This program was so fantastic to reinforce my already pond maintenance. I never tested for KH. Of course I live in Florida where all our water comes through underground limestone
Absolutely brilliant information, as a novice koi keeper I'm learning all the time and this is exactly what i need to know. I've just recently bought my own water test kit and getting used to what everything means thank you so much for making things easier to understand 👍
Really enjoying these videos! Something to note is that people on wells don't have chlorine and/or chloramine. Sure makes water changes easier. It's nice to hear from a professional that we can keep koi without all the fancy/schmancy thousands of dollars of equipment like drum filters and sieves. How wonderful for those who can afford them but not all of us can spend that kind of money on our systems. So important to test and this way we know if our systems are doing the job or not. Thanks for all this information.
Totally agree careful who’s advice you listen to. As far as I’m concerned, if someone needs good advice, look at koi wholesale or koi talk videos on TH-cam and it’s all there for free. Learnt more in the last year or so watching these guys than I did in the 16 or so years I’ve had a pond. Great chat , cheers guys👍
Would love to see a discussion on water changes. A lot of people in my area do the once or twice a year clean out (gravel ponds which mine is no gravel) and then get their water from the fire company which gets its water from a creek. Some people have a pickup and a water tank and pump their own water for the big change out of the local Spring. A creek runs through that spring and also it is at the bottom of a bunch of fields so who knows what's running into it. Somebody complained to my son that koi don't live very long. My oldest is 20 this summer. I also wonder if they are introducing parasites to their ponds by this water change method.
Is it good practice to add a bit of sedate to calm the koi to scrape? Always thought that would effect parasite mobility, especially harder parasites to spot like costia. Not a dig, if it doesn’t make a difference I would use it to make my life easier!
Cracking chat that guys. Being a newbie and trying to suck up a mass of solid info, I can relate to all the things joe brings to the table, top info guys
Another good chat lad's, n yes just had a rollicking of the boss for watching koi talk at work,,, now I've got to go grovle to the boss/wife,, u never no 😉
Are a lot of these problems caused by heavy feeding to put on growth?? There is a big difference between a professional set up and feeding , where the water is number one in the professional set up. Then someone comes along and buys those fish , and wants to grow there fish on fast and feed heavy which the fish are used to . But there not up to speed with water . I can see a problem there
I aggree with a lot of what is said but not all, particularly regarding Hanna check testers, yes the digital reading is not essential but it is handy to eliminate the uncertainty...is there a tinge of green in this yellow? is it more or less than last time I tested and so forth, particularly when the levels are close to 0. I reckon the main advantage is in the quality of the reagents that are used, laboratory standards and quality control and they can use a kind of chemical reaction that is more reliable than one that has to produce a colour change visible with the naked eye in normal daylight. A Checker can use a chemical reaction that produces a colour change that is undetectable by the naked eye but can be precisely measured by using a specific light wavelength and sensor. I am not saying that Hanna Checkers are the most precise and reliable measuring instrument ever, but I do think that the initial purchase of the main 3 or 4 checkers (Ammonia low range, Nitrate low range, Chlorine ultra low range and Alkalinity) is not a waste and the ongoing slightly higher expense for the reagents is justified by the better quality. On the other hand I am perfectly happy to use a JBL dissolved oxygen liquid test rather than spending a few hundred on a dodgy digital oxymeter or thousands for a Hanna lab grade one. I test for oxygen as I live in italy, in summer pond water easily exceeds 27° and heavily planted so if I did not have the air pump dissolved oxygen towards the end of the night will drop down to 5
It’s all good and well Paul if you don’t become too obsessed with trying to achieve unrealistic parameters. That was my point because I’ve seen it happen too many times.
@@KoiTalkMagazine I think you do well to keep drilling the point, they are not ment to chase 0.00 (unless you are an extreme reef-keeper) but just to more accurately and reliably measure what your pond is doing. It is probably a professional habit of mine, it really makes my piss boil if I don't know how reliable any "lab tests" are. If Jos Dirks is doing porridge have you found any other fish vet to come on the channel?
I definitely agree with this as I can not tell the difference between 0,.25 or .5 on the ammonia chart. Especially the first two. It’s really difficult for me to visually see if it’s elevated. I second guess myself all the time. I haven’t purchased another kit and mine is never out of the “could this be chartreuse yellow or yellow?” levels, but it drives me nuts as a pretty obsessive anal person lol.
In Japan, we rarely have the opportunity to look so deeply into this kind of field, is that why we don't pay attention to it, simply because of the superior quality of the raw water?
Syd Mitchell, the legend, would disagree about treating an entire pond with liquid dechlorinator when, for example, undertaking a 10 per cent water change. He advises treating the amount of new water only.
