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By Graham Quick & Terry White

Common sense

In recent months I have come to realise that common sense should be renamed 'not very common at all sense'. With all the recent problems with KHV, GHV and all the other Koi problems I still get emails saying 'I bought a new fish and put it in my pond and now I have problems'.

If you don't quarantine your fish it is your fault. The fact that the fish you purchased has an infection or parasites is hardly a surprise. It has been shipped from some far away country and been through a wholesaler and a retailer and then to you. Needless to say there is a fair amount of stress involved for the fish and something has to give. The fish are run down, often not fed for a long time and then go into your pond with new fish and new problems to overcome.

How I base my advice

Needless to say many people have asked how many fish they can keep in ponds and when I respond they then question my answer. To put it as plainly as possible:

I am not thinking of you, the pond keeper, I am thinking of the fish's future (even a Sterlet will reach 3ft one day).
Allowing for the fact that there may be a miscalculation in the pond's capacity (see working out your pond volume on the Water Quality page).
Due to 2 above, the filter will be right on the limit of its capacity.
Due to 3, the filter will soon be inadequate when the fish grow.
If you stock at maximum capacity you are asking for trouble. Unless you have a back up system, oxygen or generator, if something goes wrong your fish will die.
People say they are going to build a new pond soon, winter comes and that's all forgotten about.
I am saving you from the possible problems of overstocking.
And lastly if you don't believe me don't ask.

I hope this helps people see the reasoning behind my decision/information. If I wanted to make money out of you I would say twice as many. Then you would have problems and I could sell you cures and potions but I am not like that so I don't.

I am not a 'yes' man. I say what I believe to be the truth, whether you agree or not. Fish come first.

Free advice

While you all know I don't charge for my time and advice via e-mail and phone calls, I find it rather frustrating that having offered my advice it is then thrown in my face with "You don't know what you're talking about, my local retailer said ....". If this was the case why did they contact me in the first place?

Having been in the fish trade for over 30 years (started when I was 8) I have worked with many types of fish, mostly in the ornamental market. I even had a retail shop for 15 years, with 26 staff! I started importing koi from Japan in 1982, long before most people had even heard of them. Over the years I have built up a good knowledge of fish and equipment so I think it would be fair to say that I have more experience than most people to go back on. While my cures may not cost much it does not mean they don't work. If you're looking for a simple remedy then I can properly provide one but if you want a more costly solution, that more than likely will not work, try the local expert.

This had to be said. As much as I enjoy talking about fish (and I do) it is very annoying when most retailers struggle to keep their fish alive, let alone produce and move the numbers that I do, and have the cheek to say I am wrong. It would be quite obvious if you could see my fish compared to theirs!

While I am not perfect and have losses like any farmer, my farm has a clean bill of health (CEFAS) and, as I only buy from fully tested farms (minimum 2 years clean testing) and only use the best food money can buy (you are what you eat), my fish are of the best quality that I can produce.

Many customers who have visited my farm will know that if I don't think a fish is in the best condition or large enough I will not sell it. Likewise, I will not sell fish to people I don't think have the correct conditions or right equipment. What's the point? I am the only one (along with the fish) who loses out. The customer might 'always be right' but generally they're not and rather than find out the problem they blame the supplier.

People copy information/photos from the site without my permission. It hardly takes much effort to contact me. To those out there please do not copy my pages. A link to Sturgeon-web is fine. If anyone sees this please contact me (as some have already done, and thank you for this) and I will get it sorted.

Garden Plants

I am often asked for a good local supplier of garden plants. Try the following:

Birchfield Nursery
Henfield
West Sussex
BN5 9AB
Tel: 01273 494058