Pond tour: We all want to do this, but it needs to be organized. Need some help from our members to help

get this going. We all agreed that we need to keep it small, probably free, and restricted to one area of the

city. Our interest, our objective, is gaining more members, not money. Heather agreed to take on some in-

vestigation of the market and report to us in the May club meeting.

Since Dan & Martha have always allowed SAKA to use a portion of their property to store the trailers and oth-

er Koi Show related equipment, the members voted and agreed to make Dan & Martha Honorary Members!

Cool!

Bret reported that he has added new links to membership online. People can now join and pay for member-ship online, as well as make donations. The website has an area where we can add ‘inventory’ for sale, in-cluding memberships. I would like to see us add nametags to this list. I asked Dan & Martha to check into a vendor for this and report back at the next meeting. Several members have indicated an interest in getting a nametag. That also generated some discussion on whether we should, indeed, charge for that nametag. More on this at the next meeting.

Martha, Heather, and I met at Hughes Federal Credit union and updated the signature authority on our check-

ing/savings account. Since club officers are also liable for this account, it has been suggested that we should

either require a secondary signature on checks (not supported at Hughes), or vote on proposed payments by

the membership, or board, at our club meetings.

Martha reported that we have $10,186.82 in checking and $5,234.36 in savings. We are in good financial

shape.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:55. Final note: I would invite feedback, comments, criticisms on this and

any other Newsletter or subject. You can send email to me, of course, or use the website to write comments.

Thank you all for coming!

Attached below are 3 documents provided by Noel that cover what was shared at the meeting.

POND TREATMENTS (not for food fish)

Noel L. Shaw, KHA September 2017 koifixer@gmail.com

NOTES: 1) Use the following treatments with caution and discretion. Do not allow dust or fumes from these chemicals to get near your mouth, your

eyes, or anything else, such as your pets or children. They are generally safe for koi when used at the recommended dosage schedules. Avoid direct contact

of fish with treatment chemicals.

2) Know your pond volume. Calculate volume with salt method (see “POND TREATMENT BASICS”. Measure doses carefully. More is not better. These

treatments WILL consume available oxygen. They may kill weak fish. They may disable a weak bioconverter (BC) / filter.

3) ALWAYS: • Disperse treatment chemicals as evenly as possible; pre-dissolve and add slowly to a return water stream.

• Maximize aeration and circulation to the pond (waterfall, air stones, extra pump, etc.) during treatments.

• Bypass BC / filtration where noted. Flush BC thoroughly to waste before start up if BC is off line for more than a few hours.

• Be prepared in advance (with dechlorinator, etc.) to perform massive water changes after treatment as directed.

• Treatment efficiency is maximized in clean water: Clean pond well with initial 30 - 50% water change (dechlor except with PP)

SODIUM THIOSULFATE

This solution neutralizes chlorine in any new water added to your pond. Dose only for the amount of new water, not the total pond volume.

In clean gallon jug, add one pound of Sodium Thiosulfate to a half gallon of water. Shake until dissolved. Add water to make a full gallon, shake again.

Dosage: 10 ml / 100 gallons new water. 1250 gallons- ½ cup. 2500 gal = 1 cup solution. etc.

SALT / SODIUM CHLORIDE - INDICATION: soothes new fish, helps maintain osmotic balance, control string algae, reduce nitrite toxicity. MAY control

SOME parasites and protozoa. SAFE FOR BC. CAUTION: Salt is a cheap old school remedy that many people indiscriminately throw at pond problems as a safe first line of defense. Salt has become increasingly less reliable. It is not effective against crustacea, and salt resistant strains of protozoans and flukes have developed. Nonetheless, it does have significant benefits in certain circumstances. BEST BET – Scrape and scope FIRST to diagnose for parasites – if you end up with other treatments anyway, you may need to water change down to .1% salt to avoid oxygen starvation.

EFFECTIVE DOSE: a constant 1 ppt (.1%) helps with string algae, helps healthy koi maintain osmotic balance, is safe for almost all plants.

2 ppt (.2%) generally controls string algae, but may slightly brown the tips of pond plants. Eases osmotic balance in sick fish.

3 ppt (.3%) for two weeks clears some protozoans and flukes. Don’t count on it. String algae becomes mush and falls apart, so filter will need frequent atten-

tion. Reduces nitrite toxicity.

6 ppt (.6%) for two weeks clears most protozoans and some flukes. MOST PLANTS WILL DIE.

10 lb “SOLAR” salt per 1000 gallons yields a .12% (1.2 ppt) solution. 25 bs of salt per 1000 gal yields .3% or 3ppt. Add over two days. In sudden fish mortali-

ty, add .3% all at once (but not directly through filter or BC). Maintain .3% for two weeks, then allow salt levels to fall with regular water changes.

