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FAQs About Koi Kept in Aquariums

Related Articles: Goldfish, Goldfish Varieties, Goldfish Systems, Goldfish Disease,

Transferring fish... Koi, goldfish... in a 55? 6/25/08
Hi!
I recently purchased a 55 gallon aquarium (last Sunday)
The Goal is to put 2 Koi and 2 black moors which are housed in a 20 gallon tank into the new 55 gallon tank. I have put 2 gallons of water from an established 10 gallon tank.
<Water contains almost no filter bacteria, so adding water from one tank to another doesn't do ANYTHING to speed up maturation.>
5 gallons from the 20 gallon tank added cycle brand live bacteria as recommended. I also took the old filter from 20 gallon tank and cut off pieces of it and threw them into the 55 gallon.
<The good news is that "old" filter media will instantly mature a new aquarium (if used in sufficient quantity). By contrast, potions like 'Cycle' tend to be a bit hit-and-miss in efficacy.>
The 55 gallon has been running since Sunday.
<If you have matured the aquarium with filter media, remember: those bacteria can starve. ALWAYS add sufficient ammonia or fish food to keep them happy. A couple of pinches of flake work great. As the flake decays, it produces ammonia, and that feeds the bacteria.>
My question is this...
How long should I wait before adding the fish?
<Don't. Add fish right now. The old filter media will have matured the new filter, assuming the water chemistry is similar between the systems. You can take 50% of the media from a mature filter and put into a new filter. The old filter will carry on working fine, and it will mature any new media put into it. The new filter with the old media (confusing, I know) is effectively a mature filter now! This is called "cloning" a filter, because what you're doing is splitting one mature filter into two mature filters. It is BY FAR the safest and quickest way to mature an aquarium.>
The pet store told me to get a few tiger barbs to help with cycling but I don't want any more fish!! lol
<Rubbish advice.>
I am extremely attached to these 4 fish and don't want to harm them in any way. I am afraid to move them to their new home too soon. Any advice you could give me would be very appreciated.
<Do an ammonia test. Even with flake adding to the water, you shouldn't detect any ammonia 24 hours later. This is because the bacteria hitch-hiked from the old aquarium into the new aquarium on the filter media you moved into the new filter.>
Oh, also the tank came with a whisper 60 filter (hangs on the tank)
I was thinking to be on the safe side to add another whisper 20 on the other side?
Thanks
Oh by the way, I didn't add any used gravel because I went with a different color in the 55
<Do remember fish can't stand brightly coloured gravel. If you want happy fish, especially goldfish, choose fine gravel or even better smooth silica (silver) sand. Don't use too much or they'll make a mess, and you won't be using live plants so a big depth of substrate isn't important. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: transferring fish – 06/26/08
Thanks for the information. (I feel really stupid now...lol)
When I did the filter I was unaware that I was supposed to take the inside (charcoal) out of the old filter.
<You don't have to. Old charcoal is simply biological media by another name; it no longer removes dissolved organics. Carbon only removes organics (the yellow stuff in the water) for about 2-4 weeks from brand new. Unless you're replacing it every 2-4 weeks, it isn't doing anything other than supporting biological filtration. Hence my usual advice to freshwater aquarists to skip the stuff entirely in favour of high performance biological media such as quality ceramic noodles or sponges.>
I just cut off the dirty cloth stuff and threw it into the new filter (duh! My Bad!)
<The sponge in the old filter is precisely what you want; the think cotton cloth stuff is likely the pre-filter, and of no particular value or harm. It is meant to replaced every month or two, the idea being it catches solid waste (e.g., dead plant fragments) leaving the biological/chemical media free to react with the water.>
Problem is that now the old filter was thrown away and new one put in the 20 gallon tank on Sunday.
What should I do now?
<Not sure what you're asking. If you've put sponge, ceramic noodles, or even "old" carbon from the old filter in the new filter, then the new filter will almost certainly be biologically active. If you have done none of the above, and only used aquarium water or a bit of gravel from the old tank to "seed" the new filter with bacteria, you actually haven't done any such thing, and the tank will need (at least some) cycling. In any event, you ammonia or nitrite test kit will help here: if you detect either, then you have a filter than needs cycling. If you have zero ammonia/nitrite, then everything is fine. Test kits beat theory! Cheers, Neale.>

