The British Koi-Keepers Society     

Subtitle

BKKS Recommended Speakers


The speakers below are recommended by the BKKS as being able to give interesting talks at club meetings subject to their other personal commitments
To enquire about availability and arrange a talk with any of the speakers below please complete the contact form* and your request will be forwarded as appropriate.                                  * if you are interested in more than one speaker please submit a separate form for each

 
 

Name:


Subjects:






Bio:

Mark Davies


The history of Cuttlebrook Koi Farm and how he and Lisa built it

Breeding koi

Koi diseases

Koi genealogy

Filtration


Mark attended Sparsholt College from 1983 to 1985 where he studied fish farming, water chemistry, geology, fish farm construction techniques, fish health and disease diagnosis.  During his time at Sparsholt he worked on several fish farms in the UK and also on carp farms in France and Hungary.


When Mark set up Cuttlebrook Koi Farm it had ponds but no electricity, mains water or sewage facilities.  By dogged persistence and support from his wife, Lisa, he has turned it into the successful koi farm that it is today.


(Mark is only available between November and March)
 

Name:


Subjects:




Bio:

Dean Dimarco


Koi nutrition and feeding

Koi pond filtration

Pond treatments – water chemistry or health


Dean has been keeping koi for fifteen years as a hobbyist and been involved in the industry professionally for eight years, working for Hikari and, more recently, as UK Sales Manager for Evolution Aqua.  He now heads a new Aquatics Company, Aqua Source Products Ltd, supplying dry goods to the aquatic trade.

Dean has been giving talks to koi clubs for the past seven years, with the main topic being Koi Nutrition, which is his specialist subject.  His talks are done with his hobbyist hat on, and with much humour!  He is widely respected in the trade for his extensive knowledge on all aspects of feeding koi.  He is also happy talking about other subjects, such as filtration and pond treatments etc. 

Dean is only available during the week Monday to Thursday evenings and preferably for bookings North of London.
 

Name:


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Bio:

Duncan Griffiths


Parasites life cycles and treatments.

Koi internal anatomy - how the various organs function.

Koi physiology and health related issues.


Duncan wrote “Advanced Koi Diagnosis and Treatments” which is a highly recommended addition to the library of any hobbyist who is interested in koi health.  He also started the Koi Quest forum where he has gained a reputation for passing on his accumulated knowledge on koi health and giving reliable and comprehensive advice to hobbyists whose koi have health issues.  He now teaches an advanced koi health course for the on-line teaching organisation Koi Organisation International.
 

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Bio:

Maxine Grundy


Important aspects in rehoming koi.

Individual case studies.


When Maxine and her husband James first began keeping koi they were occasionally asked if they would like some unwanted koi.  Unwilling to allow them to go to an unsuitable home she accepted all offers and Three Counties Koi & Pond Fish Rescue just grew from there.  All koi rehomed by Maxine are fully quarantined and treated, if necessary, before they are moved to new homes.  Maxine offers pond health services including microscopic diagnosis, water testing and advice on pond medications.
 

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Bio:

Syd Mitchell


Pond construction and filtration equipment design.

How the choice of equipment affects water quality.

Water quality and testing.

Koi physiology, health, diseases and treatments.

Water samples also taken away after talks, analysed and a full report and advice sent back.


Over thirty years designing and installing filtration and water quality control equipment for the leisure industry followed by studying koi physiology and health since 2006 has given Syd a lot to talk about.  He has both OATA Advanced Diplomas.  Hanna Instruments asked him to specify the koi kit for their new electronic tester and write the koi keeping booklet that accompanies it.  He has written over 100 magazine articles and, consequently, was recruited by the on-line teaching organisation Koi Organisation International to teach courses in Water Quality and Advanced Filtration and to write new courses plus technical papers and books for their website store.  


Syd is available for all day seminars or weekend and evening club presentations.

 

Name:


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Bio:

Nicholas Stinton (CEFAS)


Cefas and the control of serious notifiable diseases

KHV (the facts!)

Aquatic Animal Diseases


The Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) is the official service for the control of serious diseases in aquatic animals in England and Wales.  We act on behalf of Defra and the Welsh Government and are based at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas).  We are responsible for preventing the introduction and spread of serious diseases in fish, shellfish and crustacea.

We aim to send the inspector responsible for the area the club is in so they have the most relevant person delivering talks.  We don’t charge and just try to arrange evening talks alongside an inspector’s regular work in the area.  It is difficult to give these talks at weekends as we have limited resources.  Please make bookings early to allow us time to schedule them along with our normal work in that area.

Nicholas is available weekday evenings only and plenty of notice is required
 

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Bio:

Chrissie Leigh Walker


Repotting and root pruning (February, March and April)

Root over rock planting and forest planting (February, March and April)

Pruning and wiring bonsai (May through to October)

Landscape planting (October through to April)


Chrissie runs Bushukan bonsai nursery with her husband Joe and is one of the few professional women in the UK bonsai scene.  She loves talking about bonsai and is always pleased to show visitors around her nursery and talk about her trees and her life with Bonsai.

She also gives talks to koi clubs showing samples of bonsai, with practical demonstrations of procedures accompanied by talking about what can be achieved with a little help and advice.
 

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Bio:

Dr David Pool


Koi feeding - and how it impacts health, water quality and colouration.

What is wrong with my Koi?


David has been involved in fish-keeping for over 45 years and turned a hobby into a career.  He studied Zoology at the University of Liverpool, specialising in Freshwater Fisheries Biology, then three years studying for a PhD on diseases of carp and other freshwater fish.  David spent 25 years working for Tetra, initially running their Information Centre then marketing before becoming the UK Managing Director for 10 years.

Author of three books plus over 250 articles on koi and fishkeeping and has promoted fishkeeping on radio, television and in talks throughout the world.  David is Chairman of the AQUA trade show and a Director of OATA.

In 2013 he founded FishScience which develops and distributes aquarium, pond and koi foods, based on natural ingredients.
 
 

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