Koi Keeping & koi fish keeping | Garden Fish Pond Keeper Vs Professional Koi Pond Keeper

Many Successful Koi Professionals Started Out As Avid Garden Pond Keepers

What exactly is it that differentiates the average garden pond keeper from the professional koi pond keeper whose knowledge and skill in rearing and breeding these magnificent fish is much sought after.

There are several differences in my opinion. I suppose to an extent Koi professionals are at the front end of everything that is related to koi fish keeping, koi breeding and development of professional koi keeping standards.

They have spent years of dedication, time, effort and money in learning what they have achieved. Many have written Koi keeping books, magazines and had their findings published on the internet. When it comes to knowing how to keep a koi pond clean and how to keep koi healthy these professionals know their stuff.

This said I don't think that being a hobbyist pond keeper is a bad thing; after all I am one myself ...

Class 1 - The professional Koi keepers. People like Peter Waddington and Nigel Caddock who are extremely passionate and enthusiastic about koi fish keeping. These people are at the front end of almost anything to do with Koi carp including koi spawning behavior and breeding koi. They study and develop theories and systems to assist in the development of the hobby as a whole. They bend over backwards to help others to learn the secrets and knowledge that they have acquired over the years. They author books, manuals, articles and magazines on the subject of koi pond keeping and avoiding fish pond water problems. When it comes to keeping Koi healthy in their large koi ponds Peter and Nigel are willing to spend large amounts of money on an ongoing basis on their prized koi collections. When it comes to biological pond filtration systems money is no object to professional koi pond keepers and they would use industry leading models such as Aquadyne Bead Filters, Aqua Ultima II Bead Filters and GC Tek AquaBead Koi Filters...
Class 2 - Large Show Prize Winners - Somewhat down the scale are the the large show prize winners. Those individuals who are financially able to buy prize winning Koi and benefit from the joys of entering them in competitions and perhaps even winning. When it comes to keeping koi in a pond these koi fish enthusiasts will spend an absolute fortune on their passion along with all the requirements needed to have the best koi pond, including the best koi pond filtration systems and other expensive and powerful pond keeping equipment. They also believe in buying the best koi fish food available from leading manufacturers such as Saki-Hikari and Nishikoi.
Class 3 - The Avid Koi Keeper - The avid koi keeper who sees keeping koi as an entertaining interesting and challenging hobby on which a fair amount of money can be spent. This koi keeper type would enter important koi shows, perhaps win some of the lesser prizes quite often and rightly pride him/herself on the efforts and rewards of the hobby. This person would almost certainly share ideas through club or association membership. They probably subscribe to koi specific magazines. The person would have a keen interest in water quality and all its aspects and when it comes to pond keeping equipment and biofilters for koi ponds, they will try to get the best they can afford.
Class 4 - The Koi Keeper Who Keeps Koi For Pleasure - This koi keeper believes in keeping koi in a pond for pleasure not reward. The person is motivated by wanting to see how the smaller koi grow in the pond environment by maintaining the best water conditions for koi by installing the best koi pond filter system that they can afford. This person whilst not an expert will have a good understanding of pond fish health problems and how to avoid them as much as possible. This person is probably someone who may turn out to be a class 3 member one day and then class 2 and then maybe even a class 1 Koi keeper.
Class 5 - Your Average Pond Keeper - The average garden pond keeper; people like you and me who strive for a perfectly healthy, crystal clear pond with healthy fish and without fish pond water problems. The species of fish kept does not have to be a prize winning Koi. In fact the type of fish does not really matter at all; goldfish, koi, Rudd, golden orfe are all acceptable. People like us are characterized by wanting to learn more on a continuing basis in order to make our garden fish ponds develop and grow. It is a bit of a part time hobby that brings us some joy.

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