Bent tail, Koi in tank, using WWM 4/16/08
I have 2 Koi in a 55 gal. D.A.S. tank.
<Will outgrow this in time>
Water is fine. One of my Koi started to get a little kink in his tail, but everything was fine (swimming, eating) It has gotten worse. His tail is bent up (almost in a "V" shape) and now is not eating and is laying on the bottom. Has been this way for a couple of days now. He is struggling to survive, so I am trying to help him. Thank you
Charity
<Mmm, well, such bent tails can be a manifestation/expression of genetic anomaly, nutritionally derived, environmental (too small quarters), or pathogenic in origin... See here: http://wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/question_page.htm
put the term "bent tail" in the search tool, read the cached versions
Bob Fenner>

Sick goldfish... and Koi, env. 2/29/08
Dear Bob
I had a 15cm Koi and comet in a 1 metre tank. Koi suddenly died for no apparent reason overnight and the comet who was silver started turning pink and the edges of his back and tail seem to have what looks like bleeding veins as though he is bleeding internally. I’ve had him for 7 years without any problems. Can you please help??
Sincerest and heartfelt thanks
Pearl in Australia
<Hello Pearl. The problem with the comet is almost certainly Finrot. The symptoms here start with congestion in the veins of the fins as the bacteria set in (that's the pink stuff you see) followed by the tissue dying (goes white) and then eroding (so the fins look ragged). Finrot itself is almost always caused by water quality problems. Perform (at the very least) a nitrite test. Check the filter is working properly, and regardless do two 50% water changes today (a couple hours apart) to flush out some of the pollutants. Stop feeding the fish. Being treating with a reliable anti-Finrot medication (remember to remove carbon if present in the filter). Melafix/Pimafix aren't my recommendation for this, although often sold as such. Use a decent copper-based medication or antibiotic. Koi really aren't indoor fish, and certainly can't be kept in a 1 meter tank -- I'm guessing that's about 180-200 litres/40-50 gallons, which is adequate for Goldfish but not Koi. Koi are simply too sensitive to poor water conditions. Cheers, Neale.>

My Oranda fish lost it's eyes -02/20/08
Hi guys,
I searched the site but couldn't find my answer. My Oranda fish is the only Oranda in a 55 gallon tank along with 3 goldfish and a Koi. Three weeks ago I noticed one of my Orandas eyes missing and now today another one. I have seen all the fish at one point or another pick at his fins but, HIS EYES? Why do they do this and can he survive like this? Will the others continue to pick at him? So concerned!
Thanks
Concerned new fish mommy!
Have a wonderful day!
Jessica
<Hello Jessica. Eyes are -- after fins -- the bits on a fish easily damaged by fighting. So the best thing a "concerned fish mom" would do at the first signs of aggression between fish is to separate them so this couldn't happen. It is unusual for goldfish and/or Koi to be aggressive towards one another, but they can be boisterous, and it is ALWAYS recommended that fancy (double-tail) goldfish are kept in different tanks to single-tail goldfish and Koi. In other words: Orandas, moors, Ryukin, etc. should all be kept in different to tanks to plain goldfish, comets, and Shubunkin's. I'm guessing that you didn't do this. If you didn't, you know now! As for therapy: treat with an anti-Finrot/anti-fungus medication first, to prevent a secondary infection. Do also check the water quality, specifically nitrite, to see that there isn't a problem there. It is entirely possible that minor damage (that could have healed) quickly turned bad because of poor water quality. There should be zero ammonia and nitrite in the system. In addition, check water chemistry for the same reasons. Goldfish need hard (10+ degrees dH) and basic (pH 7.5) water conditions. Will the eyes grow back? Obviously not. Can he live without them? Yes, provided he is kept alone. He will navigate using his lateral line and forage for food by touch and olfaction, but the goldfish with eyes will be able to out-compete him at feeding time. The result will be a lot like dinner time at the home of Phineas. Cheers, Neale.>