DIMILIN / TRICHLORFON / ORGANOPHOSPHATES (hereafter “TRICHLORFON”) – INDICATION: Crustacea (anchor worms, fish lice), some flukes.

SAFE FOR BC. TRICHLORFON is an organophosphate arthropod development inhibitor. TRICHLORFON stops the life cycle of Anchor Worm (Lernea) and

Fish Lice (Argulus) by inhibiting molting and growth. TRICHLORFON is toxic to unintentional chitin shelled invertebrate targets as well (crayfish, water fleas,

dragonflies, etc.); do not let treated water run into rivers or creek beds. Use respons bly. Trichlorfon (and its analogs) are available in several formulations:

Neguvon [Miles or Bayer]; Dipterrex [Bayer]; Masoten [Miles or Bayer]; Dylox [Bayer]

EFFECTIVE DOSAGE: .25ppm (point 25 ppm)

1 gram (1/2 teaspoon) per 1,000 gallons. Dissolve in some warm water, and sprinkle the suspension over the surface of the pond. For QT’s and small ponds,

dissolve 1 gram (1/2 tsp) in 100 cc water. Use 10 cc (2 tsp) of the suspension per 100 gallons, and discard the rest. Apply weekly for four weeks. Repeat at

30 day intervals for season-long control.

CHLORAMINE-T - INDICATION: Bacterial gill disease, bacterial infection, flukes. LETHAL TO BC FILTER BACTERIA.

EFFECTIVE DOSAGE: varies with the pH of the system. Dosage increases with pH; 20ppm (eighty grams per 1000 gallons of water – roughly eight table-

spoons) at a pH of 8.0 (most Tucson water). Repeat every other day for four treatments. 25-30% water change after 4 hours. Dechlorinate for entire pond

volume after each treatment (sodium thiosulfate). 1000 gal = 80g. 3000 gal = 240g (1/2 lb)

WHEN USING FORMALIN (ProForm C or Rid-Ich) OR POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE AGAINST PARASITE OR FUNGAL INFECTIONS, MULTIPLE

TREATMENTS ARE REQUIRED, AT INTERVALS BASED ON THE LENGTH OF THE PARASITE LIFE CYCLE, WHICH IS DEPENDENT ON WATER TEM-

PERATURE.

· < 60° F, repeat every third day for 4 total treatments.

· Above 65 ° F, repeat every other day for 4 total treatments.

· 25-30% water change after every other treatment

FORMALIN / MALACHITE GREEN (F/MG) –“PRO-FORM C” &/or “RID-ICH” INDICATION: Flukes, protozoa, fungi, some bacteria; disinfect new plants

SAFE FOR BC AT 25ppm. Toxic to fish under 45˚ F. http://www.koicarekennel.com is best online source.

EFFECTIVE DOSAGE RANGE: 15 - 25ppm

Proprietary formalin / malachite green products (Pro-Form C, Rid-Ich) recommend a dose rate of 10 ml per 100 gal that only yields 15 ppm of formalin. I ad-

just the manufacturer’s dosage rate to achieve 25 ppm of formalin. Use a correction factor of 1.66 (25 ppm divided by 15 ppm ) to yield 25 ppm with these

products: 16.6 ml per 100 gallons. That is 166 ml (2/3 cup) per 1000 gallons of pond to achieve 25 ppm of formalin. (16.6 ml per 100 gal X 10 hundred gal).

A 2000 gallon pond would dose at about 330 ml, or 1 1/3 cups of F/MG. 250 ml is about a cup.

DISINFECT NEW PLANTS - 125 ppm (5 ml (1 tsp) per 10 gallons) for 8 hours. NOT to be used for fish at this dosage, but used to disinfect plants.

POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE (PP, KMnO4) - INDICATION: Flukes, protozoa, fungi, sometimes helps bacterial infections. Have 3% drugstore hydrogen

peroxide or sodium thiosulfate (chlorine neutralizer as well) on hand as an antidote. LETHAL TO BIOCONVERTER FILTER BACTERIA. You MUST bypass

your BC to use permanganate at these dose levels. Potassium permanganate, a dark purple-grey granular powder, becomes vivid purple in water, stains skin

dark brown for a couple of days, and clothing permanently. EFFECTIVE DOSAGE: 2.5 ppm to 4ppm.

1 tsp (about 8 g) per 1000 gal doses a pond at about 2 ppm (depending on your teaspoon - some hold only 6g- both ends of the range are OK).

