A Case History

(No names mentioned – but it actually happened!)

1987 – ‘X’ came into my shop, complained his filter was not working and needed it sorting. I visited his pond and pointed out clearly that the pond itself was almost useless and then explained why. ‘X’ listened and then showed me two 24” Lacron sand filters shining on his patio. Yet another paid job finally had come to us by kind way of a well-known Koi dealer of the day (and a friend of mine) who refused to even speak to anyone unless they used his sand filters on their ponds! (He was a very persuasive personality indeed, believe me!) I installed a gravity-fed system on the single drain pond and used one of the sand filters at the end (after first extracting out all the ‘gunge’ with chisels and stripping it all down etc.) The other Lacron went onto a waste tip to join another hundred or more disposed of similarly on earlier jobs.

1997 – ‘X’ returned, he wanted better Koi and needed to find special ones in Japan. He came along with me and, whilst there, mentioned he was still not happy with his pond. I then replied by reminding him again that his pond was still useless. ‘X’ listened and made a few excuses before asking me to put a ‘better filter’ on his pond especially as he was now buying ‘proper’ Koi.

1998 – I installed a three-vortex system using upward-flow filter mat cartridges on the hopeless pond and finally binned the Lacron. I added excessive aeration and left by advising that this was the best possible system available but once again mentioned the actual pond was useless.

1999 to 2004 – ‘X’ made three further visits to Japan with me and purchased even better Koi, I used to visit on regular intervals and check everything out. There was never a time I did not comment on the failings of the damned pond. However, he had no real problems as such and his Koi were always in ‘reasonable’ condition – 80%-ish?

2008 – ‘X’ rang & said his Koi ‘needed a look at’ – I asked Dennis Wordsworth to go over & check things out. Dennis reported back to say ‘The Koi were completely and irretrievably Shot’! I went over later and looked for myself to find ‘The Three Big Downers’ were present and in force. Hikui City had taken over with one or two shimi in the wrong places (skin of the head) and there were many cases of ‘sandpaper skin’. On top of all this, the Koi looked well and truly ‘miserable’. Whilst ‘X’ was unhappy, I was gutted! Then the thought came that he still had two world-class Koi growing in Japan. I wondered how they could have deteriorated so badly even with an inadequate pond, the filters should have continued running as normal, I then asked if the filters had been serviced regularly. ‘X’ then lifted the wooden filter covers to show me that they were clean. It was then that the penny dropped and a sense of ‘sad relief’ came over me because the system I had installed in ’98 had been replaced completely sometime after 2003. ‘X’ then told me he’d had it ‘upgraded’ in 2004 on the advice of ‘Y’. ‘Y’ insisted to ‘X’ it would produce significant improvements in water conditions and, by using a new formula of food he could also supply, the Koi in the pond would realise their true potential.

I still have several photos taken of the filter housing that day but they are not worth including here. They included an assortment of large valves, coloured boxes, dancing beads and much associated nonsense. I just gazed down at what was before me.

The ‘sad relief’ mentioned above came about after realising that all of this had nothing whatsoever to do with me at all. My design had been ‘upgraded’ by ‘Y’ and what was seen in the pond was as a direct result of ‘Y’s ‘upgrade’ installed some four years previous. In real terms, the hitherto ‘80%-ish’ condition last seen in early 2004 were now ‘20%-ish’ in 2008 as a direct result of ‘Y’s ‘upgrade’ and associated advice. I left that day advising ‘X’ that he should speak to ‘Y’ – and quickly!

March 2009 – ‘X’ rang to say he needed a ‘proper’ pond from breaking ground to completion. I designed it to my specifications after taking into account all his requirements. He then mentioned his old pond would be demolished and could I look after his 13 Koi for the duration of the build? At that time I wondered how all 13 Koi were still alive and then also wondered what condition they were in some 7 months later. I confirmed his Koi could come to my pond after first removing the ones already in my pond for safe keeping elsewhere.

Early May 2009 – ‘The Sorry 13’ arrived and were released into my pond, even sorrier than before. Prior to this I had decided to do the very best I could to get them into some ‘reasonable condition’ in the summer months to follow because I do love a challenge! Within three days of the 13 being introduced my hitherto crystal-clear pond had turned into what you see here.

Heavy aeration; heavy filtration; GOOD food daily and water clarity as GREEN as I can possibly get it. The ultimate aim of getting green water to a thickness whereby I can slice it into sections with a carving knife has not yet been achieved as of August 2009 but I still have another 8 weeks to try for this.

Admittedly ‘controlling good, green water’ is, at most, a hit and miss affair at the least. The damned filters keep kicking in and ‘interfering’ with the planned process from time to time and we are thus seeing differing degrees of ‘clarity’ on almost a daily basis. Leaving only 13 ‘large-ish Koi’ in some 16,500 gallons of lush, green water without adequate filtration is not something to be seriously attempted. This product of nature has to be harnessed in some way and, as I see it, good aeration and good filtration are the only tools available.

I have intentionally not gone near these Koi since they first arrived and Hilary has taken care of the feeding and the pond since then. The reason for this is that any daily changes are difficult to assess whilst a few weeks away should give a much better idea of changes that may have taken place. Alas, during late July I noticed one or two were jumping and the jumping increased after a day or so. On the 29th. July, the microscope was set up, the net came out and a couple of mucus samples were the order of the day.

Obviously care must be taken to avoid net damage when trying to catch a Koi in green water conditions. As we were about to do the dirty deed, Matt Cameron, my local Koi dealer, called by so we enlisted his assistance.

Once again, the purpose of this ‘first sighting in 11 weeks’ was purely to take a couple of mucus samples and so, any two Koi would suffice. The huge Koi net broke the pond surface and within less than 20 seconds one Koi was gently raised to the surface as the three of us stood by.

As I clearly recall, it was Hilary who first came out with the words that were already on the other two tongues and this website is not the place for such words – although it is now commonplace on BBC television every night. All thoughts of mucus scrapes were put to the back of our minds as we marvelled at something far more important before us. We had no camera at the ready so the very poor picture here was taken two days later but this is what we saw in the net.

It may not mean much to the viewer and if I wished, I could have taken a series of pictures of it in a bowl with no ripples and then picked the best, but why should I? I know what I have seen.

This Sanke was affected with hikui 11 weeks ago, not as badly as some others but there all the same. Now there is not even a trace and, believe me, I searched from a distance of six inches! The skin and pigmentation are superb and the overall condition is as perfect as possible. Another 5 Koi were then inspected, some with very bad hikui before now only showed some 30% of the previous areas and we still have another two months of controlled green water ahead.

By the way, the two mucus samples only revealed one very dead gyrodactylus and it took a good 10 minutes to find!

It is now that we should consider just what the effects of ‘non crystal-clear water’ will have on Koi that go into it in perfect condition for a period of time in the summer months rather than having previously been challenged with dangerous nonsense under the name of ‘Y’s professed ‘upgrades’.

Then we should ask ourselves if it is more important to give our Koi almost perfect conditions or is the greater importance that of being able to show them to our non-Koi friends in crystal-clear, sparkling water at summer barbeques? One simple way around this is to switch on U/V’s 10 days before the event and then switch them back off the next morning.

Then there’s always the thought that we will always have 8 months or so of crystal-clear water for the rest of any given year. Is 10 weeks lack of precious squeaky-clean clarity so much to go without?

Are the statements made that make up the title of this page of any real importance in the definitive performance of a ready-made filter box?

Here’s my opinion

I wonder who is going to be the first to advertise –

‘My box only produces Koi Water’?

Now there’s a real thought!