Some Koi Flashing but not All 2/1/08
Hello,
<Hi there>
I have a 125 gallon tank with 9 fish in it, 5 Koi, 3 Comet and 1 Fancy Comet.
<I see them in your pic... a bit crowded physiologically>
Sometimes especially in the evening once the lights go off on the tank, a couple of the Koi will flash, turning to their sides and making a swift rub on the bottom. I will also notice sometimes that they flick their fins rapidly as if something is bothering them, but upon visual inspection I see nothing.
<Mmm, there may be naught>
I have treated them for parasites with Jungle Labs Parasite tabs, added some salt to the tank, and I do regular water changes daily, about 20 gallons, during which I grab most of the waste off the bottom of the tank. The tank has 2 Eheim Profession II 2080 canister filters on the tank. Further, the fish that do flash do not appear to have any open wounds or irritated spots. When I have done water quality checks, the ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels all appear zero... only the ph seems a little high at around 7.8. The tank water fluctuates from 67-69F depending on the
time of day.
<Brrrrrr! You keep your home cool>
So what I cannot figure is, what is the problem? Or am I just paranoid?
<Mmm, perhaps cautious... but unless you have introduced (through plants, new fish, live food) some new parasite/pathogen, there is likely nothing disease wise wrong here>
I attached a picture of the setup.
Regards,
Benjamin Schmaus
<I would cut back on these fishes feeding... they're apparently "fat"... Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Re: Some Koi Flashing but not All 2/8/08
Hello Bob,
<Ben>
So the swollen eyes went back to normal on that one koi and he is also eating again. However he still flashes now and again I read the following:
General Hardness influences Calcium levels in the blood, and the
osmotic regulatory systems of fish are affected by concentrations of dissolved salts. High levels could
irritate gill membranes, they may look slightly swollen, and the fish may be seen flicking or rubbing in the
water.
<This is so>
My GH is around 180ppm which is rather high. Could this be contributing to my fishes behavior? Maybe one is a little more sensitive?
<Is possible... though all koi, most all fishes... do flash to a degree... I do think you and this Nishikigoi are "out of the woods" at this point. I hope this metaphor means that it will be okay. Cheers, BobF>
Regards,
Benjamin Schmaus

Re: Some Koi Flashing but not All 2/3/08
Hello Bob,
<Good day Ben>
Thanks for the response. So other then a cold basement and fat fish, there should be no worries on the flashing. Like I said, it happens fairly rarely.
<I wouldn't be concerned>
You are correct that it is a bit crowded. That will change once spring arrives and I can place them back outside in their summer home. I attached a picture of that location as well.
Regards,
Benjamin Schmaus
<Ah, good. BobF>

Re: Some Koi Flashing but not All 2/4/08
Hello Bob,
<Ben>
Here is an update on one of those fishes that was flashing... Today I noticed that the eyes were bulging more then normal and when I fed them, the koi would take in food but then spit it back out. There appears to be no sign of him being bloated or pine-coning. He also exhibits what one might call a cough.
<Mmm, something apparently amiss>
Water quality appears normal. Although PH might be slightly low, 7.0 side and water hardness is up there. No ammonia, nitrites or nitrates.
The only thing that changed from yesterday to today, was I replaced the fine filter pad in one of my Eheim's and also changed the charcoal. Both were rinsed in water before placing.
<Mmm, but only the one fish affected... and only one pad, and no detected nitrogenous anomaly...>
The other fish seem fine and all are eating.
Regards,
Benjamin Schmaus
<If you had another system/tank up and going, I might move the one not acting quite right... Perhaps it (literally) swallowed a bug... BobF>

