[hwong]

The 7th Koi Show organized by the ZNA MALAYSIA KOI FISH CLUB held at the MID-VALLEY EXHIBITION CENTRE on March 29 & 30th 2008 was a resounding success in all aspects from the highly accessible show venue, entertainment and educational value, high quality of show kois etc… The competition had entries from THAILAND, BRUNEI, INDONESIA, & SINGAPORE. In all we had 594 kois in 10 varieties. The quality between the winning kois were so close that the 4 teams of Judges of 12 ZNA qualified judges from Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong & China headed by Chief Judge Mr Nobuyoshi Ozawa(ZNA Certified Judge) took 6 hours to judge!

The Mid Valley Exhibition Center recorded a visitor count of approx 16,000 on Saturday and 18,000 on Sunday!!! We didn’t expect such high numbers. It helped that admission was free of charge. The show outcome had met our objective to promote a wholesome hobby and an educational platform to educate the public about kois.

The Occasion was also used to promote culture and an opportunity to generate funds for worthy causes. A 24 member drum troupe comprising various races from Chiao Nan primary school performed to applause from hundreds of spectators. The event also raised in excess of RM13,000 to the school’s building fund.

This year’s koi show the Grand Champion was won by Mr. Stephen Sim with an excellent Showa over 80BU bred by a small breeder in Niigata. This Showa has an admirable track record in the Malaysia Koi Show circuit since 2005. It won 1st Runner Up in the years 2005 and 2006. This Showa caught the attention of the judges and eventually after some discussions among the judges, was awarded the Grand Champion of the 7th Malaysia Koi Show. In order to maintain a Showa of this size and quality, it is not an easy task. In fact, it is a great achievement being in the koi show circuit for four years and finally winning the Grand Champion Prize.

The 1st Runner Up is a Kohaku over 80BU bred by Matsue Koi Farm. This koi is purchased at slightly under 70cm by Chester Aquino Istamto from Indonesia It has been kept and groomed in Malaysia for about a year prior to the show. The quality has improved gradually and eventually became one the Grand Champion contenders at the koi show. For a koi to grow at such rate, typically the quality will drop. However, she not only improved the quality of the Hi (red) but also the body girth and length tremendously.

The 2nd Runner Up winner Mr. Yang Goh Kang is equally good with the achievement of a Momotaro Sanke from the Mako bloodline that was grown from nissai (two years old) at about 53cm with a pond depth of only 4 feet. His sanke touched 83cm in length at about 5 years old with very broad body and the fish looks like as if it has been grown in a very deep and big koi pond. Most hobbyists may think this feat is not achievable in a pond with only a depth of 4ft and less than 35 tons of water but Mr. Yang has proven them wrong and it is an eye opener for most hobbyists. Mr. Yang claimed that the pond filters must be kept clean and well-maintained with as little fish as possible. With the use of Bakki Shower, it also helps to remove/reduce nitrite and nitrate as well as ammonia. Mr. Yang has been cleaning the bacteria house for the Bakki Shower once every few months with salt water and dried under the sun in order to remove unwanted substances.

This koi show has clearly shown that many hobbyists in Malaysia are capable of grooming their show kois for months if not years before entering for the koi show and yet they can still win major prizes. This is an indication that Malaysian hobbyists do not have to rely on newly imported kois from Japan in order to compete for the Grand Champion title. It is an achievement that we should be proud of as it is clearly shown in the top three prize winners described earlier.

Guess whose Shiro is this? one of our forumer here....

Cheers and enjoy the photos...