Showing your koi is a great way to share Living Jewels with the world. A koi show is also a great place to rub elbows with other appreciative koi owners and see other rare beauties.
Preparing for a koi show is a highly personal labor of love, and one that can bring you even closer to your koi. It can be a nerve-wracking experience even for the most seasoned owner, with each having his own secret method of getting his koi ready for the the big day. But here are a couple of guidelines on getting your koi ready for its big reveal.
Getting Ready
The process of preparing your koi for a show begins well before the show date. Many veterans advise getting a firsthand look at a couple of shows (both big and small—if you can manage it) to get a sense of what is involved as well as what judges criteria.
It will also help to inform which of your koi you think will make the grade. It can be a difficult decision, as you are never truly sure which of those you choose will live up to its full potential in the preparation process. There are a lot of factors to take into consideration. Sometimes how your koi show can be as simple as the type of lighting used in the show facility.
If you are deciding on multiple entries, you might want to consider which will compliment one another. Two of the same types of koi in the same tank will draw immediate comparison and can wash each other out. Look for koi that will show best together. That includes the size.
Avoid treating your koi for parasites for a few months beforehand. This process can be abrasive to the skin, and it will take time for the vigor in the color to return.
Feeding
Selective feeding can begin as much as 4 months before the show. There are long lists of feeding regimens and diets (some of which are jealously guarded secrets) that enthusiasts will use to get their show koi healthy, as well as to get their colors to “pop.”
Most agree, though, to skip additives and color enhancers that can turn white skin yellow, and result in secondary beni development. Spirulina is often introduced to augment color.
Another commonly accepted practice is to stop high-protein feedings 2 months before a show, at which point the feeding schedule should be dropped by half (50%).
It is widely accepted that 5-7 days in advance is a good place to start the fasting period. It may cause a negligible loss of body shape, but the advantage is that it cuts down on waste products (and so ammonia stress) in the bag and tank.
Water Quality, Water Quality, Water Quality
Good water quality is always paramount to healthy and happy koi, but especially so before a show. Some old salts will keep the older water in for longer periods of time to maximize the mineral uptake for better color, but with pH balance in the balance, so to speak, it is not for the feint of heart.
Again, the exact amounts might vary by enthusiast, but by and large, the water changes will be slightly more pronounced in the 2 or so months before the show (25% a week) and gradually become less (10-15%) but more frequent (once a day or every other day) in the last two weeks before the show.
Some enthusiasts will try to determine the water parameters that will be used at the show a month or so in advance to gradually prepare their koi for the transition to this water.
Observing optimal water temperature (roughly 70-75ºF) during this process can help to boost appetite as well as digestion, aiding the koi’s growth.
Some enthusiasts will bump up the waters salinity a week in advance, just enough (to 0.5%), to remove the mucous layer and bring out brighter color before tapering it back down gradually.
Netting and bagging
Not stressing your koi is your primary concern when getting your koi from the pond or tank into the bag they will be calling home for the trip to the show.
Use a shallow and non-abrasive net to guide the koi into the tub. It should also be one-quarter larger than the koi it will hold. Approach from the head and guide the koi into the correct-sized tub.
Never force a skittish koi into a net. You can risk damaging the scales or the fins in the process. Let it go and start the process again. Additionally, stressing a koi can cause damage to the skin—not what you want to take to a show.
Practicing your netting is great way to perfect your technique, learn how each of your koi will respond to the net, and acclimatize them to the process. A sock net is a safer means to get your koi out of the tub and into the bags.
It’s always good practice to double bag your koi when transporting. Use 4mm-thick bags for the rigors of transportation. Fill the inner bag with water from the pond so that the water level covers the entire koi and is above the gills.
The bags need to be large enough that there is at least six inches of space around the koi and you can pump enough oxygen into them so at least ½ of the volume is made up of O2. If you are putting two in the same bag, there should be enough room that they fit comfortably next to one another without touching.
Use two new rubber bands on each of the bags to secure it properly.
Keep the bag horizontal. If it is a larger koi, use two handlers to move the koi to reduce the likelihood of it bending. A large ice chest or cooler is a well-insulated and sturdy option to put the bagged koi into (and also a convenient way to lower the koi’s temperature to reduce moving stress). Here’s a great video on preparing a show koi for transport.
On The Road
Ice packs are a good way to reduce stress during travel. Keep it under or around the transit bag, never inside it. And so it follows that you should try to keep the koi out of direct heat when transporting, too.
Your koi should be positioned at 90 degrees (sideways) to the forward motion during transit. Moving from side to side versus forwards and backwards will lessen the chance of your koi bumping the transit container.
As for your own comfort and stress reduction, pack snacks for the travel and make sure you use the facilities before you leave. You and your koi will want to spend as little time as possible in transit—it’ll make you both feel less stressed.
Let us know at Next Day Koi how you get your Living Jewel ready to be put on the big stage. We’d love to hear about your stories.
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