Lethargic koi, env. dis. - 11/26/07
Hi Robert,
<Carson>
I have a small tancho koi that is about 4-5" that I am currently keeping in a community aquarium due because we haven't built a pond yet. It was purchased at the same time as a Kohaku koi that is currently 6-7". They were the same size when purchased. The past couple of days the tancho koi has been very lethargic and only really moves when you approach the tank.
<Mmm, how long ago was this Nishikigoi purchased? What water conditions was it under at that time?>
It doesn't seem to want to eat very much. The ammonia level is at .25 ppm,
<Toxic!>
the nitrite is the same,
<Ditto. These MUST be zero>
the pH is at 6.6, the nitrate is at 0.
<You are fortunate here... if these values were higher the NH3... would be NH4OH much more... and deadly>
The water temperature is at about 74 degrees f. There doesn't seem to be any spot of ich and none of the other fish are exhibiting any unusual behavior. The tank is 55 gallon with two filters (one sixty gallon one thirty gallon) that are constantly going,
The tank consists of the following fish
1 - 4" tancho koi
1 - 6" Kohaku koi
1 - 5" comet goldfish
2 - 2" comet goldfish
3 - 2.5" bala sharks
1 - 3.5" golden shark
1 - 4" tinfoil barb
1 small freshwater crab.
Their diet consists of flakes, freeze dried brine shrimp, freeze dried krill, and occasionally bottom feeder shrimp pellets.
<I would cease feeding period till the ammonia and nitrite are zip, nada, gone>
Is there anything that I can do to help my tancho koi?
Carson L Maestas
<... you should read... On WWM re water quality, environmental disease... Your livestock is in grave danger. Bob Fenner>

Carpet surfing Koi 11/28/2007
Hello guys,
Last Saturday morning I found my Koi carpet surfing. I live in MN so he was inside in an aquarium with a full hood for the winter. He knocked the plastic lid off the hood. It was still dark so I found him by touching him with my foot.. Not a great feeling. Anyhow he was still alive so I drained some tank water into a bucket and placed a power head in the bucket and was able to revive him. He is back in the tank with the 2 other Koi and 2 goldfish. He is in very rough shape and lost a lot of scales and body slime.
He is about 12" and was a beautiful bright white with orange saddle. He now looks orangey white especially on his head and the one side, I would assume that is the side he was laying on. Anyhow he is breathing the same as the others but not very active and has yet to eat since the incident. I have been adding stress coat to the tank in an effort to help. Also, the tank is not heated so the temp is around 66. Any suggestions to get him to eat? I am feeding them Koi food from Blackwater Koi Farm ( I am pretty sure that is the name). Should I heat the tank? Will that help him recover? Any other products to add? I added barley pellets in the pond would they help in an aquarium? I am running a filter with carbon right now. I also have saltwater tanks so would adding a little salt be beneficial to the Koi in the tank?
Any suggestions to get him eat first and then all the way back to health would be appreciated.
Thanks so much,
Walt
<Hello Walt. Your Koi will get round to eating precisely when he feels like it, and not a moment before. There's no real advantage to trying to speed this up. Koi can go weeks without food. So leave him be, and simply offer a variety of the usual foods you give them. Plant material like pondweed could be placed in the tank so he can have a bit of a graze if he gets peckish. Heating the tank won't really provide any advantage unless the tank gets very cold; 66 F should be perfectly tolerable for a Koi. Adding Stresscoat and salt may have a marginally positive effect, but for now I'd dose the tank with an anti-Finrot/Fungus medication just to make sure no secondary infections set in. This is the most likely problem, because the mucous and skin dried up, and they're the first line of defense for a fish. Naturally, remove carbon while treating the fish, and in my opinion, never replace it. Instead add more biological filter media and ensure you're doing substantial weekly water changes. Together these will greatly enhance the water quality, limiting the chances of secondary infections. Once that's done, the fish should make a speedy recovery. Good luck, Neale.>

