Re: Help regarding Ghost Koi
Bob
Many thanks for your very prompt reply. After doing a bit more research as you suggested, it would seem that your initial diagnosis of Carp Pox was correct.
From what I gather Carp Pox is a viral infection, similar to the Herpes virus in Humans and some people say that it can be brought on by poor water quality and stress.
<Yes>
The fish was purchased in early September from a well known garden aquatic centre here in Oxfordshire UK. But was caught by a Saturday moron, who franticly chased the fish around the tank with an over sized net, before finally catching it, then roughly manhandling it into a bag after its fin rays became completely stuck in the nets mesh (I don’t shop there any more)
<I certainly don't blame you>
so I guess that could explain the stress part, but like I said my pond water quality is regularly tested and hasn’t ever been a cause for alarm.
I did read that the “Carp Pox lesions” can often go down by themselves in the summer months and indeed simply raising the water temperature can apparently sometimes cause the lesions to go down.
<Yes, sometimes>
If this is correct the fact that the fish is now in a small hospital tank in the heated living room could put this theory to the test, although the fish doesn’t particularly seem to be enjoying his new smaller surroundings and seems to rarely venture out of the two flower pots that were put there to give him a bit of a feeling of security.
Do you think it would be smart to keep the fish in its new home until late spring now, rather than returning it to the unheated outdoor pond which is currently around 10 or 11 oC (unusually mild British Winter, probably making up for all the flooding of July 2007).
And from what I have gathered Carp Pox is incurable but more unsightly than harmless, is this correct?
<Mmm, can be... unfortunately this "plague" is often tied/linked to incidences of furunculosis/ana aki... Aeromonad infections that can be trouble...>
Or do you know of or have any experience of a medication that actually works,
<Ah, no>
because I don’t really want to go needlessly bombarding the fish with chemicals for a condition that I understand wont kill it
and may improve by it’s self, is that correct?
<Yes>
Well thanks again for your earlier reply and a great web site, I promise I will set up a Pay Pal account and make a small donation for its up keep.
Simon B
<Simon... I do wish we could quickly communicate... such that your mind might be more at rest. The gist of what you write is so... there is not much to do other than keep the one fish isolated (from the rest of your Nishikigoi), do what you can to provide good water quality, bolster its immune system... and hope. Cheers, Bob Fenner>