#March
#Introduction - Easy does it
March is nearly over, and we are FINALLY seeing some sunshine! As the temperatures slowly rise through April, it can prove a tricky time in the koi hobbyists calendar. But staying vigilant ensures we can avoid potentially turbulent waters!
Water Quality. We’ve all done it, the sun begins to shine, we spend some craved time in the garden and feed our koi a little more than we should. In most cases, it’s too much, too soon. Remember, for those not heating our ponds to much warmer temperatures, our biological filtration will not yet be firing on all cylinders. Although the sun may be shining, water temperatures can still be low. We can also expect to see temperature swings during the colder evenings. Getting carried away and feeding too much during a day of sunshine and boredom will not do our water quality any favours, and we all know that spikes in water parameters can trigger issues.
Maintaining superb water parameters is always crucial, but during this temperamental period, it is VITAL. The immune system of our koi is still delicate, making them susceptible to parasites and disease, the odd outbreak being standard for many hobbyists. Poor water quality will make dealing with problems all the more difficult - so check your thermometers and mind your feeding!
If the temperatures continue to rise and stabilise (and the koi show an appetite for it), slowly introduce small amounts of low-protein food. Gradually build the food to match their appetite and the temperatures, monitor your parameters closely and keep on top of your filter maintenance. It's easy to neglect manual filter maintenance when the weather looks miserable - DON'T! Rain or Shine, water needs to be maintained - we are water keepers, after all!
New Koi. Many koi keepers attend open days in March and April to buy new koi for their ponds. Again, if you are unheated, do so with caution. Adding new koi is always disruptive to the pond’s ecosystem, and the chances of triggering problems if your system is not running optimally are high. If disease or parasites occur when the water temperature is low, you will be limited in what treatments you can use, which could put your whole collection at risk.
Likewise, always take note of the temperature at the retail premises. You’re rolling the dice if it’s any more than 2 or 3 degrees warmer than your pond at home. I don’t like to be a party pooper - but it’s better to be safe than sorry. At least know the risks so you can decide with your eyes wide open.
If you feel your pond isn't ready, but you've found the koi of your dreams, speak with the koi dealer, as in many cases, they can hold the fish for you (depending on their terms). Being cautious means you might have to wait a little longer to collect your new pet, but you will hopefully avoid issues and introduce them to a more suitable and stable environment. That's my word of warning for the month, let's see what else is going on!
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#Shosha Koi
Koi Auctions are still well underway in Japan and will continue throughout the tosai season as the breeders grade their koi ready for release to the mud ponds. Lee and Mike at Shosha Koi take part in all of the auctions and can bid on hobbyists' behalf.
Now, knowing when these auctions happen is most of the battle, and unless you’re glued to social media, you might miss them. Luckily, Mike and Lee make it easy, as they post all the upcoming auctions on their Telegram group, so you never miss a beat.
The links they post will detail all the koi available at the auction in question, so you can scroll to your heart's content. If you’d like more information on the T's & C's, contact Shosha Koi directly. But if you want to get in on the action first, join their telegram group!
https://t.me/+3NBeYmKTRYtiYjdk
The gents have also recently taken delivery of their first batches of tosai for the 2025 season, which are now safely in quarantine. Shosha caters for all pockets, but I cherry-picked a few from the website that caught my eye. Enjoy!
#BKKS NEWS
The BKKS National Koi Show will once again kick off the Show Season in the UK at the end of June. While it may seem a while away, it will be here before we know it, and there will be plenty of koi club and koi dealer event days happening nationwide in the buildup. Some I hope to share on this page!
As the koi season approaches, I often hear whispers and questions from new koi keepers asking why they should join the BKKS. Well, I thought I’d include this from Chairman Rob Whittell…
“Why Join The BKKS? Joining the BKKS supports a dedicated society that quietly underpins the UK koi community. We continue to look at other ways to improve standards, striving to support the UK koi hobby and Koi Clubs nationwide. But what exactly does your membership fee get you?
Exclusive Discounts: Enjoy discounts on ticket prices and vat bookings at the National Koi Show, plus savings on limited edition BKKS merchandise and K.O.I. International Training Courses.
Educational Resources: Access expert knowledge on koi care, pond health, and showing koi via our members-only website area.
Community Connections: Join a network of koi lovers across the UK who care about our hobby thriving and participate in our private FaceBook group.
Advocacy and Support: The BKKS works with trade bodies and regulators to uphold standards, ensuring local clubs meet licensing requirements and keeping the koi hobby sustainable and respected in the UK. While that might not help your pocket, it does help the hobby. Join us today.”
Want to support The BKKS? Become a member below:
https://bkks.co.uk/product/bkks-membership/
What to get involved and promote change in the hobby? Email the Chairman:
#Avenue Fisheries Update
If you’d like more information, visit or call
#EZ-Pond
I contacted Allan Gavin (the gaffer) and asked if he had any updates he’d like to share. It turns out he’s been as busy as usual! There’s always new work in the pipeline with Allan (and new ideas), and the company is currently flat-out delivering ponds to people all over the country.
