#January
#Introduction - A Whole New Year
Happy New Year!
Despite the awful weather, January often proves a productive time in the koi keepers calendar, albeit more for planning rather than action!
Maybe it's the influx of koi content in the form of koi sales and events from Japan during a dry month. Perhaps it’s the awesome koi from the All Japan Koi Show or dealers posting early tosai purchases. Whatever it is, it seems to get the juices flowing and provides the perfect opportunity to reflect and prepare for the exciting possibilities of the season ahead.
Our advice is to strike while the mood takes you. Whether you’re just starting out or have years of experience, taking a moment to assess your pond, koi, and aspirations could make 2025 your best year yet. Need some inspiration? Grab a pen and take a look below!
Evaluate Your Pond. How did your pond perform in 2024? Is there anything you’d like to improve? Could you maintain optimal and stable water parameters? How much time were you spending on regular maintenance? Is it manageable? Can you keep the pond hygienic, and how was the water clarity? Are you happy with the aesthetics of your pond? Weigh up if there’s anything you’d like to tweak and how you might go about it.
Evaluate Your Collection. Take a close look at your koi and ask the following. Did your koi grow at a healthy rate last year? Did you notice any illnesses, injuries, or unusual behaviour, and was it reoccurring? Are your feeding practices and food choices meeting the nutritional needs of your koi? Do you want to improve body volume, growth or skin condition? Do you have enough space for the koi as they continue to grow? Some answers to these questions may inspire you to adjust your pond, filtration or keeping skills.
Maybe you’re looking for a new koi (or two), so what varieties would you add? Perhaps you’re looking to improve the quality of your existing koi through selective purchases and moving some on? Start by scouring koi dealers on the world wide web, as many keep koi stocks up to date. We always recommend visiting the premises in person, where possible, to assess living conditions and build a relationship with the dealer. However, if travel is an issue, online purchases and auctions are becoming very popular, but have your eyes peeled for legitimate services. Consider suitable times to introduce new koi if you are currently unheated, as winter temps are not ideal, and many companies offer overwintering services.
Upgrade Your Knowledge. The koi world evolves, and staying informed can enhance our experience. Challenge yourself to learn something new that could benefit your koi-keeping skills. Or delve into a topic that interests you. Koi development, genetics, water quality management, pond design, and judging standards are just a few suggestions. Reliable books, video content, and local koi clubs are excellent resources. Printed koi magazines aren’t a bad shout either - nudge, nudge!
Connect with the Community. Koi keeping can be a wonderfully social hobby if you want it to be. Make 2025 the year you get more involved with other hobbyists. Attend a koi show, join a koi club, or participate in online forums. Even something as simple as inviting a new koi mate over for a cuppa. Sharing experiences and advice can deepen our appreciation of the hobby and help us solve challenges more effectively.
Plan for the Future. What’s your long-term vision for your pond and koi collection? Because 2025 could be the year to start realising it!
January is the ideal time to take stock of where you are and where you’d like to go. I hope these suggestions help spark some ideas of your own. If we set clear and achievable goals, we’ll enhance our koi-keeping experience and find greater satisfaction in the hobby.
Here’s to a great new year!
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#All Japan Koi Show '25
The All Japan Koi Show takes place this weekend, the biggest and most prestigious koi show on earth.
To be clear, this is not a hobbyist-run show as we see in the UK or Europe. It is a Trade Show, manned and powered by the Shinkokai (All Japan Nishikigoi Promotion Association).
I visited for the first time last year, and I was amazed by the size and spectacle of this show. Anyone who has been will probably share the same thoughts. The attention to detail and level of koi on display are the very best the world has to offer.
I decided to visit again this year and will be present as Press, taking prize-winning koi pictures and covering the event. You can follow my antics here: https://www.facebook.com/worldofnishikigoi
Grand Champion
Owner: Alexander Romashchenko
Kohaku // Sakai Fish Farm // Narita Koi Farm
Last year's winner was this stunning Sakai Fish Farm Kohaku, raised by Narita Koi Farm. Who will win GC this year?
I'm still very new to covering the AJKS, so it will be exciting to see what koi rock up on benching day. There are also other elements of the show to enjoy. There is a Dream Koi Exhibition, where breeders rent vats to display their stock and advertise their farm. Some real beauties can be found - a video from last year I posted above. There are also trade stalls to enjoy, selling all kinds of koi products and merchandise, but make no mistake, the focus at this show is very much on the world-class koi! Good luck to everyone taking part - and see you soon!
#Absolute Drums & Food
Absolute Koi have burst into 2025 with some bold new moves. Darren and Donna recently sent a large shipment of ProfiDrums to the USA in a partnership deal with Fitz's Fish Ponds. These will be distributed to dealers across the US, and American koi keepers will have access to one of the finest drum filters on the market.
The dynamic duo have also recently secured the UK sole distribution of a new food from Saki Hikari - N-20.
It's actually not new and has been produced by Hikari for over 30 years exclusively for Sakai Fish Farm. Its use predates Kentaro Sakai's time at the farm (the current president) and was in use when his father, Hiroji Sakai (RIP), was in charge.
