Free No. 4a

Free Download No. 4a
What’s inside?
2
AKCA Judges’ Corner - Tancho
7
Advantage Bottom Drain System
11
Artist’s Corner – Fused Glass
16
Ramblings - Water Changes
by Dr. Jason Guevara, AKCA Candidate Judge
by Jeff Walker
by Dale Rohrer
by James Reilly, former ZNA NA District Chair
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Tancho koi photos by Michael Hernandez; crane photo courtesy of Wikipedia
TANCHO SHOWA
TANCHO
TANCHO SANKE
Judge’s Corner Dr. Jason Guevara, AKCA Candidate Judge
Tancho
T
he Tancho is a legendary
Red-crowned Crane (Grus
japonensis). The Japanese
Crane is the second rarest
Crane in the world and in 2004 became the National Bird of China. The
Crane has a white body, black neck
and tail, with a brilliant red circle on its
head.
Legend has it the Tancho can live
1,000 years and it is featured in many
myths and legends. In Taoism, the
Tancho is a symbol of longevity and
immortality. The Shang Dynasty tombs
depict pictures of an immortal fl ying
on
2
KOI USA
a Tancho. Even the Zhou Dynasty had
Tanchos on ceremonial bronze ware.
Because of the legend of the Tancho living 1,000 years, the Series D
1,000 yen note has two Red-crowned
Cranes on it. The National flag of Japan also shows a red sun on a white
background.
In koi, a Tancho refers simply to a
single red crest on the head. This is
a variety and not a true breed. If you
breed two Tanchos, one seldom has
offspring that are true Tanchos. They
are a unique variety that happens by
chance.
We usually think of a Tancho Kohaku because this is the closest to the
main definition, but Tancho is present in all Gosanke and multiple other
breeds. The King of Tanchos is the
Tancho Showa because it has a fully patterned body and is powerful. I
believe that the Tancho Showa resembles the Red-crowned Crane.
If there are other hi spots on the
koi, then this is referred to as maruten
(crown on head). When a kuchibeni
(lipstick) is present, this is not a true
Tancho. A true Tancho has only one hi
spot on the head.
Tancho koi can be all different
breeds like Gin Matsuba, Goshiki,
Kujaku, Goromo, Hariwake, Asagi,
etc. – all of whom would be judged in
non-Gosanke categories.
Judging a Tancho is based upon
symmetry. If you divide the head in two
sections from front to back (vertically),
the hi pattern should be the same on
both sides of the imaginary line. Another line is drawn between the eyes
creating a horizontal one; 1/3rd of the
ideal Tancho spot is located below the
eye line to the nares but not involving
them and 2/3rds of the Tancho will
be located up to but not including the
shoulder. The largest hi spot centered
between the eyes but not covering
them is preferred.
The ideal Tancho spot is a natural
perfect circle. The hi may have a flow-
Honorable Kunihiko Saito, Ambassador to the United States, looking
through KOI USA Magazine, presented to him by Mr. Chuck Poppe as
a gift from Zen Nippon Airinkai Potomac Koi Cub.
Colonel CHARLES R. POPPE, USMC (Ret.)
Charles Raymond “Chuck” Poppe passed away on March 31, 2014,
at the age of 84. Beloved husband of Doris P Poppe: father of Stephen
C. Poppe and Susan P. McKenzie: grandfather to Erin J. Poppe, Eric C.
Poppe, Stephanie A. Poppe and Tamara K.M. Cain. He was taken quickly
from us by leukemia.
Chuck was born and attended college in California before entering
the USMC in 1951. He completed a 28 year career with service to his
country in the Korea and Vietnam Wars. After retiring from the Marine
Corps, he started Poppe Associates, a consulting firm which he successfully ran for years. Chuck developed an interest in raising and showing
koi, culminating in being recognized as an AKCA & ZNA Judge Emeritus
recognized worldwide.
Interment at Arlington National Cemetery with military honors will
be announced.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation at www.marineheritage.org.
