Koi Waterlife News

    OFFER 1

High Quality water Flow Meters manufactured by Blue and White Industries , these flow meters are very easy to install and will fit 1.5 inch and 2 inch pipe. maximum flow reading is over 7000 gallons per hour, RRP £95 SPECIAL OFFER ONLY £50 each

OFFER 2

100 Litres of Hel-X 14 media perfect for Moving Bed Biological Filters .RRP £132  SPECIAL OFFER ONLY £112.50

Please contact me at kwc-jpn@hotmail.co.uk or through FaceBook Messenger or call 07712871692 and order you Flow Meter or Hel-X Media today.

Drew

Koi Waterlife News

HighFil Flitration the most advanced filtration system available today ,  The highFil 50 and 100 Models  can filter ponds up to 20,000 gallons and can be operated below water level. They will remove any waste above 5 microns with its highly durable Stainless Steel Screen. The control unit also manages the amount of water used during cleans and the distance the belt will travel depending on waste levels. It also has many safety sensors to prevent your pump running dry over heating or emptying your pond in the event of a cracked pipe or leak. There is also a unique feature to empty the HighFil unit of water when the belt or any maintenance is needed. There are many other features of the HighFil so please contact me for more information. I first installed The HighFil 50 in 2013 at my old shop and moved the same filter to a new 8500 gallon pond last year. With no mechanical failures to date this filter has been superb and exactly what i had expected from German Engineering.

                   Installed  2013                                                           Jan 2019

This company has also manufactured a superb low energy variable pump the HighFil HFP-75 maximum output 16,500 GPH variable speeds from 500 revs to 3000 revs , again superb reliability and low running costs. Very quiet and with the main control unit wall mountable , making adjustment very easy.

If you would like more information on the above please contact me at kwc-jpn@hotmail.co.uk , Face Book , Messenger , WhatsApp or you can call 01474 834411 and 07712871692

Drew

Part Four.......INC and Dainichi

It was an early start so we could arrive at the Isawa Nishikigoi Center at 8.00am as my Bus to Narita airport was at 11.35am , so there was plenty of time to add a few more Koi to what was becoming a very relaxed and enjoyable trip with many superb Koi purchased.

Toshi and his father Toshio prepared a pond and the following Koi were purchased. Some very high quality Kohaku and Tancho and super prices , all sexed as female and £195 each.

There was time to discuss with Toshio his new bloodline sanke and showa that he is producing and the quality look amazing these koi will be available for me to choose from at Harvest time and also the following year when i will be back selecting Tosai again. I have always liked this farm and with so much history it is one that i will always visit. It was now time for me to leave to take the bus to Narita airport for my flight to the Philippines later that evening to my hideout where i will be sorting out all the details of the last two trips to Japan and getting ready for the pending shipment. Oh i nearly forgot i also visited Dainichi and below are some superb Female Jumbo Tosai that will be coming back.

All the Koi below are Female Tosai , the Kohaku are £1495 each and the Gin Rin Showa £1250 each.

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5  1  2  3

                         4  5

All these Koi were purchased in February and have remained at Dainichi for the past twelve weeks , I am looking forward to seeing their developement over this period. They were all sexed as female the Kohaku were 30 to 35cm when purchased the Gin Rin Showa about 25cm. The quality of these koi is very high and being Dainichi you know just how big they could get !!

When i write these blogs i try to add a few things about how i buy my Koi and why i venture down the road I have regarding Koi and their development , I am very fortunate to travel to Japan several times a year and to experience so much of what makes us all so addicted to what is sometimes a very challenging Hobby. There has been many occasions when im flying to Japan thinking that this Job is crazy , evaluating whether this is a  Job or Hobby , what am i doing spending so much money on a fish , I talked to my friends ,yes i still have a few left that dont keep Koi and they just dont understand it. At this point never try to explain , tried it , it doesnt work , you will probably just lose another friend ! The same thought occured to me a couple of years ago but thanks to a few good chosen words from Michel sanity was restored , i arrived at Nagaoka Station at 9am and was met by Michel and i will never forget what he said , "Welcome Drew San i have spoken with Mitsunori Isa and he has some superb Koi for you this morning  , you will be Bankrupt by lunchtime !! ".  I will never doubt why i do this job again.

