"The Physiology of Water Quality for Koi"

Course Syllabus

Outline:

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Water

1.1 Water Sources

1.2 Free Chlorine and Chloramine

1.3 Moving Water

1.4 What This Means for Koi

2.0 Water Quality: Testing

2.1 What Tests are Needed

2.2 Must Have Tests

2.3 Recommended Tests

2.4 What This Means for Koi

2.5 Comments About Water Temperature

3.0 Water Quality: Gases

3.1 Understanding Oxygen in Water

3.2 What Aeration Does

3.3 What About the Use of Pure Oxygen?

3.4 Supersaturation

3.5 What This Means for Koi

4.0 Respiratory Pump and Gill Structure

4.1 Gross Anatomy of Gill Structure

4.2 Lamellar Anatomy

4.3 Non-respiratory Shunt

4.5 Gill Dissection

4.6 What This Means for Koi

5.0 Osmoregulation: Gill Function

5.1 Basic Problem

5.2 The Gill's Role in Osmoregulation in Freshwater Fish

5.3 The Gill's Role in Osmoregulation in Saltwater Fish

5.4 Drinking in Saltwater Fish

5.5 What This Means for Koi

6.0 Water Quality: Buffering

6.1 It Is All About the Carbon Cycle

6.2 What is Buffering?

6.3 pH Management

6.4 What This Means for Koi

7.0 Watr Quality: Ammonia

7.1 Ammonia Toxicity

7.2 Nitrification

7.3 What This Means for Koi

8.0 Biofiltration: An Introduction

8.1 Encouraging Nitrification

8.2 Trickle Filter

8.3 Submerged Media

8.4 Further Considerations

8.5 What This Means for Koi

Appendix: Trace Metals Dangerous to Koi

Glossary:

Assignments and Tests:

The course text is a CD containing 8 "chapters" developed by Richard Strange, Ph.D. which will be mailed to you. The material will be covered in four (4) weeks. Every week, you will need to master the material in two chapters and email the written assignment at the end of each chapter.  An open book final exam will be sent by email.

How and When to Contact the Instructor:

In general the course will be conducted on a K.O.I. forum where students can post questions. Most correspondence between the student and instructor will be shared on the Forum. This is a virtual classroom environment and this is how information is exchanged.

Questions can be emailed to the instructor. If a student requests that certain information be kept confidential, then it will be re-phrased and presented it to the class, if pertinent, but will respect the anonymity of the student.

Completion requirements:

To complete the course, the final exam must be emailed to the instructor by the specified date. If additional time is desired, you must arrange this with the instructor.

Date for Completion:

Date specified by the instructor.

Grading Policy:

This course will be graded on a "pass/try again" basis. 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. It is expected that everyone will master the material and get a certificate of completion for continuing education.

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.