I’ve popped a selection of photos Allan sent below, showing many happy new customers. There’s a genuine reason this company has gone from strength to strength over the years, and credit must be given where it’s due. With so many rented properties or people that regularly move home in the modern age, EZ-Ponds provide a superb solution.
Furthermore, for newcomers to the hobby, they’re perfect. Building a block-built pond can be intimidating and easy to mess up if you don’t know what you're doing. These clever and sleek-looking units remove all the headaches and guarantee you start on the right foot when building your dream pond.
I don't know the percentage of those in the photos who are new to koi keeping/fish keeping, but it’s fantastic so many people are installing proper ponds - surely, it can only help the hobby grow.
#Koi for Sale
Many of our Trade Sponsors have been buying new koi - it is that time of the season! So, rather than having multiple segments on each dealer telling us they have new koi in - I thought I’d feature a mega gallery of koi made available recently. Eye candy? Yeah, why not?
Click to englarge, see details and obtain a link to the dealers website...
#Viking Fish Health
I've been out on the road again recently with Simon Nourse from Viking Fish Health, creating content for the next volume of the magazine. As mentioned in the introduction, this can be a tricky time of the year for koi hobbyists and professionals like Simon can take away all the guesswork and help you solve pesky pond problems.
Everyone has different levels of knowledge, and some koi keepers find diagnosing water quality issues and koi health problems too much to handle. While we should all be working towards acquiring enough knowledge to care for our pets and give them a thriving home, there’s no shame in bringing in a professional - especially if you grill them with questions and aim to be a better koi keeper by the end of their visit!
Simon offers a wide range of services, from fish health to pond maintenance, deep cleaning and upgrades. He’s currently on call, based in Nottingham and covers a wide catchment area. Contact him below:
https://www.vikingfishhealth.co.uk/
07306 827304
#Asagi vs AJKS
In the lead up to the All Japan Show 2025, I was nattering to Steve Rollins about his potential plans for the trip, which ultimately led to him spending some time in Japan with Rob Whittell and I. Steve is a hobbyist based in Essex and also happens to be the Chairman of the Crouch Valley Koi Section.
Via our messages, I learned he had a koi going to the AJKS - an Asagi that would be entered into the 75Bu category. For reference, Bu indicates the size category that koi are divided into when competing at shows in Japan. A common mistake is to confuse Bu with centimetres. The number in front of Bu indicates the maximum size allowed in that size category. For example, a koi classified as 75Bu is larger than 70cm and smaller than 75cm. However, this does not apply to 95Bu, which refers to any koi larger than 90cm. But I digress…
Catching up with Steve at the show, I heard more about how he came to be exhibiting the fish - it wasn’t a straightforward journey. Steve previously had some success with showing in Japan. A Sanke he owned took second and third at the International Koi Show and the All Japan Young Koi Show. It was a koi he selected on his first trip to Japan in 2017. The success with the Sanke kindled his interest in showing at the largest koi stage - The All Japan Koi Show (AJKS).
While these thoughts sat on the back burner, Steve attended the AJKS in 2019, and bumped into another UK hobbyist, Lee Manning, who had a cracking Shiro Utsuri in the show. Funnily enough, it’s the same Shiro I featured in the development article in Volume Three - a lovely koi! Steve and Lee were admiring her and flicking through pictures on Lee’s phone of how the koi looked when he purchased her. Two years of Azukari development had gone into the koi under the watchful eye of Omosako Koi Farm. Steve told me how this inspired him - he liked the idea of using his skills to select something that could develop into a koi worthy of being placed at the AJKS before being shipped home. He preferred this to selecting something that was a “ready-made” contender as he felt such a koi might be too finished to have a show life when back on home soil.
So, my next question was - why an Asagi? I mean, I have nothing against them, but it was an unusual choice. Steve explained he had previously owned an 80cm Asagi that took the Best Non Go Sanke Award at the All England Show in 2019 and 2021. It tweaked my memory as I remember shooting the award photo. Steve likes to think the koi may have done the triple had there been a show in 2020 - but we’ll never know as the pandemic robbed us of the event that year. Keep dreaming, Steve!
After the win in 2021, Steve was approached and asked to sell the koi, and (after deliberation) he decided that perhaps he’d taken her as far as he could and maybe it was time to replace her. He accepted the offer and gave her a loving new home.
In November 2022, on an Autumn Buying trip to Japan with Deron Simons (Select Nishikigoi) Steve’s main goal was to replace his Asagi. Deron had set time aside to visit every good Asagi breeder. Koi were bowled at numerous farms, and Taro Kataoka (Oya Koi Farm) even took them to a tucked away koi house with his tategoi - but nothing quite hit the mark. Steve seems a hard man to please!
Things appeared utterly hopeless until they visited Yamaju Koi Farm. Steve said as soon as he looked into the main pond, a Nisai Asagi with stunning skin quality leapt out at him. Wham! And so the games began…
The breeder was asked to net some Asagi, and he obliged, placing some lovely specimens in the bowl, but not the one Steve had his eye on. When asked, the breeder said he thought that particular Asagi was going to auction and would need to check with his son (who now ran the farm). Shortly after, the son arrived and confirmed the koi was indeed available, so it joined the others in the bowl. Then came the downside - the price. Reality smacks hard sometimes!