@@fearno1839 agreed every one has thoughts but unless it's backed up by the science you just spread confusion like all the other you tubers out there....
It’s just not the way I would recommend doing it. Also had that conversation with a very well know water expert who was in agreement. That one will be coming soon.
@@KoiTalkMagazine you stated it as a fact. Two elites from a scientific background, dr Paula Reynolds and Syd Mitchell say only to treat the volume of water added
A lot of great information, but a couple of comments I'd question: It's not a myth if it actually happens, and you admitted it can happen, so you are not myth busting. Most of the time, Ricky I back your comments 100%, but one thing you said and I'm paraphrasing, you can't learn from a pond that reaches an equilibrium...so are you suggesting you create problems to enable you to learn?
5.24. I understand your comments and not totally at odds with them, but if it ain't broke don't fix it...and some people are satisfied with lack lustre skin and koi with their battle scars, which they've had for years. That's not our setup, but in some respects is what I'd aim for. We are very new to koi keeping and very much appreciate all you do, I've learnt more from your contributions to the koi world than anywhere else. Our koi are all from Koi Wholesale via our dealer, lower end of the spectrum, but we just want a pond of nice fish looked after the best we can, in conditions they can thrive in, that's why I made my comment.
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Koi Keepers have never had it so good, With you Guy's . Thank you for all your time and effort!
Our pleasure!
I just found your channel this is soooo helpful. Thank you.
Welcome!
This program was so fantastic to reinforce my already pond maintenance. I never tested for KH. Of course I live in Florida where all our water comes through underground limestone
It always seem to be the parameter that most people don't check for. Regardless of your source water it's always worth checking.
Absolutely brilliant information, as a novice koi keeper I'm learning all the time and this is exactly what i need to know. I've just recently bought my own water test kit and getting used to what everything means thank you so much for making things easier to understand 👍
Very good to hear, I'm glad you found it useful.
Really enjoying these videos! Something to note is that people on wells don't have chlorine and/or chloramine. Sure makes water changes easier. It's nice to hear from a professional that we can keep koi without all the fancy/schmancy thousands of dollars of equipment like drum filters and sieves. How wonderful for those who can afford them but not all of us can spend that kind of money on our systems. So important to test and this way we know if our systems are doing the job or not. Thanks for all this information.
I'm using fmg to treat ich just wondering how you would use it for best results,bottle say every 7 day's.
Another great video. Just getting into koi keeping and found it really good info. Thank you guys 🙏
Our pleasure!
Totally agree careful who’s advice you listen to. As far as I’m concerned, if someone needs good advice, look at koi wholesale or koi talk videos on TH-cam and it’s all there for free. Learnt more in the last year or so watching these guys than I did in the 16 or so years I’ve had a pond. Great chat , cheers guys👍
Well said!
Would love to see a discussion on water changes. A lot of people in my area do the once or twice a year clean out (gravel ponds which mine is no gravel) and then get their water from the fire company which gets its water from a creek. Some people have a pickup and a water tank and pump their own water for the big change out of the local Spring. A creek runs through that spring and also it is at the bottom of a bunch of fields so who knows what's running into it. Somebody complained to my son that koi don't live very long. My oldest is 20 this summer. I also wonder if they are introducing parasites to their ponds by this water change method.
When Ricky says kh at 3 is that 3 drops or 4 as in the 4th change the colour
As in it changes colour at 3 drops which would give you a reading of 3.
Another great broadcast, down to earth and informative 👍👍
Glad you enjoyed it
Enjoyed watching this 😊 look forward to more from you guys 😊
Thank you so much 🤗
Is it good practice to add a bit of sedate to calm the koi to scrape? Always thought that would effect parasite mobility, especially harder parasites to spot like costia. Not a dig, if it doesn’t make a difference I would use it to make my life easier!
I’m not saying it’s not true but it’s not something I’ve ever heard before. Sedate has always been used by the people that have taught me.
@@KoiTalkMagazine 👍
Where do parasites come from, is it birds adding them to the pond? Could you clarify in a another episode!?
Cracking chat that guys.
Being a newbie and trying to suck up a mass of solid info, I can relate to all the things joe brings to the table, top info guys
Any chance you pair can go through parasites and treatments Ricky 🙏
Glad to hear it and we’ll put parasites on our agenda.