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) bypass BC (bioconverter), maintain full aeration and circulation

2) pre-dissolve permanganate crystals (1 tsp per 2000 gallons of pond = 2.6 ppm ≈ 1 tsp per 600 gal) and disperse mix evenly around pond.

3) Goal is pink for 4 hours. If turns tan in less than two hours, add ½ more of 1st dose quantity. May repeat this additional ½ dose a second time if necessary,

for a total of double the initial dose. When pond water viewed in a white cup appears tan, NOT pink, resume BC filtration. After 4 hour therapeutic PP dosing,

always restart your BC with a flush to waste.

• IF WATER TURNS TO “CHOCOLATE MILK”, FISH ARE GASPING, OR ACCIDENTALLY OVERDOSED, IMMEDIATELY ADD 32 oz OF HYDROGEN PER-

OXIDE (drugstore variety) PER 1000 GAL ($.88 per quart at Walmart) TO NEUTRALIZE THE PERMANGANATE, THEN PERFORM A 30-50% WATER CHANGE.

Time to “tan water” becomes longer with each treatment. After 4th treatment, neutralize residual Permanganate with Peroxide, 1 cup per 1000 gallons.

POND TREATMENT BASICS (with simplified math – believe it or not) Noel Shaw koifixer@gmail.com

Know your EXACT pond volume. Most accurate assessment is with salt. Measure starting salinity with a

KoiMedic salt meter www.koipondcentral.com/accessories/tester_digital.html or salinity test kit from a local pet store. Add a known weight of

SOLAR salt and allow to dissolve for several hrs. Re-measure salinity. Calculate volume below. If you have large volumes in bogs or

bioconverters, figure their volumes also. The point is to be able to accurately dose either just the pond, or when desired, the whole

system volume. A 40 lb bag in a 1000 gallon pond will give enough of a change to get an accurate reading – but be prepared to do a

water change if the salinity goes much above .2%, because plants will start to brown a little.

Volume (gallons) = (lbs of salt added) X 12 Example: you add 20 # salt to your estimated 2500 gal pond.

change % salinity the salinity changes from .03 to .17% Your actual pond volume is : (20 x 12) ÷ (.17 - .03) or 240 ÷ .14 or 1714 gallons

YOUR ACTUAL POND: ( ) lbs of salt X 12 = gallons

new salinity: ( ______ ) – starting salinity: ( ______ )

2) Calculate dosage rates for your pond, at 1 ppm concentration and at 1 part per thousand.

Double and triple check your math, and write these numbers down to make your treatments easier in the future.

If a 2.5 ppm dosage rate is suggested, you can calculate the exact amount of a substance you need to add.

1 Part per Million = 0.379 grams per 100 US Gallons OR 3.79 grams / 1,000 Gallons

OR 1 gram per 1,000 liters; OR 1 mg per liter

1 Part per Thousand (.1%) = 379 g (0.833 pounds) per 100 US Gallons OR 1 gram per liter.

1 Part per Hundred (1%) = 37.9 g (1.33 weighed oz) per US Gallon = 10 grams per liter

EXAMPLES: (Check the math for yourself, then calculate for your pond)

Pond X is 2800 gallons (including the water in the bioconverter system).

A 1 ppm dosage in pond X requires 10.6 grams (3.79 g / 1000 gal X 2.8 thousand gallons = 10.6 g)

A 2 ppt dosage in pond X (for example, salting at .2%) requires 46.6 lbs salt (2 X .833 lbs / 100 gal X 28 hundred gal = 23.3

lbs ).

A 4 ppm dosage in pond X requires 4 X 3.79g / 1000 gal X 2.8 thousand gal = 42.4 g of the treatment substance.

Pond Y has 960 gallons in pond, 150 gal of filtration. Salt and “Dimilin” treatments would be calculated on the full 1110 gal, but

potassium permanganate treatments, harmful to the bioconverter, would be based on just pond volume.

A 2 ppm permanganate treatment requires 7.28 g of permanganate (2 X .379 g / 100 gal X 9.6 hundred gal = 7.28 g)

To achieve a .3% (3 ppt) salt concentration (pond and bioconverter), starting at a salinity of 0%, requires 27.7 lbs salt

(3 X .833 lbs X 11.1 hundred gal = 27.7)

Pond S has 2100 gal in pond, and 600 gal in bioconverter. If starting salinity is .07%, how much additional salt is required to raise salinity to .3% (in entire system)?