Another trip has finished which has been a very enjoyable and memorable one with many super Koi purchased and a great adventure form the Niigata Show on day one to the final morning at the Isawa Nishigoi Centre,  i have detailed as much as possible but considering i have over 250 Koi arriving there are still plenty that did not make it to these pages , so please keep an eye on the Website and my Facebook page , or get in contact with me to arrange to view these beautiful koi that will be coming back.  Until Harvest time have a good Koi keeping year. Drew

Part Three Tategoi from Marudo and Koi No Minuma

It was a very early start as we had alot to get through today , we would leave Niigata around 10am after my visit to Marudo , from there it would be a long drive to visit a very famous Goshiki breeder that is producing some amazing show winning Koi in Japan. We would then continue to Maruyama to check out some of Michel and Wilfried's Kohaku.

So I was back at Marudo to buy some Koi to leave with him , with the success of the event during the show weekend i had decided to buy a few tategoi and leave until harvest giving me something to look forward to. I had asked Marudo to prepare two Vats one with Sanke and the other Kohaku and had given him my price range. This was very exciting , the Breeder choosing Koi for me and then growing them ,so not too much pressure on him!. After seeing what was available i was very pleased to be leaving these five Koi with him.

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                   4  5

The quality of the Sanke is superb , the sumi is ink black and well placed throughout the body , the beni on all three Koi is even throughout and all with excellent bodies , I was very happy with the Sanke and the Two Kohaku were also of a very high level, it is always appreciated when a breeder allows you to buy some very high quality tategoi.These Koi are all priced at £1795 and expected size at Harvest will be 50cm to 55cm, If there are any issues with the Koi at Harvest there will be a replacement by Marudo. This is a fantastic offer and i am pretty sure i will be bringing back some stunning Female Nisai over 50cm later this year.

It was now time to visit Koi No Minuma a very famous Goshiki breeder. I have been asked many times to bring back some Goshiki but it has been difficult getting the high level I always look for at the right price. I have said many times its easy to buy Koi but to buy High Quality Koi is a challenge .I have managed to do this with many Gosanke breeders and you will always see me at the same farms year in year out , i like to keep the number of breeders to a minimum and if they are looking after me there is no need to go anywhere else.

During my time in Niigata while i was selecting my Koi , Michel , Maria and Wilfried had many meeting with breeders discussing future business for Koi ichi Ban and Koi Ichi Ban Europe, Michel's contacts in Japan and relationships has been built up for over 30 years and his knowledge and guidence has enabled me over many years to bring back the highest level of Koi i can that suits the UK hobbyists budget.

Buying power in Japan is often mentioned to me from hobbyists asking if other foreign markets are buying all the best Koi , are they buying so many more Koi than we do in the UK and is the Asian Market increasing the price of koi as sometimes prices seem to be ever increasing. I have never mentioned much about this as I have not seen much change in the price of Koi I buy over the last ten years , the change is more with the hobbyists "eye" for Koi , the demand for High quality is getting more and more. hobbyists are buying less Koi than before as their skills at keeping Koi is improving and they are much more knowledgable in making their selections , it doesnt matter what budget you have for Koi if you have knowledge and good keeping skills you can achieve superb results. As a dealer I want to bring back the best Koi with very high potential at a price that suits the UK market , you will have seen in these blogs koi that have developed to a very high level that are not always the most expensive i sell. I take alot of guidence from people with greater knowledge that is the only way to learn , your dealer is the closest person you have to a breeder so always ask advice and for them to show you how the Koi they sell develop , this will give you assurances for your next purchase.  So i am under no illusion that my buying power is limited at some farms as sometimes only one box is purchased, all i can offer to the breeders is loyalty and regular visits and build up the kind of business relationships i have over the years that gets me access to the Koi i need to be bringing back to the UK....... Oh it always helps when Michel and Wilfried last export for Koi Ichi Ban Europe was over 400 boxes  !!!

We arrived at Koi No Minuma before lunch so there was plenty of time to check out the farm , I was very interested to see the level of Tosai Goshiki available and see some of his larger Koi. The video below shows the quality of his Goshiki and this level is exactly what i would be buying in the future. So I chose one Koi to be left until Harvest a very high quality Female with a super pattern.

When booking this trip I did not know about this visit so it was a bonus to spend time discussing the Goshiki i need in the future and i really hope that I can bring back Koi of the quality i saw today as i know Goshiki are not easy koi to find in the UK. After lunch with the Breeder we set off to Maruyama Koi Farm and hoped to arrive at about 4.30pm.

Maruyama

Checking over their Azukari Koi , and this Kohaku was absolutely stunning !

Another Superb Kohaku this one gosai and over 80cm . The quality is very simple to see and has a superb body frame to grow even bigger. I have always liked Maruyama Kohaku and at this years Harvest he will be one of the first breeders i visit. 

Tomorrow would be my last day in Japan at the Isawa Nishikigoi Centre.