Please view and sign the family guestbook and at:
www.everlywheatleyfuneralhome.com
Tancho Criteria (100 total points)
1. LOCATION (50): 1/3rd below eyes, not including eyes, nares or shoulder.
2. SIZE (20): The larger the better.
3. COLOR (10): The deeper the better.
4. BACKGROUND (10): Brightest contrast is best.
5. SHAPE (10): Round is preferred.
May/June 2014 3
er pattern, or be square, heart shaped
(Hato Tancho), diamond or oval. The
skin quality, width of the head, deepness of the hi pattern and the shiroji
are just as important. It is preferred to
have a white background on the head
and a snow white body.
When judging Tancho Sanke and
Tancho Showa, the sumi needs to
be up for the show. For the Tancho
Showa, if the sumi on the head forms
a V shape without interrupting the hi
spot, this is preferred. I believe that
even though the Tancho is not a true
breed, it should be in its own category
at a show. A beautiful Tancho Kohaku
would not be judged higher than a fully
patterned Maruten Kohaku if the body
conformation, skin quality and shiroji
were the same.
Tancho koi can be all different
breeds like Gin Matsuba,
Goshiki, Kujaku, Goromo,
Hariwake, Asagi, etc.
Tanchos occur in all variety of colors. The classic is hi but a ki Showa
may have a yellow Tancho like a Tancho Hariwake. The Tancho may be
black, white, red, yellow or multicolored
(like in a Tancho Budo Goromo). When
judging Tancho Gosanke, then hi is
preferred. The deeper the color, and
the brighter the head background, the
better. And most important of all is the
location. I think the Tancho should be
included as two separate varieties at a
show – Tancho Gosanke and Tancho
everything else.
Young Tanchos may have a deep
red hi, but if it should fade from genetics, stress or water quality then the
hi will most likely never come back. 2
AKCA JUDGES
4
CERTIFIED (9)
1997
Larry Christensen
Pat Christensen
Steve Drake
2000
Garry Chin
2001
Norman Call
2004
David Young
Pam Spindola
2007
Tom Ayers
2009 Jan Thompson
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Carlsbad, CA
Sacramento, CA Idleyld Park, OR Tucson, AZ Santa Ana, CA Tucson, AZ Pueblo West, CO
503-531-3303
503-531-3303
760-729-3649
916-922-2525
541-496-3403
520-682-7697
714-544-2326
520-247-3322
719-547-4747
LRCConst@hevanet.com
LRCConst@hevanet.com
stevedrake@aol.com
scvkoi@yahoo.com
ncall@centurytel.net
koiman@mindspring.com
pspindola@earthlink.net
azkoiboy@yahoo.com
iamjant@hotmail.com
EMERITUS (5)
1994
Bob Finnegan
Galen Hansen
1995
Joan Finnegan
1997
Burt Ballou
1999
Larry Gill
Costa Mesa, CA El Cajon, CA Costa Mesa, CA Fountain Valley, CA
San Leandro, CA 949-548-3690
619-440-2035
949-548-3690
714-839-1836
510-352-7168
koifinns@gmail.com
Galenkoi@cox.net
koifinns@gmail.com
burtb@socal.rr.com
gelldu@sbcglobal.net
CANDIDATES & APPLICANTS (4)
Vik Nair
Philip Gray
Jason Guevara, M.D.
Brian Liljas
Seattle, WA
Freeport, NY
Aberdeen, NC
Puyallup, WA
206-696-3624
516-967-4666
910-322-2234
253-677-5321
viknair@aol.com
philiegray@mac.com
Unispacer@aol.com
bliljas@comcast.net
KOI USA
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Why is a bottom drain so important?
One of the most common mistake beginners make when
designing and building their first pond is to fail to install a
bottom drain in the pond. Often times they think the only purpose for a bottom drain is to provide a way to drain the pond
if necessary. The reality is that a bottom drain is an extremely
important part of a well designed koi pond. A well placed bottom drain, more accurately called a bottom return, provides a
very important function. It will help collect any debris and fish
waste that might settle on the bottom of the pond and send
it to the pond filter where it can be removed from the system. Having
a koi pond without a bottom
drain is like having a toilet that you can’t flush.
