BRAM ROHAAN
Water testing at Marudo Koi Farm
Bram Rohaan spent his summer analyzing the water quality of the mud ponds and koi houses at Marudo Koi Farm
About the author:
Bram Rohaan is 21 years old and a fourth-year BSc student in Animal Husbandry and Animal Health care at HAS Den Bosch University of Applied Sciences in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands. In his third year he had the opportunity to do three months of work experience at Marudo Koi Farm, Japan.
Where can you learn more about koi than in the land of the rising sun? This is a story about my experiences in Japan at the end of the summer, 2008.
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In my third year at university I had the opportunity to complete a three-month practical training period abroad. In the spring of 2008 I met Hisashi Hirasawa, also known as Marudo, at the 7th Dutch National Koi & Pond Days. I am still thankful to Rob de Vos from Ornafish International who helped me with his knowledge of koi breeders and as an interpreter between Hisashi-san and me. The first time I met Mr Hirasawa he said I was welcome to work at his koi farm, providing he first spoke with his wife about it. On the next day of the koi show he gave me a positive answer – “yes” – and I was going to Japan for three months!
hen your passion is koi and you have the opportunity to go to work at a Japanese koi farm, what do you do?
in at the deep end! During my stay at Marudo I was heavily
involved in research into the water quality of different mud ponds and koi houses. I analysed the chemical composition of the water for six weeks, from the end of August until the beginning of October.
Every week I took a sample from each pond and tested it for parameters such as temperature, pH, TDS (total dissolved
solids), NH3 (ammonia), NO2 (nitrite), NO3 (nitrate), KH (alkalinity or carbonate hardness) and GH (hardness or general hardness). Temperature, pH and TDS were measured with a portable electronic meter; the other parameters were tested by titration.
There were four mud ponds all situated in different areas, as well as a number of concrete ponds and koi houses. The mud ponds are part of mud pond complexes in the region around Ojiya and Nagaoka. In these ponds tosai were grown, which were born around mid June.
The first time I met Mr Hirasawa he said I was welcome to work at his koi farm
AUGUST 2010 25
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