JRAS meeting this Thursday night!

Hi Gang,

We will be holding our regular April 2014 James River Aquarium Society
Monthly Meeting this Wednesday, March 23rd at 7:30 PM at the Department of
Game and Inland fisheries (DGIF), 4010 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23230
and Koi Pond Building Workshop on Saturday, April 26th from 10AM - 3PM at
106 Seneca Road, Richmond, VA 23226. Any questions contact Dennis Bragg,
Cell/Text: (804) 690-2152 <tel:804-690-2152> .

About our program this Wednesday evening: Our own Jose Oseguera, fisheries
biologist and koi pond builder extraordinaire, will be presenting "Pond
Building" via film and lecture. This meeting is a prelude for our "Pond
Building Workshop taking place this Saturday, April 26th from 10AM - 4PM at
106 Seneca Road, Richmond, VA 23226 (Very near the intersection of Grove and
Libbie in the near West End of Richmond)

About our Wednesday program speaker: Jose Oseguera
Jose Oseguera, (a Fisheries Management expert from Humboldt State
University, California) and owner of PetsPonds, Inc. will give a film and
lecture on Pond Building, methods, planning, considerations and costs, etc.
as a prelude for our "Pond Building Workshop taking place this Saturday,
April 26th from 10AM - 4PM at 106 Seneca Road, Richmond, VA 23226 (Very near
the intersection of Grove and Libbie in the near West End of Richmond).
Jose and his family just moved to Richmond from California last year from
Northern California. Jose has very extensive knowledge and experience in
designing, managing, building and maintaining all types of ponds and
specifically Koi ponds. Jose is also the largest "tortoise rancher) in the
Central Va area and has a veritable zoo at his family's 40 acre homesite in
Gouchland, VA.

Other Happenings/Events planned for this year:

1) Saturday, April 26th: JRAS "Pond Building" Workshop led by Jose
Oseguera, one of our fisheries biologist members. This workshop will be
held on Saturday, April 26th from 10 AM to about 4PM in the near West End
here in Richmond. We will have a cookout around 1PM. The location will be
in the back yard of a Koi enthusiast who has purchased all the materials and
has already had the hole dug in the work area. Our job is to level the
sides, install the liner, decorative rocks (a bunch!), pumps, filter and
build the waterfall. As any work of art, the placement of the rocks and
setup is very artistic work and should be fun for any artists in the group.
We need about 8-12 people who enjoy this type of creative work. We plan on
leaving early in the afternoon of the 26th with the pond ~ 90% completed
with just a landscape contractor needed to plant remaining plants around/in
the pond. We should be finished by 2-3PM. Email Dennis Bragg at
roovle@gmail.com <mailto:roovle@gmail.com> or contact via cell/text: (804)
690-2152 if you would like to sign up for this event. We need a headcount
for the food to be grilled/provided. Jose's Wednesday program will help us
understand the background, methods, techniques and fisheries knowledge being
used in the construction of this Koi pond.

2) Saturday, May 17: Raleigh Aquarium Society (RAS) and JRAS field trip
to the NC Aquarium at Manteo, NC. We are getting a group together to join
RAS in this fun trip. Let Dennis Bragg know via this Wednesday's Pond
Building meeting or via email or text (below). We have available, a late
model large SUV or minivan to comfortably hold up to seven for this field
trip. For more details call or contact the main organizer for RAS: Michael
V. Maieli, michaelmaieli@aol.com <mailto:michaelmaieli@aol.com> , (919)
848-3053 <tel:%28919%29%20848-3053> / (919) 624-3053

As usual, we will be holding our end of meeting auction of livestock,
plants, hard goods, etc.

Hope to see you all at DGIF for Jose's presentation on Pond Building this
Wednesday evening at 7:30!

Sincerely,

Dennis Bragg
JRAS President
Cell/Text: 804-690-2152 <tel:804-690-2152>
roovle@gmail.com <mailto:roovle@gmail.com>


Research

HOW TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN A PROPER KOI POND
By Tom Burton, From: http://tomskoi.com/buildkoipond.htm