Unfortunately, most
bottom drains available
today are of a similar design. They consist of a top lid attached
to either a simple bulkhead or a bucket type assembly. The purpose of the lid is to allow debris to enter
the drain while keeping your koi out. The problem is
that if, on occasion, the bottom drain happens to get plugged
up, it can be very difficult to unplug. If while attempting to
dislodge any debris from under the drain cover lid or while
back flushing the drain line you happen to knock the top cover
lid off, you are in trouble! The only way to reinstall the top lid
is to either drain the pond water most of the way down and
then climb in or dive to the pond bottom and then physically
reattach the lid. Either way, this can be an extremely chilling
experience during the winter months.
The Advantage Bottom Drain Covers were designed to
solve this problem.
The Standard Bottom Drain Cover is 14” in diameter
and weighs approximately 25 pounds. It has 3 adjustable legs
so you can customize how
high above the pond bottom
your drain will sit. One real
benefit of this drain cover is
that it is not attached to the drain opening. In the event any
debris was to collect under the drain cover the solution is easy.
You simply turn off the pump, using a net on a pole, slide the
drain cover to one side, net up any debris near the drain and
then slide the drain cover back into position over the drain
hole. If the blockage is further down in the pipe and you have
a standard Advantage Filter or an Advantage Plug and Play
Filter System, the blockage can easily be removed. You can do
this by simply placing the filter in the closed mode, reversing
the unionized check valve between the pond and
the pump and then turn on the filter’s blower.
This will send a wall of air back down the drain
pipe, dislodging any debris. Again, after the blower is
turned off you simply net up any debris around the drain
and then slide the cover back in place. It’s that easy.
The Bottom Drain with Built in Air Diffuser has all
the advantages of the Stan- dard Drain Cover but comes
with a built in air
diffuser for
adding
oxygen
to your
p o n d .
This drain requires a 3/4” line to be installed stubbing
up 14” away from the center of the bottom
drain and a 5” flexible rubber hose which connects to the drain cover. This way air can be delivered to the
The Advantage Bottom
I US
drain cover and yet the drain cover can still easily be lifted up
or slid to one side if needed.
The Retro Bottom Drain Cover was
designedly to easily add a bottom
drain to an existing pond that
was built without a drain. This
drain weighs approximately
40 pounds and comes with
a built in 2” side port. This allows you to connect a piece of
2” flex hose to the drain and
then place it wherever you want
in the pond. The Retro Bottom Drain
draws directly off the pond bottom and
provides a relatively low profile which allows the suction
line to be installed close to the bottom contour of the pond.
Again, because this drain is not attached to the pond bottom it
can easily be lifted up slightly or moved to one side to assist in
removing any debris that might collect under the drain.
In addition to their easy to service design these drain
covers are also exceptionally easy to install. When installing a
conventional bottom drain in a concrete pond you are faced
with two problems. One is that the drain needs to be plumbed
in place before you begin to pour the cement or shoot the
gunite. It can be challenging when adding the cement to get
the pond sides and bottom contour to make a smooth transition that lines up exactly with the finished edge of the bottom
drain. Often times, once you get the pond contour perfect you
end up a couple inches too high or too low at the drain. The
second problem is that it is hard if not impossible to pressure
test the bottom drain pipes once the conventional drain is cemented in place. Most plugs that are inserted into the pipe
and then expanded to create a seal will not hold more than 7
to 10 psi of pressure.
With the Advantages Bottom Drain System you simply
extend the bottom drain pipe straight up in the air approximately 24 inches and then cement an end cap on
it. This allows you to not only pressure
test the plumbing to 40 psi, which
most building codes require,
but you can leave it under
pressure until all the cement
work is finished, even down to
the plaster. This way you can
make sure that none of the
pipes were damaged during any
part of the process. Additionally, this
allows you to concentrate on getting the
pond contour perfect without being concerned with trying to end up with the contour at an exact height at the pond
bottom. Once the pond is finished, the last thing you do is cut
the pipe off even with the pond bottom and place the Advantage Drain Cover over the bottom drain opening. Sacramento
Koi builds a lot of ponds in the central California area. We adopted this system about 5 years ago and couldn’t be happier
with it. It is the easiest system to install and the customers
love how simple they are to maintain. For more information
on the Advantage Drain System go to www.sacramentokoi.
com. 2
Jeff Walker
Sacramento Koi
4670 Pacific St. #200
Rocklin, CA 95677
(916) 652-4231
Fax: (916) 652-4979
Drain System
By Jeff Walker
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Page 47
A R T I ST ’ S CO R N E R
Dale Rohrer
FusedGlass
Expo in Las Vegas where he exhibited two of his plates
in the Gallery of Excellence at the show. Dale has also
taken two classes from Author Gil Reynolds, one of the
leading experts in the field.
