Rudy became a dear friend. It was in the early days of Koiphen when I got a call asking about starting a koi pond. It turned out to me a large tank. He had it in his garage but I don't remember how much volume it held. It was in the 1,000s of gallons. We discussed it for several days and I made my recommendations for pump and filter. He bought the supplies from me and set it up.
I suggested he join the Koiphen forum, but he declined. As our friendship grew we spoke a lot on the phone. In those days I worked into the wee hours of the morning and that is the times he would call. I continued to encourage him to join Koiphen and he finally did. Of course he was an immediate hit as I knew he would be.
One of my favorite memories is when he came to the farm for my main pond harvest. Here is a photo of him carrying my Ochiba, Babe from the mud pond to the holding tanks.