Another good chat lad's, n yes just had a rollicking of the boss for watching koi talk at work,,, now I've got to go grovle to the boss/wife,, u never no 😉
Have fun
Are a lot of these problems caused by heavy feeding to put on growth?? There is a big difference between a professional set up and feeding , where the water is number one in the professional set up. Then someone comes along and buys those fish , and wants to grow there fish on fast and feed heavy which the fish are used to . But there not up to speed with water . I can see a problem there
I aggree with a lot of what is said but not all, particularly regarding Hanna check testers, yes the digital reading is not essential but it is handy to eliminate the uncertainty...is there a tinge of green in this yellow? is it more or less than last time I tested and so forth, particularly when the levels are close to 0. I reckon the main advantage is in the quality of the reagents that are used, laboratory standards and quality control and they can use a kind of chemical reaction that is more reliable than one that has to produce a colour change visible with the naked eye in normal daylight. A Checker can use a chemical reaction that produces a colour change that is undetectable by the naked eye but can be precisely measured by using a specific light wavelength and sensor. I am not saying that Hanna Checkers are the most precise and reliable measuring instrument ever, but I do think that the initial purchase of the main 3 or 4 checkers (Ammonia low range, Nitrate low range, Chlorine ultra low range and Alkalinity) is not a waste and the ongoing slightly higher expense for the reagents is justified by the better quality. On the other hand I am perfectly happy to use a JBL dissolved oxygen liquid test rather than spending a few hundred on a dodgy digital oxymeter or thousands for a Hanna lab grade one. I test for oxygen as I live in italy, in summer pond water easily exceeds 27° and heavily planted so if I did not have the air pump dissolved oxygen towards the end of the night will drop down to 5
It’s all good and well Paul if you don’t become too obsessed with trying to achieve unrealistic parameters. That was my point because I’ve seen it happen too many times.
@@KoiTalkMagazine I think you do well to keep drilling the point, they are not ment to chase 0.00 (unless you are an extreme reef-keeper) but just to more accurately and reliably measure what your pond is doing. It is probably a professional habit of mine, it really makes my piss boil if I don't know how reliable any "lab tests" are. If Jos Dirks is doing porridge have you found any other fish vet to come on the channel?
I definitely agree with this as I can not tell the difference between 0,.25 or .5 on the ammonia chart. Especially the first two. It’s really difficult for me to visually see if it’s elevated. I second guess myself all the time. I haven’t purchased another kit and mine is never out of the “could this be chartreuse yellow or yellow?” levels, but it drives me nuts as a pretty obsessive anal person lol.
Good chat , great points made
Thanks for listening
In Japan, we rarely have the opportunity to look so deeply into this kind of field, is that why we don't pay attention to it, simply because of the superior quality of the raw water?
And it’s a different understanding of Nishikigoi!
Need to stick to the same Test kit, results vary with the same water ie NT-Kusuri for example.
Agree with that one.
well done guys .
Thanks.
FFS Gonna be late to
Work again u boys are totally addictive
Really helpful stuff though
😂
Syd Mitchell, the legend, would disagree about treating an entire pond with liquid dechlorinator when, for example, undertaking a 10 per cent water change. He advises treating the amount of new water only.
We all have our thoughts on these topics.
@@KoiTalkMagazine I know. But the thoughts are presented as fact. I think you'd agree that Syd approaches things from a very scientific angle.
@@fearno1839 agreed every one has thoughts but unless it's backed up by the science you just spread confusion like all the other you tubers out there....
@@deejaysmi1469 you are agreeing with me. Saying "that's not how dechlorinators work" was adding to the exact confusion Ricky was warning against.
Most dechlorinators are top up volume only… not whole pond.
It’s just not the way I would recommend doing it. Also had that conversation with a very well know water expert who was in agreement. That one will be coming soon.
@@KoiTalkMagazine you stated it as a fact. Two elites from a scientific background, dr Paula Reynolds and Syd Mitchell say only to treat the volume of water added
A lot of great information, but a couple of comments I'd question:
It's not a myth if it actually happens, and you admitted it can happen, so you are not myth busting.
Most of the time, Ricky I back your comments 100%, but one thing you said and I'm paraphrasing, you can't learn from a pond that reaches an equilibrium...so are you suggesting you create problems to enable you to learn?
I can’t comment because I can’t remember what I said. Feel free to let me know the time to listen to and I will check it.
5.24. I understand your comments and not totally at odds with them, but if it ain't broke don't fix it...and some people are satisfied with lack lustre skin and koi with their battle scars, which they've had for years.
That's not our setup, but in some respects is what I'd aim for.
We are very new to koi keeping and very much appreciate all you do, I've learnt more from your contributions to the koi world than anywhere else. Our koi are all from Koi Wholesale via our dealer, lower end of the spectrum, but we just want a pond of nice fish looked after the best we can, in conditions they can thrive in, that's why I made my comment.