Fused glass Artglass can be produced in a very wide
range of shapes and sizes. The colors are limited only
by the selection of art glass you can find. There are
many manufactures of glass around. The Bullseye Glass
Company manufactures most of the glass used in Dale’s
studio.
The most important thing about
the glass is
that it
must
b e
PHOTOS BY PROMOD ANTONY
F
used Glass Artglass Artist Dale Rohrer grew
up in Milwaukie, Oregon and as a child developed interests in art, rock hounding and photography. He attended Clackamas Community
College taking classes in basic design, art
appreciation and pottery making.
He furthered his education at Portland State University, graduating with a degree in general science. Dale
maintained his interest taking classes in photography
and jewelry and added science to his interests with various science courses. He was a member of the Clackamas County Camera Club for many years where he
increased his knowledge about the technical
and artistic side of photography.
He also made rock tables and jewelry
using semiprecious stones. One of his
favorite stones is the fire opal,
which he made into triplets. Some
fire opal comes in thin layers
surrounded by common opal.
This type of opal must be separated from the common
opal. You must cut and grind
away the common opal to
do this. One side of the
opal in exposed and then
glued to a black base layer
to make a black opal. The
top is cut and/or ground
off and a quartz cap is
glued to the top. The edges
are then shaped to the
quartz cap and you have a
finished piece. For employment he worked for many
years as a Computer Programmer/Analyst for Pacific Power &
Light Company.
Dale became interested in both
stained and fused glass in the last few
years. He has taken many classes about
stained glass, glass fussing and other related subjects, the most
recent of which was at
the Glass Craft & Bead
November/December2013 KOI USA
11
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Page 48
A R T I ST ’ S CO R N E R
Dale Rohrer
most often made by stacking three separate layers of
glass and then fusing them. I usually start with a colored bottom layer of glass. My next step in producing a
large plate is to use a circle cutter to scratch a line into
the glass sheet. You can then use controlled pressure to
run a line (fracture) around the circle to pre-break the
glass. You then can use a hand glass cutter to make
small cuts around the glass circle to remove it from the
large sheet of glass. A top sheet of clear glass is then
cut out and placed on top of the bottom sheet. The
round glass pieces may have small areas, which need to
be removed to smooth the edges. The easiest way to
remove this glass is to grind it with a diamond coated
wheel. This is now your "canvas" for your design. I then
start building the design for the plate. I often start the
design by using interesting
shapes or patterns
and build from
there. These
shapes
a r e
compatible glass. All of the glass
used must have the same COE
(coefficient of expansion). Different glasses will expand and
contract at different rates and
if this rate is too great stress
will build up in the glass. If
there is too much stress
created in the glass the
piece can develop fractures and even shatter.
Some glass may be not
compatible even with the
same COE. This is why
glass manufactures must
test their glass to make
sure it is useable for fusing. This is also one reason
why art glass is very expensive. A single sheet of glass
36" X 20" can easily cost over
$100 dollars.
PRODUCTION OF LARGE PLATE
The first step in the production of
a large plate is the selection of the glass
that will be used for producing my artwork. I try to use various colors and patterns
that will complement
each other. Plates are
12
KOI USA November/December 2013
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Page 49
PHOTOS BY PROMOD ANTONY
Fused glass Artglass can be produced in a very wide range of shapes and sizes.
The colors are limited only by the selection of art glass you can find.
cutout using a small hand
cutter similar to the familiar glasscutter that may
be used to cut window
glass. This is a very individual process. Everyone
will have his or her own
ideas for doing this.
Stained glass pattern
books are a good source
of designs. You can also
make your own patterns
from your personal photos.
FUSING PIECES
Before you move your piece into the kiln you can
glue the parts together using common household white
glue and a toothpick. Just put a few small spots on each
separate piece and let dry. This does not have to be
done but can save you work if you are unsteady in loading into the kiln. If your unfired artwork has many small
pieces or you need to transport it to someone else's
kiln this can be especially important. Once the pieces
are all cut out and arranged it is loaded into the kiln.
