Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: 60 degree Rule, Aquatic Plant Care, Autumn Color, Carters Nursery Pond and Patio, Cold Blooded, Cool Season Koi Food, Cool Season Water Treatments, Cool Temp Koi Food, Cooler Weather is Coming, Cooling Down, Fall and Winter Water Garden Care, Fall Color, Fall Gardening, Fall maintenance, Fall Water Garden Maintenance, Fish Food, Food, Great Food, Healthy Koi, I ❤️ My Art, I ❤️ My Pond, I Love ❤️ My Job!, I Love Koi, Koi Food, Koi Health, Koi Health Tips, Koi Supplies, Pond Cleaning Supplies, Pond Supplies, Pond Thermometer, Quality Koi, Rule of 60, Seasonal Koi Feeding Temperatures, Seasonal Water Garden, The Rule of 50, Water garden supplies, Winter Koi care
Fall is in full swing! The sun is setting earlier every day & the temps are falling… And soon, Jack Frost 🥶 will be paying us a visit… The Koi have eaten well this year & have put on a good bit of fat to get them through the Cool Season ahead. Now is the time that many of my clients and fellow Koi enthusiasts start asking a very important question…
– When do I stop feeding regular food and start feeding Cool Season Koi Food?
– My Answer- Remember the rule of 60!
Switching to a Cool Temperature Koi Food is very important for the health of your Koi!
Every Pond should have a floating Pond thermometer. Our finned friends are cold blooded & water temperature is very important when it comes to seasonal feeding times. Pick one up at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN
So to wrap it up, check your water temp (via a floating thermometer) & when your water temp drops to 60 degrees, you should transition to Cool Season Koi Food. That’s the “Rule of 60”… 😉
Viva La’ Fall!
Happy Pondering 🤔
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
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Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Videos, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: #fishyfriday, 50 Degree Rule, Feeding Koi, Fish, Fish Feeding, Fish Food, Fish Health, Fish net, Fish Sale, Happy Koi, Healthy Fish, Healthy Koi, Koi Food, Koi for sale, Koi Health, Koi Nets, Koi Shack, Koi Supplies, Moment of Zen, Monday Morning Moment of Zen, Monday’s, Morning Zen, Pond Fish, Quality Koi, The Rule of 50, Water Temperature, Zen, Zen Video, Zen Waterfall
It’s a bit warmer in the Koi house so they get to start eating a little earlier than Koi who live in an outdoor Pond. I know you all are ready to get back to feeding them again, but it’s not quite warm enough yet… So I though you might enjoy a glimpse of what’s to come 😊
Spring is coming quick! Are you ready?
Who’s ready to enjoy a ‘Moment of Zen’ by their pond again? 😊 | Just Remember the Rule of 50 & be ready, because Spring is Coming!
Have a Zen filled Monday & a GREAT week!
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
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Filed under: Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Aquatic Plants, Big Koi, Bio-filter, Biological Filter, Koi, Koi Age, Koi Health, Koi Pond, pond, Pond Cleaning, pond filtration, Quality Koi, Water Clarity, Water Garden Design, Water Gardens, Water Quality, Water Quality Issues
A great client that has become a good friend recently asked me to help him pick out a few Koi for his new Water Garden. I helped him Design his Pond and Waterfalls last year and we built it in the Fall. Long story short – He LOVES it! He’s spent every spare, dry, bearable moment messing around out there this Winter and can’t wait until Spring when he can really set up housekeeping for the Spring/Summer/Fall season! 🙂 Now. it’s time to get some fish for his new Pond and he’s excited! We looked at quite a few Koi, & We asked each other all kinds of questions as you might imagine, the one he asked me that really touched me was “What happens to my Koi if they outlive me”?…
A domestic Koi, in average conditions can live upwards of 30 years…
He read one of my blogs, in where I mentioned the “Famous Japanese Koi”, ‘Hanako’ that lived to be over 225 years old! He realized they can be long living pets and just wanted to hear what might happen to them. 😊 Pretty neat to think about that. In Japan Koi are prized and in some cases passed down, even willed to family upon the owners death. It’s an honor.
