2:Blue Moscow Guppy

3:Yellow Moscow Mosaic

4:Half black, yellow mosaic guppy

5:Yellow guppy

6:Half Black Guppy

(Note: Sample video only.)

4. Spawning – Spawning usually takes 1-3 days after introducing male koi to the female koi. It can take place anytime of the day. But some of it happens around 3 am. Sometimes spawning can be triggered by temperature changes, changes in water conditions, new koi mate or water pressure changes. During this time female will occasionally stop and clean an area where she deposits her eggs. To actually spawn, your female fish will run through the spawning substrate, attracting the attention of the males, who will then follow in close attendance. After a few minutes, the female will release batches of eggs into the substrate and the males will release clouds of milt to fertilize them. When they finish spawning, the females hang their head down and the other fish will become less excited.

Note: Water Conditions: Koi will spawn when the water temperature reaches around 19 degree Celsius and no other pollutants are present in the water.

5. koi Eggs – Remove eggs as soon as they are laid to prevent parent from eating them. Move the eggs to another tank for hatching. This should contain water with approximately the same temperature as the spawning pond and should be oxygenated. It does not need to be filtered. Another option would be to transfer the parent to another tank. Fertilized eggs will hatch within 4-5 days. Koi fry will seek shelter and hide in any cover they find. The spawning ropes are ideal for this.

6. Koi fry Feeding – The fry needs adequate supply of live, natural food in order to survive and grow quickly. Proper growing on pond environment is the surest way to provide good supply of daphnia and infusoria, on which the fry will develop. Avoid artificial food for at least six to eight weeks as it can damage gills and will likely pollute the growing pond.

7. Koi Growing – After one week, you can transfer your fry into much a bigger mud pond. Fry normally reach 3-5 inches in 3 months. Factors which will affect growth rates are – temperature, food supply, volume of fish and variety. If you don’t cull you may end up with a lot more babies, but they will be very much smaller than desired. The growing on environment is also important since baby koi don’t grow well in manmade filtered ponds because of lack of natural food and the pond became easily polluted.

8. koi Culling – This part is what I’m really interested in. To cull successfully you must know the koi variety, good eyesight and body structure. There are also few basic principles that should be followed. For example. Utsuri and showas should produce black fry, and later develop red and whites spots. You should separate fry that are not black. With kohaku/sanke fry tends to be orange or orange and white. Any pure white or black should be culled. The ideal age for culling is 8-10 weeks old before you can see what koi pattern/color you’re looking for. As the fish get larger, cull out any with missing fins, deformities or two heads. You can also cull several times in the season. Culling is important to reduce numbers to ensure that the fish will reach a reasonable size and quality by the end of the season.

Hope you learn from this blog. Thanks for reading and happy koi keeping……

Yesterday, I was feeding my koi’s in their ponds where they usually hold their swimming exhibition and noticed that two of my beautiful female kuhako koi’s moved unusual and some of my male koi’s chased after them. I immediately got my fishnet and checked if they were sick and needed their medicine. When I gently rubbed their belly I noticed that some fluids came out and their genital (papilla) opening were big and swollen. From there I already knew that my koi’s were already ripe and ready to produce egg.

1. Sexing – First you need to determine the female and male koi. Females are more rounded than male. Male fish pectoral fins tend to be larger and more pointed than those females but this is by no means always the case. During the breeding season, male fish can display a rough surface to the gill plates, again however, not always. One way of determining is to net the chosen fish and gently rub the lower abdomen wall with your thumb towards the vent. Male koi will show signs milt from the vent and females will release eggs.

2. Parent Pairing – you can choose any variety you want for as long as the materials are all adult to have a successful spawning. Always remember that male genes tend to be dominant in any pairing. You can also watch video or ask some of koi breeders regarding what kind of koi variety that produce quality koi. Here is a video that shows best pair for koi breeding .Watch this..

3. Koi Spawning – in spawning the male and female koi they should be placed in the ideal pond that has 2x3x1 meter deep and use a spawning net in your main pond, use removable nests so that you can easily transfer and grow-out in a wider pond and remain others with the parent fish. You can also use tank in spawning. Some breeders inject the parent fish with hormones to induce ovulation and then placed into fiber tanks line with nest.

To be continued……

A visit to Davao City should include a trip to the Philippine Eagle Center, or else you’ll miss a chance of seeing the King of Birds. Talking about royalty (allow me to sway a bit), Davao is the King city of the South, and is where the King of Fruits (durian) abundantly grows, and is also home to the Queen of Philippine Flowers (waling-waling). So, you have three kings and one queen! Wow, and you find them all here in this lovely city!