SLUMPING FUSED PIECE
It is then heated to a temperature of around 1450 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. This process takes many
hours to complete. There are several stages the glass
must go thru. These stages are heating phase, soaking
phase, rapid cooling phase, annealing phase and cooling to room temperature phase. The various times and
temperatures needed are
programmed into the kiln's
electronic controller. This
makes up what is called the
firing schedule. These
processes cannot be rushed
or the glass can fracture
now or latter due to stress
buildup.
Slumping the flat glass
over, into or through a mold
makes the shape of the
piece. The molds used can be made of clay, stainless
steel or other materials. The flat glass is placed on the
mold and then placed into the kiln. The piece is then
fired to a temperature around 1200 to 1300 degrees
Fahrenheit. This is another firing schedule that takes
many hours to accomplish. These firing schedules will
vary depending on the type of glass used and the size
and thickness of the glass piece made. Telescope mirrors can take a year or more to finish a firing schedule.
This is not a complete description of the process just the main processes. There are many good books
available about glass fusing. There is also a lot of information available from the many manufactures of art
glass.
You can contact Dale at:
15211 SE 130th Drive
Clackamas Oregon 97015
(503) 698-3379
http://artglassbydale.com/contact.php
November/December 2013 KOI USA
13
®
Health. Color. Value.
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diets are simply the best for optimum
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• Diets include Natural Color enhancers.
• No other supplemental feeding required.
Available wherever fine fish foods are sold.
For an Ultra Balance Premium Koi Food
Dealer near you, go to
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or call 888-330-3361
Ramblings
JAMES REILLY
FORMER ZNA NA DISTRICT CHAIR
Water Changes
I
t is very tempting to take up the
challenge of creating a closed
system in which the water, benefited by unending filtration treatment, will never need to have water changed. But like turning lead into
gold, no one has ever been able to
realize this fantasy in real life.
Living creatures ‘impact’ their environment and our koi are no exception. Some of you may remember when
J-mat was made out of ‘horse hair’
(actually other organic fibers) and how
long that material lasted once bacteria
settled on and began breaking it down.
And we all know of the power of water
and bacteria to dissolve all material it
comes in contact with - rusting, eroding, corroding and metabolizing.
Our koi and associated microbes
will, over time, add ‘things’ to a fixed
body of water and ‘take things’ or use
things up within that water. And the
ever changing water will then impact
the internal workings of the koi, who
are separated from their watery environment by only a few layers of cells
located at the ‘gateway’ – i.e. the gills.
So like a submarine with a screen
door, the gills must deal with the building metabolites both inside itself and
immediately outside its body. And of
course, a koi is subject to the pesky
laws of osmosis and diffusion.
One of the rapidly building waste
products produced by koi in large,
ever building quantities is phosphate.
Today’s koi foods are LOADED with
16
KOI USA
lots of essentials. And today’s koi
owners feed lots of koi food! Not all
this material can be utilized by the koi
on an hour to hour basis and much of
the packed nutrition and
mineral content is simply
passed out of the koi for
bacteria to deal with in a
process known as mineralization.
These bacteria then
use the ammonia or
hand it off to the nitrifiers that we are all familiar with. But this is a process and some stages
will take some time. And
during that time, building
nitrogenous
materials
like nitrate and residuals
like phosphate will increase. All of this results
in a high bacteria count,
shifting water chemistry
(pH, hardness) and loss
of oxygen (ORP decline).
Great heroics can be applied to try
and stay ahead of this dynamic but the
trend line is clear- the water is becoming polluted and burdened and at the
same time, it is losing its proper gas
saturation ratio and its typical buffering capacity.
The solution? Use band-aids so as
to ‘properly manage an over stocked
pond’. Do what I call ‘chasing the parameters’ by adding gadget upon gadget in an attempt to manage excess
and sequential changes in nitrogenous
waste material species. Or possibly
use resins, carbons and binders to try
and mask the excesses of an impossible situation.
Another solution: Use regular water changes to bring the excess build
up and declining mineral/buffer content back to base line optimal read-
ings. This would be in the area of alkaline reserve, ORP, nitrogenous waste
(nitrate), phosphate, bacteria count,
algal balance, and desirable gas saturation ratios.
