Archive for November, 2009

The Answer is NOT the Answer

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Well, the time has finally come…after 7 years of working with the Answer and Nexus we are moving on.  Back in 2002 we originally bought the prototype Nexus system in stainless steel.  We have utilized this filtration in many of our greenhouses, each tweaked a bit to work for different configurations.  The bottom line is that the Answer can’t handle our organic load.  It requires too much maintanence, and as many of you know, it’s no fun cleaning those screens!!!

For our mechanical filtration we are moving on to the Ultra Sieve 3 by Sibo, and a Polygeyser for the biological filtration.  The Ultra Sieve utilizes a passive screen technology.  Essentially the water falls down and through a parabolic screen.  The screen captures the waste and is taken out separately, while the clean water flows through.  This is much better than in the Answer system where the waste sits on the bottom of the water.  Below are some pictures of the guys moving one of our old Answer/Nexus out.  In this footprint, the Ultra Sieve and Polygeyser will be installed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Koi Articles

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

We have recently added a new feature on our website, Koi Articles.  One of our very strong beliefs at Quality Koi Company is learning about koi through experience and education.  Koi is a lifelong learning process, which is one of the many reasons why it is such a wonderful hobby.  While we are continually learning through our experiences, we want to be a source of knowledge for hobbyists regardless if you are new to the hobby or a well-seasoned veteran.  In an effort to support the hobby and reach out to those just starting their koi keeping, we have added a  section on our website which contains short, informative articles.  We currently have a short selection of articles, and we will be adding more over the next few weeks.  We welcome you to check out the articles, and offer any topic suggestions.

Happy Koi in Quarantine!

Monday, November 9th, 2009

Now that all of our koi are in the greenhouses, it’s quarantine time!  When a sold koi is brought in from the mudponds during our October harvest, it remains in our care until December 31, which is their required quarantine time.  Our unsold koi also go through the same quarantine period.  For all koi, we refrain from catching them unless absolutely necessary due to the stress it can cause.  The koi have already been treated for costia and fluke, two very common parasites.  Some of the koi that came in from one specific mudpond had anchor worms, so we will also be doing an anchor worm treatment. 

Some nisai in quarantine:

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Sold koi in quarantine…can you find your koi???

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New Heating System in Grow-out Greenhouse, Part 5

Friday, November 6th, 2009

Now that all of the Polygeyser systems have had the heat exchanger fully plumbed, we are working to complete the vortex based systems.  In this set of systems the heat exchanger is hung horizontally, rather than vertically.  Below is a picture of the first completed one.

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Koi Heading to Charlotte Today!

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

This weekend Mat is headed to the Piedmont Koi & Watergarden Society’s koi show in Charlotte, NC.  For more show info, check their website

Mat is bringing a nice selection of 12-14″, pictured below:

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And 16-18″ Selects, pictured below:

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New Heating System in Grow-out Greenhouse, Part 4

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

One of the last tasks to be completed in the installation of the Indirect Heating System in our new Growout Greenhouse is some plumbing.  We will be using PVC plumbing to take water from the tanks and send it into the heat exchanger.  Once inside the heat exchanger the water will be heated indirectly be the hot water filled tubes.  The tank water will then flow back into the tank.  These are two of the completed systems.

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New Heating System in Grow-out Greenhouse, Part 3

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

Refering back to the new heating system we have installed in our Growout Greenhouse (Part 1 and Part 2), we are going to send this warm water to an adjacent greenhouse.  In the front of our Nisai Greenhouse, we have the BETN koi and our other very high quality nisai,  which you can view in our online catalog.  To provide these koi with the optimal growing conditions, we are not only heating the air but also the water.  We have run insulated copper plumbing underground from the Growout Greenhouse to the Nisai Greenhouse.  There are lines for both the feed and the return.  The one major difference however, is that the heat exchanger for the Nisai Greenhouse is underwater in the tank, whereas the heat exchanger in the Growout Greenhouse is external to the tank.

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Show Winners in Delray Beach, Florida!

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

This past weekend, the ZNA Southern Koi Association and the Tropical Koi Club held their annual show at the Morikami Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, Florida.  We are proud to announce that two of our koi won awards! 

The first showa was awarded Best in Size up to 30cm (12 inches), owned by Henry Culpepper.

 

The second showa was awarded Best in Size 40-50cm (15.5-19.5 inches), owned by Mike McMahon.

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Photos by Henry Culpepper