Tour to Japan

Hi guys,

Would any of you be interested in a Tour to Japan or do you know anybody that might be interested. It will take place at the end of October/beginning of November. The tour will specifically cater for the Koi tourist who wants to buy outstanding Koi at the best possible prices. If there is enough interest there will be two tours, one for people who specifically wants to buy Koi and the other tour for those who care less about Koi and want to explore more of the beauty, culture, sights and sounds of Japan. The tours will be flexible and special requests are welcome. There will be a stop-over in Singapore and while you are there an optional tour of the ornamental fish industry will also be available. :smile1:

This is a golden opportunity for the fish lover and especially Koi lovers. The tour leader is a knowledgeable Koi connoisseur and has done many of these tours before. It is always nice to go with somebody who knows the area and has the contacts to show you everything. You will be able to see how things are done in the heart of Koi country by master Koi breeders. If you are not South African and would like to go with, the option is there to meet up along the way.

In order to try and cater for individual needs and tastes the groups are kept small, so if you are interested let me know as soon as possible to ensure your spot on the tour. It promises to be exciting!

 

What are the legalities of buying a Koi in Jpn and bringing it home with you? Something tells me this ain't going to work.

Great idea and concept though.

 

Everything is 100% legal. It is the same as importing any other fish, the only difference is you can go and select your own fish.

Photos are then taken of each of the bigger fish, a price gets negotiated and the tour organiser together with the agents in Japan make sure that you receive the correct fish when you are back home again. Nothing illegal.

 

Ok.. so it get's sent to you... you don't bring it back with you?

 

Correct!

Zoom are you a koi keeper?

How many of you are koi keepers?

 

i am but just started.. ponds pretty merky atm.. but the fish are still there.. its been setup for 2 months now.. im guessing because of the size of the pond it takes longer to balance out?

 

Not at all. I live in a flat... so te only place I "could" keep koi would be in my bath... which the missus would not appreciate.

When my flat grows up to a house I would like to have a nice big Koi pond... something along the lines of what Henk has... except I want a "natural" water fall... not something out of a stainless steel tube.

 

Hi Shihr,

What varieties do you have?

 

im actually very new into koi.. i just bought diff colour ones for now.. u?

one i like alot is one that has big scales?

 

All the details:

http://www.koinet.co.za/jtour/index.htm

Link supplied by AquaS, posted on APSA.

 

Shihr, you will probably find that the one with the big scales only have a few of these big scales while the rest of the body is scaleless. Which colour is it?

Thanks Mattie. Yes the link show the basic idea and plans of the tour, but it is adjustable according to the groups preferences. The dates is also not 100% set yet, but should be finalised within this week. So if anybody is still interested in going pm me or contact the organiser directly.

 

if i rem correctly, it was orange and black.. i havnt really seen them since i put them in.. they come up occasionally but very seldom.. the water is startin to clear as the cycle of the pond is starting to kick in i'll see them soon

which type do u have / like the most?

also how do u tell the diff between a good koi and a bad ? the pet shop guy told me that the colours have to be balanced on both sides?

 

Unfortunately not as simple as that. The first thing you look at is body shape. It should have a nice torpedo shaped body. There should obviously be no deformaties, like deformed fins or mouths etc. Then every variety have specific criteria when you look at colour. The crispness of the edges of the colours are taken in consideration as well as the intensity of the colour. It should have a balanced pattern, but not just on both sides, also the front and back of the fish. There is really so many things that you look at, that this is not a simple question to answer.

I think the one you refer to might be a Shusui.

 

i knew it wasn as simple as that oh well its fine.. they weren that expensive anyways.. they guy told me that they import from israel. weird hey?

 

Israel is actually one of the big Koi suppliers in the world.

Do a Google image search for Shusui.

How big is your pond?

 

ill take some pics soon..im afraid its nt that big.. i live in a complex.. so thats the 'complex' im having!hehe..its abt 1m deep, 2m long, and maybe 1or1.5m wide container pond.. thats why i only hav 5 koi..can i hav more? i got a 100l diy fillter though..i knw over kill bt if i cant offer space, i'll offer beta water quality