Visit to Cheshire and District May 2007

Latest Pond Visit with Photo's
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Visit to Cheshire and District May 2007

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Terry and Margaret's Pond
Apart from impressing us all with their lovely garden with goldfish pond and purpose built Koi Pond, Terry won us over with a fine line in bacon and sausage sandwiches. Around 30 Koi were housed in a raised rectangular pond, containing 3000 gallons. The filters were hidden away under decking, and the surroundings were decorated with Japanese ornaments and Bonsai trees. A whole variety of Koi were seen, all of which were more than happy to ‘woof down’ the hand full of pellets Margaret threw in.
Well, it seemed a bit unfair that the NWKS were eating, and the koi weren't! CDKS had arranged a raffle for an Ornamental plate and a bottle of Wine. Lilian won the plate and Allan won the wine. A fantastic start to the day.
Terry and Margaret's Pond.jpg
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Terry and Diane's Pond
Our hosts for the second pond were Terry and Diane Madew. This was a fabulous pond surrounded by Bonsai, shrubs, ceramic koi, Japanese ornaments, and a paved patio area.
The pond was a raised boxed liner type (Rectangular) and contained 3500 gallons. An over head Pergola shielded direct sunlight and decking boards hid the well thought out filter system to the left of the pond, and front face of the pond itself. Unusually for a liner pond, Terry and Diane had incorporated a viewing window into the front face. Seeing the 20 or so koi from under the water gave the pond a whole new dimension. Terry had also installed some underwater lights that must make evening viewing a delight. The waterfall really helped to set the pond off.
The pond had been running for about 18 months, and Terry explained that he would probably have preferred to have installed a bottom drain, rather than his Oase pump fed system. That said, the water quality was good, and the koi seemed very happy and made short work of the slice of wholemeal bread and honey that Diane threw in for them.
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Mick Davies Pond
When we arrived at Mick's garden (sorry, didn't catch his Wife's name) we were struck by evidence of some severe subsidence and collapsed sewers caused by Mining activity over the years. Despite this set back, Mick's enthusiasm for the hobby was obvious, and his pond was very impressive, totalling around 6000 gallons.
Viewing the Koi was made easy by a window at one end of the pond and a Pergola (grass matted roof) over head to prevent glare. The pond was fibre glassed and raised, being square in shape. A bottom drain fed a Clover Leaf Filter system. Mick had an auto-feeder at one corner, and the koi (some from Richdon and Infiltration) happily cruised around eating the pellets whilst we watched. One Koi in particular that caught the eye of several NWKS members was a delightful yellow/white Hariwaki 22".
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Geoff and Elaine’s Pond
Geoff and Elaine’s garden was very impressive, with Gravel paths, slate chippings, Japanese ornaments and Bonsai. However, several NWKS members were heard to say “where’s the pond” as we arrived for our Lunch stop.
The Pond was a 3750 gallon rectangular shaped system, housed within a large purpose built out-building. The raised walls were fibre glassed, and a central heating boiler provided heating through a heat exchanger. Geoff had not installed a Bottom drain, but instead used an ingenious T piece coming off a Mid-water feed. This meant that water could be drawn into the 3 bay filter from the bottom of the pond, or from the surface. The filter contained Japanese matting, Oyster shells and Kiln Brick.
20 or so Koi lived in this impressive pond, along with a sizeable Leather carp.
Geoff also had an impressive Microscope and array of test kits.
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Vic and Diane's Pond
Pond number 5 was an informal shaped, natural looking pond own by Vic and Diane. Although the depth was only around 2’, Vic had grown several koi to 15-20” in length. The Pond featured a waterfall, decking and pergola with ingenious sun blinds extending from 2 sides.
The filter system was housed further down the garden by the side of the decking. Unfortunately, Vic and Diane had lost around 20 koi within the past year. Despite extensive tests, the only explanation seems to be rats contaminating the water with their Urine and faeces. A local Council pest controller managed to clear the problem, and the Koi seem to be happy now. Water clarity was excellent, and the whole pond and garden was very pleasing. The NWKS members were treated to a brief trip to the Portmeirion Pottery where some credit cards got a modest ‘bending’.
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Rob and Nancy’s Pond
Rob and Nancy’s garden was build on quite a slope, but despite this they had achieved a lovely pond and very impressive garden. The pond was preformed circular fibre glass containing around 1600 gallons. Rob had built his filter system using a series of second hand Cold water tanks filled with Japanese matting, Flocur and Kiln brick.

Inside one of Rob’s sheds there was also a quarantine tank, and separate growing on tank, each with its own filter system.

The garden around the pond was beautifully planted with an array of shrubs, flowers and small trees. Rob had bought one or two smallish koi from Infiltration including a lovely showa. However, there were some good size koi in the pond also, including Nancy’s yellow Yamabuki.
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Our last port of call was the Sneyd Arms hotel where NWKS were treated to a superb carvery dinner.
Once again, Thank you Cheshire & District Koi Society

Martin Rocliffe
North Wales Koi Society
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Martin R
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Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2008 10:36 pm

Re: Cheshire and District May 2007

Post by Martin R »

Looking Forward to visits in 2008

Martin
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