I read in an interview with Kentaro where he states the food is renowned for its palatability and ease of digestion. Growing large koi with voluminous figures requires a lot of feeding, and doing so solely with high-protein food has disadvantages. It might sound strange, but high protein/high fat feeds can satiate koi easily and make them sluggish and tired due to digestion, decreasing the amount they can eat. There are also studies suggesting this is bad for their long-term health.
After experimentation with high protein foods, Kentaro discovered it was not having the desired effect, so returned to using N-20 as his base food, to which he mixes other foods depending on the goal, time of year, water temperature and koi age.
While not many hobbyists will be able to feed year-round like SFF, investigating ways to improve feeding regimes for better results and improved koi health is always worth it, especially if you're keen to show your koi or get them looking and feeling as good as possible. You can read more about the food and make a purchase here:
https://www.absolute-koi.com/hikari-n-20-floating-large-20-kg/
#Beacon Koi
It may be January, but Dean and Simon are quietly sourcing new stock and growing on some project fish for the 2025 season. I'm due a catch-up visit with them when the weather warms up, and I'll be sure to share what I find.
Simon is forever updating the website, so if a koi is live - it's usually in stock. The gents have also spent winter slowly growing their dry goods range, which can all be purchased via their secure online payment system.
Beacon Koi is located at Dean's home in Great Barr, and they offer a very relaxed and non-pressured environment. Whenever I have visited, the koi always seem in good health and condition, a credit to the gents.
If you're on the hunt - hunt away!
#Queni Koi - Shop Harvest
Adam and Harvey had a very busy week harvesting their grow on projects, accompanied by Chip from Rasta Koi.
These were koi Adam had selected to grow on at Queni Koi HQ and offer for sale at a later date, something Queni Koi have done numerous times over the years.
Seeing koi development is always fun, so if you fancy a gander, Chip made a video that I've popped below. Most of these koi are now listed for sale on the website here: https://queni-koi.co.uk/collections/koi-c4/koi
The Queni Koi Food Range has also received a facelift for the 2025 season, and the boys are adding more koi from their Japan Live section.
Enjoy!
#Hobbyist Update - Paul's Pond
In Volume Five of World of Nishikigoi Magazine, I featured the story of Paul, a seasoned and highly decorated koi hobbyist who was experiencing a nightmare with his pond, which threatened the lives of his koi.
I’d never seen anything like it. (In fact) it was so bad that Paul was close to giving up the hobby. However, with koi specialists Simon Nourse (Viking Fish Health) and Andy Finch (Finch Filtration Solutions), we set a date to tackle the problem head-on.
Not only did I detail the intricacies of the story in the magazine so hobbyists could learn how to tackle similar problems but I also made a short documentary in collaboration with my friend Clayton Morris, who runs Koi Competitions. We’ve had some fantastic feedback, so check it out below. If you’d like more details about Paul’s pond and story, you can purchase a back issue of Volume Five here: https://www.worldofnishikigoi.com/product-page/volume-five
Viking Fish Health Services:
https://www.vikingfishhealth.co.uk/
Finch Filtration Solutions:
https://www.finchfiltration.co.uk/
Koi Competitions
#South West Koi - Shipment
South West Koi took delivery of a sizeable shipment from the South of Japan just before Christmas. Dave has been busy purchasing koi from many breeders, including Tamaura, Sakai Co, Matsue, Taniguchi, Oishi, SFF, Omosako and many more. James The Koi Whisperer covered most of his trip via his YouTube channel, so check that out. The video above will give you a taster of what arrived on shipment day - I tried my best in the near pitch-black light!
Koi from the earlier Niigata shipment have already started making their way onto the new website, with more to come soon. Dave is slowly adding dry goods to the new-look website, so check it out below.
#Selective Koi Sales
Selective Koi Sales has a long history of supplying trade members with products to stock their shelves. Yes, if you're a koi dealer looking for a practical way to stock up on products or cherry-pick what you need and in what numbers, the SKS team can help.
The process involves applying for a trade account via their website, after which you'll have a partner on hand to help your business thrive.
If you're a koi hobbyist, SKS is also a long-standing retail business and has recently received a new stock of koi, a sneak preview of which is in the video below. It's a great place to visit, with beautiful outdoor ponds and undercover, tightly sealed quarantine systems. A proper job!
https://selectivekoisales.co.uk/
#Coastal Koi - Detoxing
By the time you read this, Dave will be jetting off to Japan in search of new koi and to catch up with his many Azukari. He'll be visiting farms like Okawa, Ueno and Ogata, and if you're looking for anything special - now might be the time to reach out.
Coastal Koi has also become one of the UK stockists of a new water conditioning product called Complete Pond Detox. I have not yet used this myself and will not pass comment, but Dave and others in the industry have given it a whirl to neutralise water contaminants, and it seems to do the trick - as Dave's artwork suggests!
