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Hello to all subscribers, new subscribers and Koi keepers in general, The Biggest Online Auction of Koi in Africa Edition
Today’s Happy Koi News
1. Saki Hikari is cheap.
At a meeting with an old friend in the Koi industry he pointed out something that we've overlooked. Saki Hikari is not expensive when the Big Picture is taken into account. We're always keen to learn more about our foods so we pulled up a chair and asked 'why?' There are a few points that he made actually. Firstly, you can feed 30% less of Saki Hikari because of the phenomenal absorption/conversion rates. Simply because Saki Hikari delivers a 96% FCR (feed conversion ratio – the ratio of food fed to mass built onto the fish) it competes head on with typical Koi foods that have typical FCRs of 60% or so. We won't even mention some of the real rubbish foods that deliver less than 40%. Secondly Saki Hikari's FCR has been scientifically and independently verified by an actual laboratory. With actual scientists. And real controlled conditions. Thirdly the health of your Koi on Saki Hikari is tip top. Less disease. Fewer parasites. All driven by superior immune system and disease resistance by your healthy Koi. They look so good because they eat so good goes the theory. So you spend less on medications. And you have less stress so you spend less on your own medications. Hmmm. We hadn't thought about that one ourselves. We wonder what would happen if we were to eat Saki Hikari? It actually tastes quite good if we have to be completely honest… Fourthly, it saves you money through the dramatic decrease in load on your filter systems. This is a little more obscure perhaps but is nonetheless relevant in that you will spend less time and less water in cleaning out the much from your filters, simply because with Saki Hikari there isn't any! What happens is that the secret bug contained within the food helps the Koi break the food down into easily manageable raw components which the fish absorbs. The necessary fibre and other bits that are passed through the fish are still worked on, outside of the fish, by these bugs that break the remaining components down, resulting in less visible waste. Again, less stress = less Prozac = more money to spend on top quality Koi fish for your collection!
Speaking of which…
2. Big Koi Auction

Big Koi Auction! Really? When?
Within the next two weeks. We have a lot of work to do in cataloguing the Koi first so please bear with us in this regard. As you will see it's a crazy mad massively big auction… And we're nuts for even considering it but there you go – situation completely normal in that regard. There will be a special Happy Koi News Flash Alert sent out so keep your eyes peeled. This is not something that happens often but of course when it does it's open season for all and sundry Koi keepers out there. In fact we can confidently say that this is the biggest online auction of Koi ever held in Africa. We have been given access to a massive Koi collection that is being sold as a result of an insolvency. It happens in times of recession sadly. So we're going to be auctioning these Koi at no reserve. Be warned. There are some seriously large individuals in the collection which comprises of bloodline Japanese Koi collected over several years. The Koi are certified KHV free – this test has been done by ourselves and we know the collection extremely well. There are a few things that are different about this auction to our normal auctions because this is a liquidation auction. So heads up and please note the rules very carefully. They will be documented online on the auction – if you have any questions you MUST ASK before bidding. For instance we will not be shipping the larger Koi – you will have to collect these yourself (we will bag and box them for you however). The usual charges for shipping will apply. Also note that we will not deliver Koi locally in Gauteng. Koi not collected after 48 hours of the conclusion of the auction will be moved to other premises and you WILL LOSE YOUR money that you paid for the Koi. So please be aware that if
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you bid for a Koi you had better be able to take it and within 48 hours. Or else no crying about it afterwards.
This is a once off opportunity to obtain Japanese Koi at bargain prices. Do not miss out.
3. Happy STAN update

Right. Testing Happy STAN has been a lot of fun and when doing these things you cannot sadly
rush them. We have been testing, trialling and changing things for over a month already and we probably have another month at least to go. The results have been surprising in some aspects, predictable in others and totally wild in others. We'll keep you update in the next issue so stand by. We're very excited so far.
4. Medication overdosing.

It's an obvious thing. But it bears repeating. When medicating your Koi get someone else to
check your calculations. Even if you've done it a hundred times before. Preferably get someone else to check your measurements every time you do it. We don't like the phone calls that go along the lines of "My fish are all dead and all I did was add enough potassium to kill a rhinocerous at five hundred paces. After all I've done it a hundred times before…". Potassium combined with salt is a great medication for general treatments for nasties like Costia and it overdosing can be rapidly cured with the addition of hydrogen peroxide that neutralises potassium quickly and effectively. Potassium however strips oxygen rapidly out of the water when it reacts with organic detritus and other organic matter (your fish are organic matter) in the pond. Overdosing with potassium leads to gill burn and can cause death rapidly if overdone. Remember that all Koi treatments are fatal – and the idea is to dose just short of this point in order to bump off whatever critter is feasting on your Koi. So, when treating your Koi pond, get a second opinion. Always. Treat the pond with your full attention on the task at hand. In other words cell phones off, small children, pet dogs and nagging spouses to be locked away. Happily on occasion treating Koi ponds can take several hours so ensure that the detainees have an adequate oxygen supply and bathroom access. Phone a friend if need be to check your dosages and always follow the instructions to the letter. It also goes without saying that knowing your Koi pond volume is going to be a necessary quant of information that is readily at hand. You should always have a backup plan handy in the event of disaster. Remember Koi can't talk so your only observations are those of fish behaviour that can guide you at to potential problems. The sad harsh reality is that often by the time you notice that things are going wrong, it's far too late to do anything. You need to react instantly if you see things going south – the first thing is to re-check your calculations before having heart palpitations. Once you
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establish that indeed this is a crisis of doomsday proportions you will have an idea as to what the cause is and what to do about it. Being good Koi hobbyists you should have your own quarantine facilities on hand. Whilst undoubtedly small they may suffice to house the Koi on a very temporary basis whilst you rectify the main pond. Make sure that the pond is running and filled with water similar to the pond being treated. And make sure you give yourself the time to check on your Koi every few hours to make sure that things are progressing as they should. The Koi Boys PS. We protect all our member and friends information in accordance with the Data Protection Act. Your email address is not visible to other recipients nor do we pass your information on to any other organisations or companies. You have received this newsletter because you are a valued member, friend, partner or affiliate of Happy Koi. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter please send an email with the word “Unsubscribe” in the subject line and you will
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Source: http://www.happykoi.co.za/resources/docs/articles/115.pdf