Steve couldn’t commit, so they reached an arrangement whereby the koi was reserved for a couple of days. As it so happens, later that day, another Asagi was found (this time a sansai). Whilst it was not the same level as the example seen at Yamaju Koi Farm, the quality was still high, with a different style, and because it was less money, it left room in the budget to make other purchases. It seemed a no-brainer, so Steve made the deal and waved goodbye to the Asagi at Yamaju and the thought of competing at the AJKS.
However, when Steve returned home and saw all the koi being entered into the AJKS in the new year, the Asagi at Yamaju started eating away at him. What if he could buy a koi good enough to develop into something worthy of the AJKS? Discussions were had about the koi’s availability and prospects, and a deal was done (to cut a long story short). The Asagi at Yamaju now belonged to Steve - although he had to set about selling some of his existing koi in the UK to pay for her - oops!
In the autumn (2023), the koi had grown significantly from 55cm to 71cm. She had kept her skin quality, and the Kado Gin (that enhanced the koi’s appeal) was still shining. However, the breeder advised that whilst he felt she was of AJKS level, he thought the blue base colour was too light to be seriously competitive. It was agreed she would not compete in January 2024, so she spent another year in the mud pond.
When harvested in autumn 2024, she had only grown 3.5cm, and although this may seem disappointing, she had continued to improve in quality terms, and the breeder said she was now good to exhibit at a koi show. The initial plan was to tackle the Niigata Nogyosai to test her qualities, but unfortunately, the entry cut-off was missed - so the team decided to bite the bullet and send her straight to the AJKS.
At the AJKS in 2025, she was the only koi entered from the farm and was placed in a vat on her own. It’s not a cheap exercise, but it meant she had plenty of water to herself! I didn’t see her arrive, but Steve was waiting by her vat and informed me she looked in good shape as she came out of the bag, and her skin and Kado Gin shone well under the hall lights. However, she had stiff competition - Steve had spotted another koi he felt would beat her.
When most of the koi had arrived, our travel party decided to wander between the vats to gauge her chances. The consensus was that Steve’s koi had the best skin, but her top competition had a fuller body and deeper colour - what was it the breeder said the previous year about her being too light? Steve was a little nervous!
Ultimately, the other Asagi took first prize, and Steve’s was Runner Up - which (whilst no mean feat) left him feeling a little disappointed. We discovered the next day the winner had been exhibited and prepared (on the owner’s behalf) by Ryuki Narita (Narita Koi Farm). There’s no denying that Ryuki’s ability to prepare koi for shows is world-class, and the Asagi was stunning.
Steve was a little more positive as we spoke during our travels around Hiroshima after the show. After all, he had at least achieved his goal. He found a younger koi with potential. It developed well over a few years and became a contender at the AJKS. We also reminded him that he’d spotted this koi with his own two eyes whilst treading the rickety boards in Japan - not bad by any standard!
So what now for the Asagi? After the show, she travelled back to the farm to recuperate, and in spring (when Deron goes out to Japan), she will be assessed and a decision made whether to ship her or leave her at the farm for another summer of Azukari. Whatever the outcome, perhaps one day she will make it to a show vat in the UK and complete the full story. Yeah, I think that would be a nice ending.
Or maybe she goes back to the AJKS first for a rematch!
#YouTube Learning
Mark Gardner: This month we’re taking a trip down memory lane. The late Mark Gardner produced many brilliant koi films, some of which he released on YouTube. Accurate, koi-focussed and although they may seem a little dated in their production quality vs modern equipment, they still pack a mighty educational punch.
The first he shared on his channel with the permission of Kazuo Takeda. It explores the History of Nishikigoi in Niigata. The second, he produced himself and joins Mike Snaden (Yume Koi Japan) on the hunt for koi. Enjoy.
Thanks, Mark (RIP).
#Magazine Update
Volume Seven of World of Nishikigoi magazine is steaming along in production, ready for release at the start of June. We have now opened our doors to new subscribers and would love to invite you aboard!
Our 132-page printed magazines have earned a fierce reputation among koi enthusiasts worldwide for providing valuable information and entertainment. Here are some of the main benefits:
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For koi lovers of ALL levels - helping to increase your knowledge.
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Unbiased, well-researched articles from people you can trust.
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Printed on premium quality, high-gloss paper, it's made to last.
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Vibrant colours, excellent photography and artistic layouts.
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Highly regarded among Koi Hobbyists and Industry Professionals.
The cheapest way for UK residents to buy our magazine (and to guarantee you get a copy) is to subscribe, which you can do via the link. It’s safe, secure and trusted by our community of regular readers:
https://www.worldofnishikigoi.com/product-page/yearly-subscription-2
If you want to catch up with our six back issues or live overseas, they can be purchased individually or in a bundle called ‘The Stack,’ which saves you large sums on postage! It makes the perfect treat for any koi lover, and delivery is available worldwide.
https://www.worldofnishikigoi.com/product-page/the-stack-six-volumes
Thanks for reading, and if you have any stories to share, please get in touch!
Best Wishes & Happy Koi Keeping,
Liam
