![]() Pond Building Pond Filters Pond Plants Related Terms ![]() Koi Ponds Farm Ponds Patio Ponds Gold Fish Ponds Sealing Ponds Ponds for Turtles Richmond Research Lab importing Koi for testing Micro Technologies Inc. has received permission from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to import Koi an ornamental fish for a diagnostics experiment. The Richmond-based diagnostic research laboratory expects to import 80 koi fish from Japan next month. The Main Street laboratory is planning to develop a non-lethal diagnostic test. The test will determine if koi have been infected with the Koi Herpes Virus. Koi herpes virus is deadly and is known to have destroyed many populations. It has the potential to wipe out entire Koi populations if undetected. Koi collectors usually pay around $1 million to $10 million for the fish that is bought from Asia. Earlier the only method to detect Koi Herper Virus was by testing a kidney sample. This commonly used method kills the fish. The lab will first infect the koi with the virus to conduct its experiment. It will eventually incinerate the infected fish. It is illegal to import koi, without a state permit. Presently a dealer is facing criminal charges and was fined for keeping koi in an aquarium in his Freeport restaurant for 15 years. The trial date for Cuong Ly has not been set. Despite this pending criminal matter, the wildlife department granted Ly a permit, provided the Koi fish are not on public display. At that same hearing, Micro Technologies was granted a temporary permit by the state to import koi until January. Micro Technologies was founded in 1996 in Richmond has expanded into aquatic animal health and bioscience research. For several years it has conducted research and surveillance on the anemia virus that infects Atlantic salmon. It now hopes the import of the Koi for the experiment will lead to development of an over-the-counter diagnostic test kit that could be safely used by koi owners, veterinarians or scientists to determine if the fish are infected. Atwell said that earlier this year in Japan, a buyer offered a koi fish owner $1 million for a single fish. Given this back ground it definitely is a lucrative venture for the company.
Maintain the water level in your pond such that they stay in the right limits both in summer and rainy seasons.
Replace pond water in periodical intervals for safety and good health of aquatic life. Clean filter system every so often to keep away clogs and obstructions affecting the water flow. Remove the decayed plants from pond bottom to keep up safety of aquatic lives. Add minimal dechlorinator to lessen chlorination effect in fresh water. Offer proper aeration to the plants to keep up freshness of water, taking care of the aquatic plants with proper fertilizers.
To keep your ponds clean add some helpful bacteria and natural cleaning agents that feed on fish wastes. They help convert ammonia to nitrites further to nitrates that acts as a natural pond filtrating agents. They are absorbed by the aquatic plants to produce oxygen thus forming a nitrogen cycle. This action reduces the phosphorous and organic waste content in pond avoiding algae formation. Pond maintenance may sound to be simple but it requires continuous care to be taken keeping a balance over healthy ecosystems and clean water preventing algae.
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