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6 POND OF THE MONTHPaul and Linda Fell have created their own little paradise in Essex. Lions can even be heard when the winds blows in the right direction.

12 KOI ANATOMYDr P Burgess focuses on skin and how it protects the koi from infection and what to look out for.

Sept/Oct 2015 21 UNDER THE MICROSCOPETwo parasites you need to keep an eye on Apiosoma and Epistylis.

MARTIN SYMONDS

THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS

WE HAVE THIS MONTH...

Mark Nuttall, editorTel: 01929 459288

Email: mark@koi-carp.comYour comments welcome at

www.koimag.co.uk

Nishikigoi – those beautiful, c o l o u r f u l , ornamental fish that we love so much – have a f a s c i n a t i n g h i s t o r y . A mutation of the edible koi, their b i r thp lace was indeed Yamakoshi Village in Niigata some 200 years ago.

Being surrounded by mountains, the people who lived there were pretty much self-sufficient. They worked the land, built rice paddies, grew vegetables and lived very simple lives, keeping koi as a food source in ponds that were primarily used to keep the rice paddies watered.

Nobody took much notice of these koi, or Magoi, until they suddenly began to mutate. The farmers became fascinated by their different colours and patterns and their importance took a massive step forward. Such was their appeal they were even used as a bartering tool when buying goods from other regions and, as a result, they became more widely available.

As we have learned in many of our Breeder Profle articles, the koi breeders of today have descended from those rice farmers who saw the true potential of Nishikigoi. For generations they have perfected their art of developing some of the most beautiful fish in the world; a fish that is now prized as a national treasure.

Even today they pass on their vast realms of knowledge onto their children, and indeed their children’s children, keeping th is specia l ar t a l ive for generations to come. Nishikigoi are a symbol of strength, of determination, of perseverance through adversity – all the traits of the breeders who produce them.

SIMPLE THINGS

PAULA REYNOLDS

DR PETERBURGESS

KEITH HOLMES

16 HOW TO MANAGE FILTER MEDIAThere are many types of filter media it all works. Do you need to upgrade or change your current sustem.

CHRISWILLIAMS

32 WATER QUALITY AMMONIUMKeeping healthy water is the key to keeping healthy koi.

30 CALCULATING DOSAGESYou will surprised at the number of koi keepers who struggle to calculate the right dosages crating even more problems.

4 Koi Carp Magazine SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

38 KOI BREEDEROtsuka koi farm where onnovation is the name of the game.

Contents November 2015.indd 4 19/11/2015 09:19

CONTENTS21 UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

46 MAKING RIPPLES All the latest news and views.

58 KOI SERVICES DIRECTORY Your regional guide to koi businesses around the UK.

61 CLUB LISTINGS Comprehensive list of koi clubs in the UK.

62 BKKS UPDATE The latest news from the British Koi Keepers Society.

ALL YOUR FAVOURITE REGULARS:Keeping healthy water is the key to keeping healthy koi.

SEPTTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 Koi Carp Magazine 5

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38 KOI BREEDER

52 REAL PONDSA beautiful selections of ponds to inspire your next upgrade or better still pond number 2!!! OUR FANTASTIC

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25 COMPETITION

Contents November 2015.indd 5 19/11/2015 09:19

6 Koi Carp Magazine SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

PONDPERFECT Paul and Linda Fell live in a small

p i c t u re s q u e v i l l a g e n e a r t o Colchester, North Essex - on a calm day you can even hear the lions roar from the local zoo. Linda has been local to the area all of her life and Paul, originally from Peckham, moved to Essex when he was nine. Both are now retired with time on their hands and have created a garden that would be the envy of most - but on a modest budget hence g iv ing inspiration to all!

Paul responded to a post on the Koi Mag forum mag asking for people to get in touch if they would like to have their pond featured in the magazine. When I was asked to cover this I was quite excited as the pictures I had seen of the pond looked amazing. So after battling the dreaded M25 I eventually arrived at Paul and Linda’s and was made welcome from the start.

OWNER PROFILE:

An amazing pond in a wonderfull location

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 Koi Carp Magazine 7

POND OF THE MONTH

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