INTRODUCTION
A koi pond is a purpose built habitat for those lovely fish we call "Living
Jewels" and as such, differs from any other garden water feature. To
introduce koi into other types of water features is usually a disaster
waiting to happen and though one can get away with it for a while, the end
result is predictable. So, instead of doing what so many do, that is dig a
hole, throw in a liner, add water and a few fish, and call it a koi pond, we
want to help to get it right the first time. You only need to do it right
once but you can get it wrong over and over.
This chapter will address building a koi pond with a liner but the only
difference between a liner pond and any other is what's used to contain the
water. All other technical aspects are the same; bottom drains gravity
feeding to a filtration system then to a biological processing station
before being returned to the pond by recirculating pumps. But before
attempting to build, read and heed the advice in this excerpt from the
Mid-Atlantic Koi Club publication, From the Pages of MAKC News:
"It seems that the more people that see koi, the more people there are that
want to own one (or 10 or 50). But to make the transition from dream to
dream pond, there's an awful lot of information that must be read/seen/heard
and assimilated before one has even a chance of success. So to preclude
those would-be koi keepers from putting the carp before the horse, here's a
logical approach to what can be and in most cases is, a most rewarding and
fascinating hobby.
"The first rule is:
-- DON'T BUY ANY FISH YET!!!--
"Not only join a club but actively participate in all of its activities that
you can make time for. Listen to any and all who will respond to your
questions. You'll get plenty of conflicting stories but after a while you'll
be able to sift through the chaff and can start to formulate a well-founded
base from which to do your planning.
"Go see as many ponds as you possibly can, all the while asking questions
and storing the data for your future use. After a while you'll have some
ideas on what your budget, real estate and imagination can handle so retrace
your steps (or continue your search) until you find the THE pond, up and
running, tried and true, that comes closest to what you think you want. Talk
extensively to that pond keeper and find out from the beginning how he made
it work and what were the mistakes and pitfalls along the way (that you can
now avoid)."
An ideal way to have the beauty of a water garden AND the distinct pleasure
of a koi pond is to have both! - a lovely water garden tippling off into a
koi pond. The plants can't be disturbed (or eaten) by the fish because the
fish can't get to them and the fish can be viewed in all their glory,
unfettered by pots and plants.

