A Koi enthusiast from Staffordshire has spent £11,000 on solar panels to power the equipment on his pond!
Steve Pendleton has 60 Japanese Koi, some of which are 25 years old.
He told Tamworth Herald: "The panels will reduce our domestic bills…but the main reason was to keep four water pumps, two air pumps and two UV clarifiers going for 365 days a year to look after our fish."
55-year-old Steve admits that his hobby has become an obsession. He's done a five-year course on fish health and moved 200 tons of earth by hand to build a 27 x 11' pond when the family moved house 10 years ago. During the two years it took him to finish the pond, his beloved Koi lived in a temporary tank.
He's also exhibited his Koi at shows, winning Best in Show a few times, but stopped because he felt it was stressing his fish.
He now runs his own business selling Koi and related equipment and food.
Steve reckons he has already noticed a difference in his energy bills, which will help pay for a trip to Japan with some fellow Koi fans – and a cruise with his wife, Sandra, next year!
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