My Koi Journey

[yonny]

No more worrying about leaves...... I spent Saturday building some netted covers. I made 3 in 2.4m x 2m rather than one biggun - A) to give some flexibility in coverage, and B) because a biggun would weigh a tonne. Quite happy with the result and it's nice to know that not one single leaf will be in that pond from now on.

The fish are slowing right down now, winter is defo on its way. It's a bit gutting after such a short space of time to enjoy the pond, but at least I know we're in good shape for next year. The water quality is the nuts, the fish are looking very healthy, all set to grow a British record in the coming years 🤣

 

[elmoputney]

On 27/10/2025 at 12:14, yonny said:

No more worrying about leaves...... I spent Saturday building some netted covers. I made 3 in 2.4m x 2m rather than one biggun - A) to give some flexibility in coverage, and B) because a biggun would weigh a tonne. Quite happy with the result and it's nice to know that not one single leaf will be in that pond from now on.

The fish are slowing right down now, winter is defo on its way. It's a bit gutting after such a short space of time to enjoy the pond, but at least I know we're in good shape for next year. The water quality is the nuts, the fish are looking very healthy, all set to grow a British record in the coming years 🤣

 

Very smart, I did notice the fish outside at the garden centre had slowed down a bit the other day, weren't so bothered about the pellets floating on the top.

Hopefully won't be long till it's British record time 😎

[kevtaylor]

On 01/10/2025 at 07:41, yonny said:

Gin Rin meaning 'scaled' i.e. a common, Ogon meaning metallic, solid, single-coloured koi, and Platinum referring to the white/silver colour.

Been a long time since I've kept koi but if my memory serves me correctly gin rin refers to the sparkle look you get on some of the scales - the best type looking like cracked glass which is permanent.

To me you've got a gin rin ogan, all types e.g showa etc can be gin rin, if the sparkle is there.

 

[yonny]

18 hours ago, kevtaylor said:

if my memory serves me correctly gin rin refers to the sparkle look you get on some of the scales

That's the one mate. It's a Gin Rin Platinum Ogon. Quiet a mouthful 😅

I really need to get pics of some of the others to put on here but it's getting more and more difficult with the temps dropping! 

[yonny]

Well the end of the year has gone well. The koi are doing great and still feeding most days due to the elevated temps. The nets/covers are now off since the leaves are gone. The water clarity is insane.... you can see every little detail on the deck in 2m. The temporary floating skimmer has worked a treat. I picked up a pond vacuum a month ago and gave the bottom a good clean at the weekend which means there's no detritus for any nasties to hide in ready for the spring. It's a real shame I can't post vids on here as I have some great footage of the koi milling about.

So now I need to plan for spring which apparently is the most tricky and dangerous time of year. Parasites wake up before the koi so it's essential I do everything I can to keep their immune systems working as well as possible. If you lose your water parameters early on, you're chasing your tail all year, so I have to be bang on it to stay a step ahead of any issues with algae, weed, DO, and ammonia, nitrite, pH etc.

Really enjoyed the last few months and looking forward to my first full year with the pond. Looking to feed heavily next year to get some good growth, while maintaining the water quality. I'll keep this thread updated from time to time for anyone that's interested.

[Roughtor]

Very, very interesting..Not me  but my father was one of the first members of BKKS ..

We used to go around various members gardens/ponds and learn from each of them ..My Dad used to go straight up to Heathrow, a long drive to pick up his Koi from Japan,this was in 70s,things different back then..

 

One story ,he bought two Koi,introduced them to the pond ..we all went to school/work ..When I came home I found one newly stocked Koi had jumped out ..and was not looking at its best ..!!

 

I think it survived ...

[Roughtor]

I knew I had it somewhere..