SITING
Perhaps one the most difficult but truly critical aspects of building a koi
pond is where we put it. The whole point behind doing this in the first
place is to be able to see it and enjoy it so if we put it off somewhere in
the "back 40" we might as well save ourselves the trouble. Ideally, the pond
will sit where we can see it from the house all year 'round. We may need to
remove an old concrete patio or demolish or remodel a deck or even
transplant or remove some existing plants or trees, but it will be worth it
in the long run. Deciding just where it will go and what it might look like
will take some imagination but that can be helped by using a rope or garden
hose or even spreading lime to outline the pond's perimeter on the ground.
Then, viewing it over several days from many angles from rooms in the house
as well as from the surrounding property will help in deciding the ideal
spot. And finally, while we're at it, we may decide to replace some windows
with a larger expanse of glass so as to incorporate the outdoors with the
indoor living space. This is an excellent way to heighten the enjoyment,
particularly if the pond is close enough to the house that we can walk to
that window and actually see into the pond and watch the kaleidoscope of
colors as the fish swim in ever changing patterns.
SIZE AND DEPTH
Once the "where" is decided, we need to determine size and depth.
An ideal pond for the average hobbyist is between 23 and 25 feet long by 12
to 13 feet wide and 3 to 4 feet deep. (The 1% or less of koi hobbyists who
want to grow jumbo koi or keep fish primarily to compete in shows with, will
want much deeper ponds of 6 to 8 feet). This size pond can accommodate 15 to
20 mature fish (24 to 28 inches) giving them plenty of room to exercise and,
will not look overstocked and crowded. Here's how we calculate the volume of
water in this pond: Length X width X depth = cubic feet X 7.5 gallons per
cubic foot = volume in gallons. So, 25 X13 X 3 X 7.5 = 7312 gallons.
However, this is only an approximate figure as the pond will not normally be
a perfect rectangle and the shape may be more freeform. We will only know
the exact volume of pond and filtration system upon filling the feature and
metering the input. And it's extremely important to know the exact volume.
Keeping the width of the pond to less than 13 feet is so that when we have
to catch a fish, for whatever reason (and there will be reasons), we need to
be able to extend the net from one side to the other and any net and handle
longer than about 12 feet is quite unmanageable. (See section on catching
fish).
BOTTOM DRAINS
They've just discovered an eleventh stone tablet somehow missed by Moses.
The inscription reads, THOU SHALT NOT BUILD A KOI POND WITHOUT A PROPER
BOTTOM DRAIN. Imagine that. Even then they knew. The ideal set-up is to have
the drain(s) CONTINUOUSLY gravity feeding to the filter system(s). Why
gravity feeding? So the big stuff stays as much intact as possible as it
enters and settles in the first phase of the filtration system,
appropriately called the settling chamber. Why continuously feeding? Because
crud lying static in the bottom of the pond and in drain pipes waiting for
someone to purge it, quickly becomes anaerobic (lack of oxygen), starts
producing that sulfuric or rotten egg smell, and poses a dire threat to the
health and well-being of our treasured friends. This becomes even more acute
during the winter if the filter system is shut down. Why? Follow this line
of reasoning: If the water is not being re-circulated and stands relatively
still, where is the worst water in the pond? AT THE BOTTOM. Where do fish
stay in the winter? AT THE BOTTOM. If we don't run our systems we force the
fish to live in their own, continually worsening sewer. No wonder so many
folks dread deadly springtime. AND, to absolutely compound matters, starting
up from scratch each spring means all the pain and agony of " New Pond
Syndrome" every year. Ugh!! They say it takes a couple years for a
biological processing station to become mature and although arriving at that
conclusion was not done scientifically, experience sure bears that out. And
as the water warms and we start and then gradually increase feeding, the
filter is ready to react on demand as opposed to going through the tenuous
ammonia and nitrite cycles/spikes on its way to kicking in. One last thing:
a minimum of four inch drain pipe from a drain similar to the one on page 32
of the Tetra Encyclopedia of Koi, is still the state of the art (though a
new drain from the UK that incorporates aeration shows great promise as
well). Even a four-inch pipe will need to be cleaned out from time-to-time
after about the fourth or fifth year of use as crud grows on the walls and
really slows down the flow.
FILTRATION
They say that the key to keeping koi is water quality. Then the key to water
quality is adequate and appropriate filtration.
Any filter system (and the emphasis is on system) should include the
following four, essential elements:
Bottom drains - A 4000-6000 gallon pond might get along fine with just one
bottom drain if constructed so sediment was kept moving toward it. Ponds
above 6000 gallons should have at least two bottom drains gravity feeding to
two separate filtration systems. If two or more are used, they should never
be connected by a "Y" but taken all the way to separate (or one very large)
settling chambers in at least 4" schedule 40 or 80 PVC pipe. Drains should
be of the type designed by Peter Waddington of Infiltration in the UK, and
pictured on page 32 of the Tetra Encyclopedia of Koi. They cost about $120-
130. There's a cheaper one on the market but the three legs it stands on
create a traffic jam from leaves and other debris. Drains should gravity
feed to the filter - if you pump to a filter you puree all the poop and
stuff making filtration - spelled EXTRACTION - more difficult.
Tip: A word on gravity feeding. The basic rule is, water will always seek
its own level. If you place two containers (or even more) side by side (such
as a pond and a settling chamber) and run a pipe from one to the other(s)
anywhere below the water line, and fill them with water, the water level
will even out from one to the other. If we pump from one, the water from the
other(s) will flow to compensate and that's how a gravity flow recirculating
system works. As long as the pump is running, the filter system water level
will always be slightly below pond level as the pond water is always trying
to catch up. How much difference depends on the flow rate of the pump. The
higher the output of the pump, the lower the water drops in the filter
system containers. Example: 2400 gallons per hour (GPH) will drop the level
about 1 inch. Note: A new (slick) 4" PVC pipe can carry about 3500 GPH by
gravity. The flow rate will reduce as the pipe starts growing things inside.
Settling chambers - The most efficient is called a vortex (whirlpool). Water
enters on a tangent about two thirds of the way down the side of the
container, causing a swirling motion forcing the larger pieces of crud to
move out to the sides where gravity draws them down to the bottom where the
purge line enters the cone shape of the purpose built container. When we see
a build-up of debris, we just pull the knife valve in the 3" (minimum) purge
line and get rid of it to waste. For most Koi ponds, this container should
be a minimum of 40" in diameter and 40" deep. The point is to slow the water
down enough for the heavy stuff to drop out and any smaller container is
ineffective when pond water flow rate is at the typical 2000-2400 gallons
per hour (2400 GPH is maximum for a 40" vortex). The rule of thumb is, the
larger the vortex the greater water flow we can have and still accomplish
the same result.
Mechanical filtration - This is where we actually strain or extract or trap
or take something out of the water. We actually want particles to cling to
whatever we place in the path of the water. The choices of material are
numerous but my choice is cylindrical (usually 4" in diameter) brushes with
a stainless steel core and bristles of nylon or other similar synthetic
material. It's best to buy the thick, good ones as they'll stop more stuff
and they never wear out. They come in various lengths to suit your needs and
can be used in up-flow, down-flow or horizontal applications. You'll want at
least four rows, each one slightly enmeshed or overlapped with the other
from side to side. And with brushes, more is better. They can be hung in
place with dowels or metal (non-rusting) rods. However, they must be cleaned
from time to time and because we're not asking them to perform any
biological function, a garden hose and chlorinated water is okay if flushed
away from the system (chlorinated water will kill the good guy bacteria in
the biological processing station).
Biological processing - Here's where the chemicals you can't see such as
ammonia and nitrite, are eaten by "good-guy" bacteria provided by Mother
Nature. Remember, every surface under water anywhere in the pond - this
means streams, waterfalls, the sides of the pond, anything under water - is
a place for "good-guy" bacteria to reside and work for you.

For a copy of the news letter in its original format with pictures, please PM your email address to me or contact Dennis at Cell/Text: (804) 690-2152 <tel:804-690-2152> .