Now I admit to being a Limey,and therefore haven't been exposed to these Aquascape,AES,Hybrid, or whatever ponds but that doesn't mean I haven't seen some rubbish koi environments in my time,I've even owned some over the learning years.I've also seen a few crackers too.
What surprises me here is the ferocity of the attacks on Mr.Russel especially in the land of the free and the home of the brave,the very home of capitalism.That's where the rule of caveat emptor (buyer beware) rules,yes? As a buyer, you buy what you want.If you then find out what you bought wasn't what you wanted then it's you that made the error.
I'm willing to bet that a huge majority of us made serious pond planning errors in our past and learned from our mistakes.I'm also willing to bet that a huge majority of eventual "proper" koi pond owners will do exactly the same in the future.It's human nature.
That education at the point of sale will make a huge difference to this situation is something that I agree on, but it seems that is exactly what Mr.Russell is setting out to do from his posts here.Whether he manages to affect the majority of pond buyers is another matter entirely,dependant on the customer actually wanting to learn.That is a situation that is far from guaranteed in my view.How many purchasers will buy a nice water garden and then add a few of those nice brightly coloured little fish from the fish store down the road and consequently end up with an unsuitable environment for their koi in ensuing years? It's the way I started keeping koi and it's the way a huge proportion of other koi keepers started.It will continue to happen all the time that vendors will let koi be purchased for unsuitable ponds.
It seems that Mr.Russell is learning and is willing to admit that he is learning.An underestimated trait it appears.I don't think that he can be held to account for koi ending up in the wrong pond.The blame must lay equally with the fish vendors and the fish keepers.
As serious koi keepers we have all learned one way or another how best to keep our pets and rightly hold strong views on how others should best keep them.The only way to improve the lot of koi all over the world is by sharing enlightenment and education,not by taking cheap shots at individual establishments or people especially when they are showing signs of improvement.
Some years ago the Japanese would not allow a single decent koi out of the country to be "ruined" in a foreign pond.They would only export the culls.This situation has now changed thanks to the efforts of people like Peter Waddington to educate the great unwashed in the finer points of not killing a high grade fish in an unsuitable recepticle.Progress has been made.Long may it continue.But don't expect it to happen over night.
Take Mr.Russell up on his invitation to learn from each other and maybe the world will be a nicer place to be a koi tomorrow.
End of rant.