I have been in business long enough that I have actually dealt with this situation more than once. Most of the time the Koi stay with the Pond & the spouse and/or family carries on. But I have seen people move the fish to other Ponds, and even sell or give the fish to other people with Ponds of their own. I myself have taken many Koi in and fostered them until they could be placed in a new home.
Then I reminded him, Koi means Love! And Love will always find a way! 😊 I told told him – “Enjoy your Pond, & enjoy your Koi! They will bring you many years of Interest & enjoyment”. Words to live by…
Happy Pondering 🤔
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Filed under: General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, water garden | Tags: Carter Country, Carters Nursery, Flying Dragon Koi, Healthy Koi, Hump Day Koi Fix, I ❤️ Koi, Koi Fix, Koi for sale, Koi Health, Koi History, Koi info, Koi Shack, Koi Terminology, Kumonryu, Kumonryu Koi, Matsukawa Bakke, Nine Crested Dragon, Quality Koi, Shusui Koi
The Kumonryu Koi –
Kumonryu are Doitsu (scaleless) koi that have patterns of jet black (sumi) against a white background. The fascinating thing is, their sumi patterns are unstable and move and change with the changing of the seasons! Their sumi can even totally disappear leaving a solid white fish… Or flow together creating a solid black Koi. Good News – IF you don’t like the pattern, just wait a while, it will change 😉
Kumonryu means ‘Nine Crested Dragon’. That’s why they are called the ‘Flying Dragoon Koi’.
The Kumonryu legend tells of a dragon (ryu) that transforms into a cloud and races through the sky. One of the many things that makes this a popular, very rare Koi!
Reading about this breed I found out that the Kumonryu was developed by breeding a Shusui with a Matsukawa Bakke.
I hope you enjoy these little tidbits of info about our favorite ‘Finned Friends’ – The Koi
Happy Pondering! 😊
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Filed under: General Blog Entry's, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Cool Season Koi Food, Cool Temp Koi Food, Elite Koi, Ghost Koi, Healthy Koi, I ❤️ Koi, I Love Koi, Koi, Koi History, Koi Terminology, Ogon, Quality Koi
What a perfect day to discuss the scariest of all Koi – The Ghost Koi!
The Ghost koi has gained some popularity in the last few years, but many “Koi people” still do not recognize them as a true koi! – they are refereed to as Ghost carp instead.
The “Ghost Koi” is a product of breeding a mirror carp with a metallic Ogon Koi. For this reason many Koi purists don’t consider them a true “Koi”…
They are very hardy fish and much less susceptible to diseases. They also grow extremely fast! Both of these traits make them a great first Koi!
Ghost Koi don’t have a lot of markings like other Koi so their beauty comes from their shining metallic scales! Their colors can vary from dark to cream to silver and even golden. The head is generally creamy and the body colors will widely vary depending on the parents color.
I guess what I’m saying is, even though they have a scary name, & the fact that it is Halloween – Don’t be wary of the Ghost Koi! They are really pretty cool 🙂
Enjoy your Koi! AND – HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
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Filed under: General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Outdoor Lifestyles, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Doitsu Koi, Elite Koi, Hump Day Koi Fix, I Love Koi, Kiko, Kikokuryu Koi, Koi History, Koi Pond, Koi Ponds, Koi Supplies, Koi Terminology, Premium Koi, Quality Koi
The Kikokuryu Koi is a scaleless koi (doitsu), with a white base color with black markings along the single row of scales down it’s back. The black markings are also on the head, prominently around the eyes and nose of the Koi.
The Kikokuryu is a metallic black and white Koi developed from crossing Kumonryu and Doitsu platinum Ogon.
Commonly called ‘Kiko’s’, the colors of a young Kikokuryu can range from black and white with blue and silver mixed in too. But the colors tend to darken with age and even in the cooler water in Fall & Winter. This changing, maturing color is a trait they got from their Kumonryu cousins.
A very interesting, beautiful Koi, the Kikokuryu is a favorite of mine as well as many others in the hobby.
Thanks to all! and,
~ Happy Pondering!
