Transporting Koi Syllabus

Outline:

INTRODUCTION

1.0 STRESS

1.1 Physiological Response to Stress

1.2 Ammonia Stress

1.3 Transport Water Composition Changes and Stress

1.4 Controlling Variations in Water Parameters

1.5 Delayed Mortality Syndrome (DMS)

1.6 Other Indications of Stress in Koi

1.7 General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

1.8 Parallels with Human Health

2.0 STRESS RESEARCH DONE FOR THIS PAPER

3.0 PREPARATION FOR TRANSPORT

3.1 Attention to Stressors

3.2 Fasting

3.3 Holding Tank Considerations

3.4 Holding Tank

3.5 Attention to Slime Coat

3.6 ULTIMATE® and Gills

4.0 TRANSPORT CONSIDERATIONS

4.1 Minimizing Stress While Catching Koi

4.2 Quick and Efficient Transport

4.3 Organizing to Transport Koi

4.4 Bag/Transport Tank Water

4.5 Un-bagging Koi

4.6 The Recovery and Quarantine Tank

4.7 Transport Injuries

5.0 TRANSPORT ADDITIVES

5.1 Detoxification of Ammonia

5.2 Detoxification of Chlorine and Chloramines

5.3 Slime Coat Enhancement

5.4 Treatment of Osmotic Stress

5.5 Detoxification of Heavy Metals

5.6 Disinfecting the Water

5.7 Buffering the Water

5.8 Increasing Oxygen

5.9 Sedation

5.10 Darkness

5.11 Additive Conclusions & Recommendations

6.0 EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES

6.1 Equipment and Supply List

6.2 Seine net

6.3 Pole Net

6.4 Koi Bowl

6.5 Koi Bags

6.6 Rubber bands

6.7 Ice Packs

6.8 Containers

6.9 Oxygen

6.10 Emergency Kit

6.11 An Alternative – Live Haul Tanks

7.0 SUMMARY – 50 Things You Should Know about Transporting Koi

7.1 Stress and Koi

7.2 Preparation to Transport

7.3 Netting and Bowling Koi

7.4 Shipping Bags

7.5 Shipping Containers

7.6 Un-bagging Koi

7.7 Recovery and Quarantine after Transport

Assignments and Tests:

The course text is a paper entitled Transporting Koi, by Austin, Janice, Pattist and Rice. There will be assignments as follows:

• Stress - pages 5 - 11: Assignment 1
• Stress Research for this paper - pages 11 - 14: Assignment 2
• Preparation for transport - pages 14 - 18: Assignment 3
• Transport considerations - pages 18 - 28: Assignment 4
• Transport additives - pages 28 - 34: Assignment 5
• Equipment and Supplies - pages 34 - 43: Assignment 6

This is a self-paced course.  There will be an exam at the end of each assignment.  The exams can be taken at any time, but all must be completed within the 12 months allowed for the course.  Email a request for the exam at any time to Ken Austin at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and it will be sent to you.

How and When to Contact the Instructor:

In general the course will be conducted by reading the material supplied and question and answers by way of emails and/or phone calls.  Being a Koi Keeper means that you ask a lot of questions and get asked a lot of questions.  The questions and answers allow everyone involved to learn.  Please, email Ken at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your questions and/or comments.  If a student requests that certain information be kept confidential, then that information may be re-phrased to present to the others taking the class, if it is pertinent, but anonymity to the student will be preserved.

Completion requirements:

Have some fun with this.  Learning about Koi health can be challenging, so the instructor encourages each student to both learn and enjoy the course.  Everyone that works hard is expected to complete the course.  To complete this course, students must provide satisfactory answers on all exams within 12 months of the first instructor contact.

Assignments and tests:

The reading material for this course is a research paper, entitled Transporting Koi.

There will be six assignments, as follows:

• Stress - pages 5 – 11: Assignment 1
• Stress Research for this paper - pages 11 – 14: Assignment 2
• Preparation for transport - pages 14 – 18: Assignment 3
• Transport considerations - pages 18 – 28: Assignment 4
• Transport additives - pages 28 – 34: Assignment 5
• Equipment and Supplies - pages 34 – 43: Assignment 6

Grading Policy:

Students will be given every reasonable opportunity to understand the answers to the exam questions. Students will be prompted for a more complete answer if their first attempt is insufficient. A score of 100% will be required to pass this course.

Ethics and Rules that Apply to this Course:

The K.O.I. policy in regards to the student code of conduct is clear. Cheating will not be tolerated. Students will be failed if they cheat. For those seeking certification, cheating or serious legal violations (relative to the activities with K.O.I.) will be grounds for non-certification or decertification.