MY POND GALLONS MY TOTAL SYSTEM GALLONS

LBS SALT NEEDED TO RAISE MY SALINITY .10% HIGHER

1 gal water = 8.33 lbs240 gallons of water = 2000 pounds = 1 ton 1 mile = 5280 feet = 1.61 kilometers 1 acre = 4356 square feet 1 meter = 100 centimeters = 3.28 feet = 39.4 inches = 1.09 yards 1 micron = 0.000001 meters = .0001 centimeter 1 kilometer = 1000 meters = 0.621 miles 1 gallon / minute = 60 gallons / hour

1 gallon / second = 60 gallons / min = 3600 gallons/hour

1 cu in = 0.00433 gal = .0164 liters = 16.4 ml

1 cu ft = 1728 cu in = 7.48 gal = 28.3 liters

1 English (Imperial gallon) = 1.2 U.S. gallons

LOW LEVEL PP (potassium permanganate) DOSE REGIMEN Noel L. Shaw, KHA koifixer@gmail.com

(not officially endorsed by the AKCA)

RULE NUMBER ONE OF USING POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE IN THE POND:

Always have hydrogen peroxide (one pint per 1000 gallons) or sodium thiosulfate handy to reverse an accidental overdose.

PURPOSE OF LOW LEVEL PP DOSING The theoretical purpose of low level PP dosing is to eliminate (by oxidation) some of the organic soup that is the food source for pathogen-

ic (disease causing) bacteria and parasites, and keep their numbers down to help prevent outbreaks of Aeromonas and other hetero-

trophic (non nitrogen-fixing) bacteria in the spring. This dose will not kill most bacteria (including bioconverter and pathogenic bacteria) or

parasites, but will help eliminate their food source, and thus limit their numbers. Low level PP dosing is safe (see next page) for fish, and

does not require bioconverter bypass.

A Fall pond cleanup (see my “SPRING / FALL POND PREP” handout) with its physical cleanup, major water change, and series of 4 higher

level (2.5 to 4 ppm) PP doses will eliminate much of the initial organic load, help control levels of parasites and excessive heterotrophic

bacteria, and will best prepare your pond for low level PP doses throughout the winter. Two weeks after the “SPRING / FALL POND PREP”

clean up, I begin the low level dosing of .5 to 1 ppm PP weekly.

Low level PP dosing is not an official AKCA / KHA recommendation. If your fish load and organic load is low enough, and you perform fre-

quent voluminous water changes, you may keep DOC’s (not just visible crud) at low enough levels, your koi may have otherwise very

strong immune systems and not be overstressed, and you may not have springtime Aeromonas outbreaks. That is a chance many koi

keepers take – and may lose or have to treat sick fish every spring.

This regimen has worked well for many. You must decide the level of intervention you are comfortable using with your fish.

WHEN TO USE LOW LEVEL PP DOSING

After Fall pond cleanup, until spring water temps regularly exceed 60 dF temperatures.

CALCULATING DOSE

If unsure of how to figure doses, read my separate "BASICS OF POND TREATMENT". Figure the dose for 1 ppm (of anything) in your pond,

just for practice.

3.79 grams (of anything) per 1000 gallons yields 1ppm. Let’s round up to 4 grams for ease of calculation.

In a 4,000 gallon pond, 4g / 1000gal X 4,000gal would require 16 g of PP (or anything else) to achieve 1 ppm.

We want a low level dose of PP between .5 to 1 ppm. So for each .5 ppm treatment dose, we will start off with half of 4 grams per 1,000

gallons. Do the first few dosings when you can check the pond frequently for about a half an hour.

A measuring “teaspoon” holds between 6 and 8 grams of PP (depending on the spoon). So a .5 ppm dose of PP in a 4,000 gallon pond

would be about 1 LEVEL measuring teaspoon. A 1 ppm dose of PP in a 4,000 gallon pond would be about 2 level measuring teaspoons. In

general, use 1 level measuring teaspoon per 2,000 gallons and you’ll be safe.

MODULATING THE DOSE

The dirtier the water (in DOCs, or dissolved organic compounds), the more frequent and/or larger the “cleanup” dose that will be need-

ed. Assuming relatively rapid clearing to tan color (30 minutes or less), I dose weekly with .5 ppm throughout the winter. If you have a

large fish or plant load, even with little or no feeding, you may desire the 1 ppm dose weekly.

Make the first several low level PP doses at .5 ppm so you can see the effect. The water will turn purple / pink, then light tan within about

30 minutes of being circulated. This tan effect may last for a day or two. You will probably notice an improvement in water clarity a few

days after each treatment.

If the purple color lasts longer than 30 minutes, the dose can be lowered, and / or you can treat less frequently. If the purple color lasts

less than 30 minutes, raise the dose a little the next time. Do not use peroxide or thiosulfate to neutralize these low level doses.

