
The December Club night saw another fantastic turnout by members. Once again Arties Mill did us proud, with an excellent meal, thoroughly enjoyed by all. The evening was highlighted with the award presentations made to the winners of the 2011 Photo Competition and the annual Club Shield (awarded to a member(s) in recognition of their contribution to the Club). This was presented to Dave and Janice by the Chairman.
This year saw Club members entering a total of 54 KOI in the Competition. For the 2nd year, judging was kindly undertaken by Mark from KOI POLLOI.
The raffle was again well supported, with Kathy calling the winning numbers to the background music of ‘we are the champions’ from the adjacent disco. Dare I put into print – Kathy’s high octaves won easily? Members have been filling the Club Food Hamper for some months. Bernard and June were the lucky winning members. Well done to them… members will be calling for high tea!
Our 2012 Club subscriptions are due. Members are requested to have monies available at the January meeting and don’t forget your Club raffle prize!
At our January meeting we will be updated on the following:
- Mike (events organiser) on arrangements being made for our Club trips during 2012.
- There was also a strong indication by members to participate in a ‘show and grow’ competition.
- Richdon Koi will be a Club visit in 2012.
- Confirmation that arrangements are being made for a visit to Norwich Koi Club…… others may follow….
- Possible dates for Ten Pin Bowling at Scunthorpe AMF.
NOVEMBER 2011 Newsletter
New members - We would like to extend a warm welcome to ROY AND IRENE as our new Club Members.
Members raffle - The Club has decided that a members’ raffle will no longer take place but newsletter articles by members would still be warmly welcomed by the Club Secretary.
Greyhound racing. The recent trip to the track was enjoyed by all that attended and was best summed up as ‘the bookies did well’! What made it an epic ending for the ladies was the sight of a ‘streaker’ in hot pursuit by security staff around the track!
OCTOBER 2011 Newsletter
Members raffle - this month’s winners were Merrick and Angie. We look forward to receiving their article.
Christmas Hamper - members have already started to fill the hamper with items. Don’t be left out. Please help build up this Christmas special Club prize which will be drawn at the Presentation Night on 14 December.
We are pleased to let you know that Mike (events organiser) is well advanced on arranging our Club trips for 2012. Also there was a strong indication by members to participate in a ‘show and grow’ competition. Richdon Koi will be a Club 2012 visit.
We have also had confirmation that a visit to the Norwich Koi Club is being organised….. others may follow.
The Ten Pin Bowling night is on at AMF Scunthorpe. Kathy is obtaining costs and possible dates for Club members. Could this be a Grimsby vs Scunthorpe tournament?
Members at our October Club night were entertained by Keith’s teeth. To dispel the image of dentures being circulated around the room, we’d better explain! Whilst cleaning his pond, Keith discovered about 10 small teeth in his filters. It is common knowledge that Koi do have teeth secreted at the back of the throat. The teeth project upwards from the last gill and crush against a bony plat in the roof. These are constantly shed and placed in adult Koi. So if your partner tells you he’s throwing his molars away, don’t despair, its only Koi teeth…. hopefully.
May we ask that all 2010 trophies be returned at the November Club night.
New members We would like to welcome Nigel as our new Club member.
SEPTEMBER 2011 Newsletter
Club clothing - the order for Club clothing has now been placed and will be with Members shortly.
Newsflash! Bookings are now being taken for the Club Christmas Meal and Presentation Night. Please pass names, numbers and food order to Kathy. Cost is £10 pp and non-members £15 pp. Payment is required on or before the November Club meeting. Please join us for this memorable evening.
Members raffle - this month’s winner was Dave Crellin. We look forward to receiving his article. However, members articles are purely voluntary. They are just a small way for members to help fill the content of our monthly Newsletter. The content can be of any subject.
August was a busy month for Club members on the social side. We all visited Merrick and Angie’s pond for a great BBQ. For some members, it was their first sight of this fantastic pond set within a purpose built koi house. The amusing game of the night was to name as many displayed photographs, objects, places, people and areas. Following a ‘recount’, the winners were Darren and Sue. A big ‘thank you’ to our hosts.
