Welcome to the
Charlotte Koi Club

May 2026

Charlotte Koi Club Meetings — We’re looking forward to our June meeting at Larry Starnes’s home in the Charlotte area. Our meeting will start at 4:00 pm and run about 90 minutes. Please look for an email with the address to this meeting. Based upon the time, we will be offering only water during the meeting. 

• Many thanks to Peter and Wendy Zomick who offered to host the May club meeting. It must have been a busy weekend because we had less than four members RSVP that they could attend. Please ensure you RSVP and if the RSVP is less than eight attendees we will be cancelling the meeting. 
• We currently do not have any hosts designated for club meetings in July, August and September. If you are able to host a meeting the second Saturday of the month, please contact Felicia Santos.

Larry Starnes demonstrating japanese maple pruning October 2025.

Other Koi Related Events

• June 12-13, 2026 is the Atlanta Koi Show – 255 Reformation Pkwy, 255 Reformation Pkwy, Canton, GA 30114
• June 20, 2026 – open house at Happy Koi, Mauldin, SC
• July and August 2026 – everyone appears to be on vacation before at least 6 different koi events around the United States in September. 
• The South Carolina Koi Show will be held in Simpsonville, SC September 25-27

It’s frog season. Frogs visiting your pond can introduce and spread flukes. While flukes naturally live in low numbers, a frog introducing new specimens can cause an overgrowth that damages your koi’s gills and scales. Wild frogs and toads frequently migrate between ponds, transferring parasites on their skin and in their waste into your water. If your fish are flashing (rubbing against the pond liner), gasping at the surface, or showing visible skin lesions, flukes may be to blame. Low levels of flukes are often manageable for healthy koi, but a sudden spike from frog introductions paired with temperature swings can lead to fatal bacterial infections. To eliminate flukes, pond keepers usually treat the water with specialized anti-parasitics containing praziquantel.

Hurricane Preparation – The predictions for 2026 is that it will be a more mild season than usual. However, that means we might still be in the target for a few storms and possible hurricanes this summer and fall.  Make sure you are prepared with a working generator and an aerator for your pond.  If you have advance notice of the storm, reduce your feedings to control the amount of waste produced by koi.  Clean filters in advance.  

Enjoy the last few days (maybe weeks) before the host, humid summer rolls in!

Lori Vertin, President, Charlotte Koi Club

- Lori Vertin