Re: Carpet surfing Koi 11/28/07
Neale- Thanks for the quick response. I will pick up a few plants for him.
Also what other fresh foods would you recommend?
<Carp are, at heart, omnivores. Anything soft will appeal. Tinned peas, mashed prawns, bloodworms and so on will all be good. I find omnivorous fish often enjoy algae ripped out of a pond. They peck away at it for hours.>
I think Zoecon is for
Marine fish but would adding Garlic Xtreme or Zoecon to the food help?
<Worth a shot. But Koi generally have very good appetites when they're healthy, and I suspect you'll find he'll take food once he's settled down.>
I will switch to a medicated anti Finrot/fungus treatment and remove the activated carbon. I have been doing saltwater so long I am blanking out on a good biological for a freshwater aquarium. Do you have a good suggestion or a link to do some research? My pond pump equipment is too big for the aquarium. Would barley pellets help in an aquarium. They seem to really help in the pond.
<This is for fixing algae, right? Not sure they've ever been used in aquaria. Generally, algae isn't a big deal in aquaria. Yes, you get algae on the glass, but scraping that off is so easy why bother with anything more complex? Green water -- that scourge of small ponds -- just doesn't happen in healthy aquaria. So I wouldn't bother with them.>
Thanks again,
Walt
<Happy to help. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Carpet surfing Koi 12/5/07
Neale
Thanks for your efforts but He passed away last Friday. My wife called when she got home to say he was twitching on the bottom. When I got home he was not moving or breathing. I tried reviving but with no success. The sad part is he seemed to be getting a little better everyday. He must have been out of the water long enough to do permanent damage.
Thanks again,
Walt
<Walt, too bad. Sorry things didn't work out this time. Good luck with the rest of your fish! Cheers, Neale.>

Curios.... ities... Stocking, not-stocking Koi in fish tanks... some goldfish 11/16/07
I was planning to buy a new aquarium and want to buy some Koi, or any Chinese type goldfish such as the lionhead. How many can fit into a 55
gallon tank? Fully grown I mean. Thanks for the help.
<The short answer is 0 Koi carp and maybe 4-5 goldfish, depending on their type. Fancy goldfish tend to be less active than normal, non-fantail goldfish (i.e., plain goldfish, Shubunkins and Comets). Koi carp simply cannot and should not be kept indoors. They never do very well, and their large adult size (around 60 cm) makes them incredibly demanding in terms of water changes and filtration. If kept indoors at all, they need tanks measured in the 100s of gallons. Do also remember that fancy and regular goldfish cannot automatically be mixed. The really disfigured goldfish such as Celestials and Bubble-eyes have a hard enough time finding food and avoiding infections. So keep these sorts of fish on their own. Robust fancy goldfish though, particularly Black Moors, tend to be reliable tankmates for regular goldfish. Cheers, Neale.>

Please help =] Koi/aquarium maint. 11/15/07
Hello.
I need some help and the web sometimes confuses me and doesn't really help me find my answers.
<... You're not alone here. The "Net" is not designed to inform... but more to "chat", sell stuff... One must search for more informative sites...>
So I was hoping you guys could.
I'm helping my grandpa find a new filter or figure out what's wrong with his tank.
He has approximately a 40 gallon tank and he has to clean it about every two days.
He has Koi in there
<Stop! This is "a/the" reason right here... the type of fish (ornamental carp) and a small volume... They're messy... really need to be in a pond>
so he has to bring in gallon buckets of pond water when he cleans it.
<Oh! You have a pond. This bringing water in is a very good practice>
He says it needs some of the bacteria from the pond in there.
He has 4 Koi in the pond.
Right now he's using a Whisper 20-40 filter.
<A good product>
Is there a different filter he should use or is there something else he should do?
<Mmm, are the Koi in the tank and not in the pond for a reason? I would add another outside power filter here... and perhaps a mechanical aerator (bubbler), but you will still need to change out a good deal of the water weekly. Perhaps a pump would help here.>
I don't think he should be having to work that hard.
Thank you greatly.
sorry if this is confusing.
<A small submersible pump... one that can be hooked up to a garden hose... and a shut off valve, ball type like for irrigation... at the end... will help in moving the water... The outgoing water can/should be gravel-vacuumed, placed on the lawn... via the same hose. Bob Fenner>

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