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, TN 38305
Ph# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
Filed under: General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Videos, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Big Koi, Butterfly Koi, Chagoi, Fish, Fish stocking rates, Goi, Hump Day Koi Fix, I Love Koi, Koi, Koi Fix, Koi for sale, Koi Health, Koi History, Koi Pond, Pond Fish, Quality Koi, Water Garden, Yard Ponds
There aren’t many things as relaxing to me as watching my Koi swim 😊 Believe me, it will completely mellow you out… I need my “Koi Fix” daily, it makes life so much nicer. Check out this short video and you’ll see what I mean.
Enjoy your Koi!
Happy Pondering 😊
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, TN 38305
Ph# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
Filed under: General Blog Entry's, Koi, Koi Ponds, water garden | Tags: Asagi Koi, Doitsu Koi, Elite Koi, Hump Day Koi Fix, Koi, Koi Fix, Koi Health, Koi History, Koi Terminology, Quality Koi, Shusui Koi
Lets talk about a variation of the Koi we looked at last week. Last week we talked about the Asagi Koi. Today lets talk about the Shusui Koi – Shusui are the scaleless (Doitsu) version of the Asagi.
In Japanese Shusui means “Autumn Water”. Shusui are the scaleless version of an Asagi.
At first sight, you might say they have little in common with the Asagi Koi. The normal blue net pattern is replaced by a row of scales along the dorsal line (top of the back). But the Shusui is actually bred by crossing an Asagi with a German mirror carp. This was first done in 1910 by Yoshigoro Akiyama, resulting in the Shusui – the very first Doitsu scaled Koi variation!
Like the Asagi, the belly, gill plates, side and fins of the Shusui should have an orange or red pattern – Preferably red.
I hope this little “Koi Fix” satisfies you a bit and helps you get through the week 😊
Happy Pondering!
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
Filed under: General Blog Entry's, Koi, Koi Ponds, Outdoor Lifestyles, water garden | Tags: Asagi Koi, Big Koi, Elite Koi, Hump Day Koi Fix, I Love Koi, Koi, Koi Fix, Koi History, Koi Ponds, Koi Terminology, Pond Fish, Quality Koi
Today I want to talk about one of the oldest breeds of Koi – the Asagi
Asagi is one of the oldest breeds of Koi and is said to be the forerunner of all modern Koi breeds.
Asagi are a scaled, non-metallic Koi that aren’t as flashy as the modern tri-colored varieties of Koi, but are still a very elegant fish of importance in the Koi world. Their history goes back over 160 years and you almost always see an Asagi Koi in a Koi Pond wherever you go. They are gentle and friendly and can get rather large (30+” in length). Their Blue net like pattern is complimented by orange or red on the belly, fins, Gill plates & body. Show quality Asagi have a red pattern that doesn’t extend above the lateral line.
If you have a Koi Pond, there’s a good chance you have an Asagi in your collection of fish 😊
Enjoy your day! Enjoy your Koi! And…
Happy Pondering! 😊
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
Filed under: General Blog Entry's, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, water garden | Tags: Autumn Leaves Falling on Water, Chagoi, Hump Day Koi Fix, I Love Koi, Kohaku Koi, Koi, Koi Fix, Koi Health, Koi History, Koi Ponds, Koi Shack, Koi Terminology, Ochiba Shigure, Quality Koi, Soragoi
It’s Hump Day again, and I have a beautiful variety of Koi to look at today – The ‘Ochiba Shigure’ Koi! These Koi are commonly referred to as simply Ochiba’. These beautiful Koi combine the brown/bronze colors of the Chagoi, the silver/grey color of the Soragoi and in many cases, a Kohaku type pattern. The Ochiba Koi were originally bred as a combination of Chagoi and Kohaku.
Ochiba Koi are closely related to their wild carp ancestors. They are generally very calm and friendly and will quickly learn to eat from your hand! 🙂
The Japanese term for these Koi ‘Ochiba Shigure’ translates to “Autumn Leaves on Water”. In many peoples opinion they are one of the most beautiful varieties of Koi. They will grow fairly large (30″+) so make sure your pond can handle a Koi of this size.
Variations of Ochiba include Gin Rin Ochiba and Doitsu Ochiba.
Gin Rin Ochiba Shigure are a beautiful variation of these Koi.
We are over the HUMP folks! Enjoy the rest of your week! AND enjoy your KOI!
Happy Pondering!
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
Carter's Water Garden 