Bank Holiday weekend members were invited to Keith and Pauline’s. Although the weather was not up to scratch, the buffet laid on was terrific. The evening was highlighted by the intruiging games of ‘what’s in the bag’. Individual small cloth bags were filled with everyday objects and sealed. Members had to guess the contents which caused many a humorous discussion between couples. The first count revealed joint winners between Danny and Christine and Sue and Darren. The final winner was decided on the cut of a pack of cards – Ace high. Sue cut a Queen…. the tension mounted… and then low and behold, Danny cut on Ace. How lucky was that!… he must have gone to Specsavers!! He was presented with a box of biscuits. Special thanks to Keith and Pauline.
AUGUST 2011 Newsletter
The night was certainly entertaining from our guest speaker, Richard of RICHDON KOI. We were spellbound by the rise and workload required to establish and maintain his KOI outlet. The individual KOI ponds certainly had some gallonage; you wouldn’t want to be on a water meter! 2012 might just see a Club visit to this outlet.
Newsflash! DOCK KOI are holding a BBQ on Sunday 21 August. Free food and many bargains to tempt you.
Club clothing – Members requiring clothing, please visit wwww.xamax.co.uk. Choose what you want, make a note of the code number, quantity, size and colour and pass your order to Janice.
Members raffle – this month’s winner was Kathy. We look forward to receiving her article.
Jonathon’s article I designed my pond purely for goldfish, when I landscaped the garden. I wanted it reasonably deep so that they were protected in winter. With it being in the middle of the lawn, I put in a 4″ pipe so I was able to filter and run pumps, cables etc under the lawn to the summerhouse.
I am always looking for a bargain and for new ways of improving the water – fluidised beds, ozonisers, RO water, but I am not always keen on paying shop prices. In the past I have built various systems or tried to improve on existing ideas. My recent one was that of an air diffuser… Sorry I will just go back a bit….
In February/March a friend wanted to rent out his property. He had a pond in the back garden which he needed to fill in as the tenants had a young child. He said he had a few goldfish etc. When I arrived on Saturday morning and we started emptying the pond, there were 2 mirror carp (18″ and 24″). 3 koi (18″). 1 golden orfe (18+”). 1 butterfly koi (14″). 2 koi (12″). rudd (6″). 2 tench (6″). Numerous 6″ to 9″ goldfish. Black moor etc (6″). Probably 20+ fish in total. I am glad I had taken a few extra tubs!
The fish seemed to settle alright into my pond as I did not need to feed etc and thankfully the filter – an Easipod – seemed to cope as the bio load increased and regular water changes on a timer helped to keep the nitrites down. However, I noticed in the summer that the larger fish and particularly the mirror carp, seemed to be swimming towards the 4″ return pipe. I thought this was maybe because the return pipe was carrying highly oxygenated water. I decided to try aerating the pond water more. I bought a 6″ circular flat air stone. This created massive turbulence when I connected it to the 80ltr air pump. The lilies got pushed around and even the big fish ended up flailing around at the top as they swam over it. The fish became blurred under a constant ripple on the surface. I decided to try an aeration tube instead, similar to the ones I have in my tanks, and looked around for a tube to create an air curtain around the edge. I was put off the idea when I looked at the prices. It was £6.79 per 90cm strip (the cheapest) and even for my small pond, I was looking for about 10m to go around the circumference. I could not stop thinking about it. Then I hit on an idea – a soaker hose to water the garden. I wondered whether it would work and after a bit of messing around with jubilee clips etc, I had an air curtain twice round the pond and doing a great job for less than £15. The lilies settled down and I could see the fish. They seemed to like it as they swam in and out of it.
Unfortunately, I do not think I was on the same wavelength as the mirror cap, for the next day I found the 24″ mirror on the lawn (which I buried next to the hamster, which had died that day as well!) I thought that perhaps next door’s cat had took it out of the pond but the day after, the 18″ jumped out as well. I came to the conclusion that they had leapt out, believing there was a better pond the other side of the 4″ return pipe.
It just goes to show that no matter how long you have been trying to ‘speak fish’ (in my case some 40+ years), you still know ‘squat!’ On the plus side and looking for that silver lining, I decided that I could put in the 300 baby goldfish, which I have bred, in my pond without it affecting the filter!
JUNE 2011 Newsletter
All the photographs for the Club Photo Competition have now been taken. Many thanks to all entrants and good luck!
Our June meeting was well attended which created lively discussion on the water test results. The jury was out on how many tests are required. Nitrate was no surprise.
A 5 Poster Campaign – Additional laminted posters have now been handed to members to distribute.