LOW LEVEL PP (potassium permanganate) DOSE REGIME Compiled by Noel L Shaw (not officially endorsed by the AKCA)

SAFETY AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS Here are some notes from Dr. Roddy Conrad, PhD chemist:

“PP will kill single cell green water algae even at the low level doses for pond cleaning. I have sometimes used low level PP treatment to gain control of

green water algae, so a trickle tower or shower filter can take hold sooner for green water algae control. I used PP this way the last few days in our gold-

fish pond.

“Low level PP treatment does not kill the short hair algae on my pond walls and bottom when practiced at the pond cleaning dose level. PP does not harm normal pond plants even at the high levels (3 to 4 ppm) used for parasite treatment, but does kill even the desirable wall algae and string algae at those higher dose levels.

“I have no argument with the statement that high (2 to 4 ppm) PP treatments in relatively clean ponds will do harm to koi if done too often. In fact, as I

made the "next to last" series of filter improvements on our outside koi pond, I had to drop the PP routine dose from 2 ppm to 0.5 ppm. Then in the last

series of filtration improvements, I had to eliminate routine PP treatment altogether, since there was no reason to use it with that improved filter system.

“Frequent low level (~0.3 to 0.5 ppm) PP treatments are not observed to harm goldfish, koi, or golden orfes in my ponds, which do not have high end filter

systems, when practiced in my hands.

“Low level PP treatment to clean the water in ponds is only helpful for ponds with filter systems which do not effectively remove the waste products from

ponds. That means about 99.5% of all ponds, and at least 50% of koi ponds, In My Opinion. However, this option should be used only by those ponders who

are willing to learn about all the pitfalls and dangers of the practice, which are numerous as frequently suggested. The needed “knowledge and under-

stand" for PP treatment limits this PP routine pond cleaning option in practice to perhaps a few hundred ponders. That is fine with me, I am not selling

anything, just listing one of many ways ponds can be helped with chemicals. It is not surprising to find a chemist promoting useful chemicals, even when he

is not connected with the manufacture or sale of the chemicals. "Better living through chemistry" or something like that.

“Dangers of regular PP practice to clean water and pond bottoms, which limit the usefulness of the practice to perhaps a few hundred ponders, include:

1. Storing this chemical where children and pets do not have access to it. That is not a problem in my house, but can easily be a problem in a more normal

household.

2. Knowing the volume of the pond by at least a 30% accuracy value. This is not a problem for those who are willing to use either baking soda addition, or

salt additions, or street water meter readings, to determine the pond volume.

3. Knowing how to calculate doses, or willingness to ask those who do know how to calculate doses.

4. Competency in measuring the calculated dose.

5. Willingness to take the time to observe the length of time for the color changes purple to pink to brown after a PP dose.

6. Forethought to have either enough dechlorinator or hydrogen peroxide to reverse a PP overdose if the purple/pink color lasts too long, and the fish start

gasping at the surface for air from burned gills.

7. Understanding the fish are going to swim away from a PP charge, they don't enjoy the purple cloud. So not panicking when that happens.

8. Willingness to put up with the brown color at the end of a PP dose until the mechanical filtration system removes the spent PP. “

“It is simply chemistry, and some folks were wondering how PP gets rid of all the junk, for those brave enough and interested enough to use it to clean up a

pond.

CxHyOz (mulm and Dissolved Organic Carbon) + KMnO4 (our purple cloud magic mirror trick from chemists) ---> (reacts to give) x CO2 (carbon dioxide) +

(z/2)H2O (water from the oxidation of the hydrogen component of the organic molecules in sludge) + MnO2 (spent form of PP, a solid) + K (the potassium

ions are still left that were part of the PP treatment). So the mulm and crud, with the general formula of x amount of carbon, y amount of hydrogen, and z

amount of oxygen, reacts with PP or Potassium permanganate or KMnO4 to produce x amount of carbon dioxide, z amount of water, and manganese diox-

ide solids, which are removed by the pond mechanical filter.

“The carbon dioxide becomes bicarbonate at normal pond pH in the reaction:

CO2 + OH (hydroxyl ions with negative charge) --> HCO3 (bicarbonate ion with negative charge. “

“But the “poop” does go “poof”, I see that, many others see it. I wrote the general chemical equation above to describe why. Namely the crap becomes

carbon dioxide and water in this "chemical fire", just like you see when you burn trash in a fire that is not in the water. It is chemical oxidation, burning

organics to carbon dioxide and water, just like a trash fire, but this fire is under water at the bottom of a pond, carefully controlled, with the fire agent

being PP or potassium permanganate or KMnO4. “