Amounts and frequency of water
change is as much an art as a science.
And depending on circumstances, wa-
resins, carbons and filters represent
money well spent. Some hobbyists
have taken it even a step further and
use this entry point as an opportunity
to bring water to even a higher physiological compatibility with their koi by
adjusting source water pH and hardness. Depending on your source wa-
Most serious hobbyists use some
form of pre-filtration to insure that
raw water is not too raw.
ter changes can be a breeze or a real
pain! Source water quality is definitely
a case of great concern.
Most serious hobbyists use some
form of pre-filtration to insure that raw
water is not too raw. Here is where
ter, you can devise a schedule and use
testing for things like nitrate, phosphate, ORP, pH, bacteria count, BOD,
etc., as guides to whether you are
keeping up with the dynamics of the
closed system.
July/August 2014 17
Personally, I do two water changes a week, which is excessive for my
particular system, but the koi really do
grow and glow as a result. This is in
addition to my routine of ‘sump dumping’ daily in summer and twice a week
in winter. The amount I change is 1520 % in winter and as much as 2530% in summer. I used to do more but
found that that much raw water (plus
my CO2 well water issues) was excessive and becoming more of an un-stabilizing force than a stabilizing one.
In designing your own philosophy
and approach to water changes, first
consider your stocking level and then
your feeding schedule and food type.
If we wish for a true optimal BASE
LINE reading on these various parameters, we must appreciate that the koi
population’s basic metabolism will require a certain minimal maintenance
and countermanding, and THEN the
type and amounts of food added from
season to season will require an additional safety margin. This becomes
evident when you shift from say, wheat
germ pellet to high protein pellets- you
can actually SEE the effect on water
in a closed system very quickly. This
is especially true if temperatures are
not ‘right’ for food type and the bulk is
passed through the fish semi digested.
It is more complicated than some
of the ‘experts’ suggest when they
quote pounds of fish and pounds
of food per fish = x size filter. Those
numbers are the most crude ‘jump off’
point at best. And the art of the thing
applies more than the science at some
point.
Certainly a 5000 gallon pond with
12 koi requires different considerations based on age and weight first
but then you have to know the mix of
protein/fats they are being fed and the
18
KOI USA
temperature at which that mix is being
fed.
And you make a good point in that
even in a stable pond as the fish grow
you may need to modify your old water
changing schedule/amount to accommodate the new and greater biomass.
And accidental spawning throws
a whole new ‘monkey wrench’ into the
works!
water being added is large.
This is usually no big deal - unless
the fish are affected. Some common
warnings are when the fish stop eating
right after a massive water change- or
sulk on the bottom for a day. If so, have
the water checked, reconsider your filter design, and do smaller, more frequent water changes rather than one
massive one.
A water change is the single best
ally one can employ for the month
to month stability of a pond.
It is true that water changes in
excess can disrupt an otherwise balanced system. The most common effect is water that becomes milky white
or cloudy within hours of a massive
water change. This is a disruption of
the microbe balance and the ‘cloud’ is
a massive explosion of heterotrophic
bacteria species that take advantage
of the imbalance. The same can happen, under different conditions, with
single cell algae.
This can be seen with NEW ponds
that are still working out their microbial
balance. Or it can be due to a bio-filter
problem (size or design). Additionally,
some water sources come loaded with
minerals and compounds that naturally
act as triggers for either bacterial or algal explosion. The temperature of the
water and the pH of the water can also
disrupt the balance if the difference
between source water and pond water
is extreme and the amount of source
Remember, it is better to do smaller more frequent water changes than
large infrequent ones. The smaller
frequent change guarantees that the
base line parameters never drift too far
from optimal. The massive, infrequent
change allows the baseline readings to
drift far and then snaps them back into
line in one fell swoop. Not too much an
upset for strong fish like koi but maybe
disruptive to the micro life and if they
are too upset, this will ultimately ‘feed
back’ on the koi themselves in some
compounded effect.
In closing, I’m sure the advanced
koi keeper will agree with this statement: A water change is the single best ally one can employ for the
month to month stability of a pond.
Poor source water and excess water
changes can certainly be an un-stabilizing force. But a closed system, left
to its own dynamics, is the ultimate unraveling environment. 2
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