The fun side of keeping KOI. “A Koi keeper was in the garden, filling in a hole, when his neighbour peered over the fence. Interested in what he was doing, the neighbour asked, “What are you up to?” ”My little Sanke died,” replied the Koi keeper, choking back the tears, “and I’ve just buried him.” The neighbour was curious and said “That’s an awfully big hole for such a small Koi, isn’t it?” The Koi keeper patted down the last heap of earth then replied. ”That’s because he’s inside your cat.”
Members raffle - this month’s winner was Bernard. We look forward to receiving his article.
Club Social Night on Wednesday 29 June – A warm welcome awaits you for a ’PIE & PEA’S evening at Keith & Pauline’s. Members are asked to join them from 18:00 onwards. Please remember you raffle prize.
Dealer News - DOCK KOI will be attending the Cambridgeshire Open Show and will have a selection of high quality Ogata Koi plus dry goods on sale
Sue & Darren’s article – Favourite Holidays
We toured America in August 2003. Watching our pennies or should I say dollars, we decided to head for Toronto, Canada with a later trip over the border into USA, as this was the easiest route to get to Buffalo, where Darren’s sister and family live. It’s a must to hire a car, which we picked up from the airport.
We got somewhat lost, or should I admit, completely lost. Map reading is not one of my strong points. We ended up in downtown Buffalo in the middle of the night, which is not advisable.
We visited many places, including a three-day stay in New York at the Sheraton, just off Broadway. Went to Ground Zero, which was very sad and did all the usual sightseeing tours, including a trip up the Empire State Building. It was not too long after 9/11, so security was very tight.
As a family, we are very interested in American stock car racing (NASCAR), I booked us some ring side seats at Michigan International Speedway. What a fantastic day, albeit Darren and I were very hung over from the night before after drinking Margarita’s at a nearby motel bar…. it’s all those American bikers that kept us up drinking! (REALLY HOW COULD WE REFUSE). We only ever watch the racing on TV in England, so to actually be there was incredible. Talking of racing, on our way to Michigan, we went over the state border into Cleveland. Unfortunately, the speed limit changed and we were speeding. Not only that, Darren was trying to drive and read the map on his knee, as he’d taken it off me, because I was trying to read it upside down! (SO HE SAID).
We noticed a cop car following, guess what, it was for us! Darren pulled over to the left, which the cop was not too happy about either! The state trooper got out of his car, hand on gun, and came to give us a good talking to. After checking our passports and realising we were English, he let us on our way. Must have been the thought of all that extra paperwork! Ryan thought it was all a game and “could we do it again Dad”! We spent a day at Niagara Falls, as Darren’s sister lives only 25 minutes away. This was a fab day and included going down onto a jetty right by the side of the falls and getting very wet! However, you are provided with plastic little coats and sandals, which you can take home as a souvenir. Many thanks to Darren’s sister for a fab 3 weeks. We’ll be back in the future.
And There’s More…………………..
Chilled out in February 2007 at Dreams Beach Resort in the Dominican Republic. This was the first time we had been to the Caribbean and if there is a paradise, this was definitely it! Firstly the airport, it’s tiny with no windows and thatched roofs. Then off to the hotel… WOW… beautiful foyer looking out over lush green gardens. This was to be where we had our afternoon drinks straight from the beach. The resort was 5 star, 24-hour all inclusive and you could have whatever you liked, any time of night and day… even room service which I have to add, Ryan enjoyed.
Our room was great and included a mini bar, which was topped up every day with whatever you desired… not sure if this was really needed, (but you would agree would be rude not to!)
The beach was beautiful white soft sand and crystal clear warm blue seas. You could walk for miles and not see another holidaymaker or hotel! Not the usual overcrowding. The resort had a lazy river/swimming pool which twisted through grounds, from the start of the hotel, right down to the beach and swim up beach bar. Every day, a wooden boat was filled with ice and bottled alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks were put in to help yourself. There was also another with chopped up fruit on sticks. Mangos were the best. There was also a BBQ on the beach daily and staff used to scramble up the palm trees, cut down coconuts and fill them with spirits. Once a week, they would move one of the indoor restaurants on to the beach for a party with sand pits dug for BBQ’ing. I never have really seen anything like it. They cut down palm tree branches and made walk thro love hearts on the beach.
The locals seem to do so much with very little. The hotel was mainly American but we love em’. There were 7 restaurants including a Japanese, all of which you could use as and when you wanted, including a roof top adult one… which unfortunately we did not get to try as we had Ryan with us. Would love to go again and probably will sometime in the near future.