If you'd like to read some of the sales literature or make a purchase, check out the link:
https://coastal-koi.com/product/complete-pond-detox/
You can keep up to speed with Dave's Japan travels here:
#Champion Chagoi
Adam Webber won Best Non Gosanke with this 88cm chagoi at the Great British Koi Show 2024. He informed me prior that he was planning to bring her to the show, and I was really excited to see her. Why? Well, I was her previous owner! She was around 12-15cm when I purchased her as tosai for a grow-on project I was running. After a summer season in my 1,100-gallon pond, she emerged at around 55cm, and Adam snapped her up.
The video below was from when I advertised her.
I didn’t know Adam from Adam at the time. He rocked up on a dark autumn night, and we got chatting as I got catching and bagging. It was so dark I had a head torch on! I was surprised to hear this new koi keeper had a pond of some 42,000 gallons. Needless to say, I was happy the chagoi was going to a suitably sized new home!
There’s always a funny feeling when you move fish on. Some koi keepers have never experienced this because they see every koi as their pet and would never sell them, which is great. However, it has been usual for me over the last 15 years due to the size of my pond and what I enjoy from the hobby. I was spoiled when I was younger as I had multiple ponds, so pets and projects could co-inhabit, but I digress.
The reason for the funny feeling is that you’re never sure if the koi you move on will be cared for correctly. In this instance, although I knew she was going to a very large pond, I didn’t know whether Adam had a clue about koi care. The thought often pops into one's mind - what have I done? However, I needn’t have worried. A few years later, out of the blue, I got a video sent to me, and crikey, she’d grown!
Adam has done a great job raising her. Seeing her at the GBKS last year was a real treat. Some of you will say she’s just a chagoi, and all chagoi grow, but that’s not true! Yes, single-coloured koi can grow well, but not all grow past 80cm at five years old with nice body lines, clean skin and attractive faces! Even those with the potential to grow to this size often get stunted by the koi keeper and their raising skills, so the achievement is not to be overlooked. Adam has done a fantastic job.
On top of that, he managed to transport her to the show in perfect condition without any damage - a huge triumph for a first-time exhibitor. I know he was grateful for the help he received from his friend Joe Mitchell during the show weekend. Overall, Adam had a very successful weekend, picking up two Majors with the Best Non Gosanke and The Special Variety Award, plus a handful of other rosettes - not bad with only four koi! Here are the fish Adam presented…
You might wonder why I am sharing this story now - isn’t it old news? Hobbyist success stories never really get old, and I think seeing koi development photos is a great way to see what is possible if you buy right and keep right. Adam has also recently experienced some terrible hardships with his pond relating to the dreadful floods his hometown has been subjected to. It’s hit him hard, and he’s been working around the clock for the past three weeks to rectify it.
The catastrophe has damaged equipment beyond repair and (unfortunately) cost the lives of some of his beloved koi, with the health of others currently touch and go. From what he’s shown me, I can only describe it as carnage, and my heart goes out to him. His grit and determination to save his koi are nothing short of inspirational. I know many koi keepers who read this will wish him all the best, and I hope by seeing this post, we can remind him what he’s achieved in a relatively short space of time. Perhaps it will go a small way to help put a smile back on his face.
Keep going, Adam - we believe in you!
#YouTube Learning
Cuttlebrook Koi Farm have been at it again! Sam filmed a video detailing how to unbox and acclimatise new koi. Although it might be a bit early for most people with unheated ponds, it's never too early to brush up on good info!
Everyone has their methods, but there's some sound advice included here based on what the gents do at the farm and what they consider worthwhile when receiving their koi. They've also been updating the website with for sale/sold koi - be rude not to look!
January has been a time for planning and reflection for myself at World of Nishikigoi. I'm always working on content for future magazines, curating ideas and probing people with interesting things to say. It's an ongoing process that takes time and flexibility. The aim is to investigate and research topics and cross-reference the information we share so you can be sure it's reliable.
I'm also plugging away behind the scenes regarding the growth of the business itself, and I'm looking forward to developing some new ideas and sharing the magazine with even more readers in 2025.
I received a lovely email last week from a subscriber regarding the Dainichi Interview in Volume Six. They didn't want the email sharing in full, but the crux of the message was - more people should see this!
It's a 16 ½ page deep dive into the farm’s history, famous bloodlines, current parent sets, raising tactics and future plans. I collaborated with Taro Kodama (Kodama Koi Farm), Rob Whittell (BKKS Chairman and Dainichi Fanboy) and the boss, Futoshi Mano, to bring this impressive article to print. It seems to have gone down really well with readers, so if you fancy a read, you can now pick up single copies of Volume Six here (or feel free to subscribe): https://www.worldofnishikigoi.com/shop
By the time this goes live, I will be in Japan gearing up to cover the AJKS. I've got some exciting content lined up for the magazine and some interesting content for social media channels too. It takes time, money and effort to get decent content and pictures, so if you'd like to follow my adventures, my Facebook pages are best:
https://www.facebook.com/liam.bess.3/
https://www.facebook.com/worldofnishikigoi
Anyway, enough rambling, that's it for the January Edition. I hope you've had a great start to the new year. Keep safe, and take February by the koi-keeping horns!
Best Wishes & Happy Koi Keeping,
Liam