Okay, back to the King of the Birds. A lot, especially those who live outside Mindanao, only know Pag-asa. Why not, since he was the first Philippine eagle bred through artificial insemination in 1992. This was a breakthrough for Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF)who tirelessly researched (and voluntarily gave up their salaries for some months to feed the eagles) for ways to help this national treasure escape extinction.

According to the PEF, there are now only about 400 eagle pairs left in the country. Their numbers are dwindling, putting them in the endangered list of species. It takes five to seven years for a Philippine eagle to sexually mature and those who are already capable of reproducing only lay a single egg in every two years. Thus, the need for artificial insemination and captive breeding. Since Pag-asa, the PEF has successfully hatched 22 captive-bred Philippine eagles.

Being one of the largest eagles in the world, the Philippine Eagle stands up to three feet with a wingspan that can reach to seven meters. It has s long arched beak and is the only blue-eyed raptor in the world. They see eight times the distance thn that of humans. The Philippine eagle finds its home in dipterocarp trees and can be found in the forests of Mindanao, in some parts of Luzon, Samar and Leyte. Like other eagles, the Philippine eagle is monogamous, meaning it keeps only one mate for life (Boys, if the eagle can, why can’t a lot of you do it?!)

Though regarded as king of the Philippine skies, Pag-asa and his kind are still in the danger of exploitation by ruthless people. Deforestation and hunting remain as top factors for the decreasing number of Philippine eagles. When trees are continually taken down, the eagles find no food. They flee to communities with people then they get hunted.

Sadly, even in protected areas like Bukidnon, Philippine eagles get killed. Remember Kagsabua? He was retrieved from the forests of Bukidnon in 2006 and was brought to the Philippine Eagle Center for treatment and rehabilitation. In the eagle sanctuary, Kagsabua was passionately cared for and was even trained to avoid electric posts (so there won’t be a repeat of the Kabayan tragedy). He was released back to his natural habitat in March 2008 but roughly four months after, he was declared dead. Only his tarsi and the transmitters attached to him were seen. The culprit? A local farmer who allegedly thought Kagsabua was “just” an ordinary bird! He said he was hungry, saw the bird perching near his vegetable garden, then shot him with his airgun. Then he cooked Kagsabua into tinola! Gruesome!
A little more than a year after the crime, the case has not yet moved and the suspect is still out of jail. The law says that he’s supposed to pay a million and suffer 12 years in jail. But it seems that due process for Kagsabua is slower than a snail.

The crime done to Kagsabua is a threat not only to Philippine eagles. It is a threat to us as a nation. The Philippine eagle is ours and can only be found in our land. If we do not take care of its posterity, we lose our heritage. Let’s help save these eagles and let them soar freely in our skies. Stop deforestation and ban hunting of wildlife. There’s still a glimmer of hope. Let’s give it to these eagles and the returns will be reaped by more generations!

Growing bonsai is an art. This age-old hobby first appeared in China, contrary to what I thought that it originated from Japan. It was then known as pun-sai when ancient Chinese people during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. – 220 A.D.) grew single specimen trees in pots. Legends point to an emperor who made miniature landscapes of his empire where he can see from his window. He gloried on his masterpiece and threatened anybody who tried to copy his passion.

During the Heian period (794 – 1191A.D.), Buddhist monks brought bonsai to Japan. In its early years there, only rich people grew bonsai. The art almost died away with those who practiced it. Thanks to the Chinese invasion in the 14th century that the love for bonsai was revived.

In the mid-19th century, Japan opened its doors to the world. People who visited the country went home spreading the word about the miniature trees grown in ceramic containers. Global opportunities came when bonsai were exhibited in France, Vienna and London. It was this time that the world fell in love with these small but stunning plants.

Today, there is a growing demand in the bonsai market as more people prefer zen architecture. Putting a bonsai in your living room gives you a refreshing feeling after having a hectic day at work. It is not too hard to find these plants because these are widely sold in flower shops, department stores and even in groceries (check out NCCC Mall and SM City Davao!) Or if you have a green thumb, you can make your own bonsai. You can try asking help from hobbyists and they can give you hands on training.

But have you ever heard of a bonsai forest? Oh yes, there is and you find it here in Mindanao! The bonsai forest is found in Mt. Hamiguitan in San Isidro, Davao Oriental. Here, you’ll find a thousand-hectare of trees growing to only two to three feet tall. The tallest of these trees stand 5 feet! This unique gift from nature is home to various species of wildlife, including the majestic Philippine Eagle. The forest is a protected area but is open for mountain climbers.
If you want to trek, you can check out San Isidro’s website (www.sanisidro.gov.ph) on how you can reach the place and how much you’ll need.

One of the things that stand for Davao is the waling-waling (Vanda Sanderana). This rare orchid, known as the Queen of Philippine Orchids, blooms between July to October. It grows in high altitude but can be bred in urban areas with proper care. Every orchid hobbyist would undoubtedly have some hybrids of waling-waling.

During major festivities in Davao, like the Araw ng Dabaw and Kadayawan, most tourists flock around trade fairs to buy this exotic beauty. Seedlings cost around P25 but you will have to patiently wait for a year before it flowers. If you’re impatient, or maybe give it as a gift, the flowering ones range between P700 to more than P1,000. But you can wake up with a beautiful morning when you see this flower bloom in your garden. Then, you’ll know it’s worth the pay.

Aside from waling-waling, Davao also has other orchid species. Some of these include dancing lady, vandal, dendrobium, Phalaenopsis heiroglyphica, and Trichoglottis. There are plenty of orchid farms in the city where you can get the best price for your pick. One of these is Puentespina Garden which owns the Malagos Garden Resort in Calinan District. You can visit their main office downtown Davao located in Cabaguio Avenue. But if you want to get a cool fresh air, travel to Calinan for about 45 minutes and see more than their orchids. If you go there on weekends, you’ll get to see their bird show. And don’t forget to order their ostrich steak!

Then from the Malagos Garden, go directly to the Philippine Eagle Center, just one kilometer away. There you’ll see wild orchids grow in their natural habitat. Caution: DON’T PICK anything, okay? Or the eagles will pick you alive!

Christmas and New Year are quiet here ever since a ban on pyrotechnics was implemented years ago. Smoking is strictly prohibited in almost all parts of the city. If you get caught, you chew your cigarette in front of the mayor. Despite being a prosperously big city, people can walk and text while walking on the streets without fear of thieves. Davao City is hell for criminals and they risk their lives when they do crazy things here.

Davao has received various awards both domestic and international. These include: Top 20 Most Livable Cities in Asia, Top 25 Best Practices in the Philippines – Project 911, 1st Place in 2004 Cleanest and Greenest Highly-Urbanized City in the Philippines, and 2nd Place in 2001 to 2003, Cleanest and Greenest City in 1999, and Most Child-Friendly City in the Philippines.

Next is the queen of Philippine orchids known as the waling-waling. It blooms best between July to October. Different varieties grow in Mt. Apo but orchid lovers can buy seedlings and flowering waling-waling from shops all over the city. Prices range from P25 (seedlings) to P1,000 (flowering). Under proper care, this wild orchid can survive even in urban areas.

Now comes the king of Philippine mountains – the Mt. Apo. Also called “grandfather of Philippine Mountains,” Mt. Apo stands at 9692 feet and is the tallest in the country. It’s a favorite climbing destination and several trails are available for hiking. Not only is Mt. Apo home to the waling-waling but to hundreds of other endemic species, too. From downtown Davao, early risers get a clear view of its peak that has been the city’s fortress from typhoons.

Then meet the king of Philippine skies – the great Philippine Eagle. Majestic, yet critically endangered, this blue-eyed raptor stands at one-meter tall, with a wingspan of about two meters. In the Philippine Eagle Conservation sanctuary here in Davao, tourists can see these endangered species eye to eye. They won’t just see the national bird but they will learn how to protect these birds and the forests where they live.

Connecting lives through infrastructure
The Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao is the best and busiest in Mindanao. Domestic and foreign flights are available daily with direct flights to Philippine major cities and other Asian destinations.

The city also has two government seaports located in Sasa and Sta. Ana. The Sasa Wharf is an international docking facility, while the Sta. Ana Wharf serves domestic passengers.

Blessed with rich marine life, Davao has its own fish port complex that accommodates both small and large scale fishing. Roads are well paved and its traffic light system is among the best in Asia.

No need to worry about network signals and web connections because major telecommunication and internet service providers operate here. Coffee shops and internet cafés are available 24/7 and shopping malls provide WI-FI access too. Davao is a city where visiting entrepreneurs and executives don’t feel too far from their businesses.
There are Seven major malls here and two more are underway.