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FAQs on Environmental Pondfish Disease, Cumulative Stress
Related Articles:
Environmental Pond
Disease,
Koi/Pond Fish Disease,
Gas Bubble Disease/Emphysematosis, Pond
Parasite Control with DTHP, Hole in the Side
Disease/Furunculosis, Goldfish
Disease,
Related FAQs:
Pond Environmental Disease 1, Pond Environmental
Disease 2,
Pond Environmental Disease 3, & FAQs on Pond
Environmental Disease: Prevention,
Diagnosis, Causes:
Predation,
Low/no Oxygen,
Poisoning (Algicides, Metals, Pesticides...),
Metabolite Accumulation, Physical Trauma/Damage,
Electrical,
Troubleshooting/Fixing, &
Pond Fish Disease, Pondfish
Disease 2,
Pondfish
Disease 3,
Goldfish Disease, |
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Shubunkin problem ... pondfish env. dis. - 3/1/2006
Hello
<Good morning... or later>
You have helped me in the past regarding problems with a new pond. I am in
Cornwall, UK, and I have a 100 gall garden pond, with goldfish and
shubunkin. It has been cold lately with some snow and ice. One of the
shubunkin, the smallest at about 3" long, has been seen to be floating about in
the crevices along the pond edge for about a week. If touched it has swam away,
downwards.
<Likely either from the cold, or more likely from the too-quick change in
temperature. Larger ponds, with more depth in particular, are more thermally
stable>
On Sunday I had problems with the pump not working, and whilst out checking it,
noticed that this fish had sank to the bottom and appeared motionless. I
reached in and picked it out,
<Best not to "fool" with biota in ponds during cold seasons>
it was not dead so I returned it to the pond to see if it would swim. It got
caught in the flow of the waterfall and was tumbled downward and then lay at the
bottom again, as if dead. I have brought it in the house, and left it in a
bucket of pond water, along with a little weed.
<See the above>
It's gills are moving, and it's fins move from time to time, but it has a frayed
tail, and a small chunk of it's face appears missing and hanging off. It just
sits at the bottom of the bucket. At the base of the tail there appears to be a
small cloud of fluffy grey, not really attached and growing on the fish, but
just seems to be hanging on it. I have not disturbed it at all. Not knowing
what to do, and reluctant to stress the fish with chemical treatments I have
used Kusuri-Sabbactisun and Kusuri-Parazoryne, described as herbal treatments to
boost the immune system. The fish is still alive 3 days since being removed
from the pond, surely a good sign. I wonder if you have any advice on how I can
treat it. I would like to save it if I can as it is a particularly pretty fish,
very opaque and almost all over pink, with bits of orange, and specks of
grey. It is at present still in the bucket, in a cool unheated room. Would
warming it help?
<Not likely at this juncture... but worth a try. I would not return this fish to
the outdoors till the weather is very warm consistently. Please read here re
pond design:
http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/pddessize.htm
Bob Fenner>
Any suggestions much appreciated.
Wendy
Koi leaning to one side... handling, not, pondfish during cold seasons
03/26/07
Hi, Crew! I have a pond outside with several Koi and goldfish who remained
in the pond over winter since I didn't have enough space to bring them all into
an aquarium. To ensure that they didn't freeze to death, I bought a heater to
make sure there was always some of the pond that wasn't frozen. Now that spring
is arriving the ice is melting and I can see a few of the fish. I found one of
the Koi kind of just lying on his side at the bottom of the pond - at first I
thought he was dead but then he started to move around.
<Best not to handle pond livestock, or walk on the pond... when there is ice
present>
He suddenly got a bit 'crazy', started darting around everywhere and spinning
(like a crocodile's death roll). He even came to the top and I think he hit some
of the remaining ice, he then eventually calmed down and went off to the bottom
near the side of the pond and just lay there. Afraid that he was hurt, I caught
him, put him in a bucket and brought him into my garage. He seems to perhaps
have hurt himself close to his left eye, though it's hard to see, but he is most
definitely having trouble swimming - he continuously seems to fall over to one
side. Apart from that, he doesn't seem to have any other injuries or diseases
that I can tell. It looks almost like a swimbladder problem but I've had him
since last summer and he never showed any difficulties with swimming before.
Plus, it seems to me that Koi and regular goldfish rarely have swimbladder
issues, no?
<Variable>
I'm planning on keeping him inside now for another couple of months until the
nice weather becomes more permanent. I was wondering if you had any idea what he
has. Is it possible that by hitting his head he's some how affected his balance?
Thanks for your help! Erika
<I would return this animal, hope for the best, and leave the pond and its
inhabitants alone till the water is much warmer. Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/Pond%20Sub%20Web.htm
The tray below on Pond Maintenance, Winter... Bob Fenner>
Checking up of <pond>fish illness 1/16/07
I was wondering if you received this 2 weeks ago. I know you have a fast
response time and I heard anything back. Thanks
<Thank you for re-sending this... I had not seen it>
I recently bought a house which had a 300 gallon pond which was about 5
years old. It uses 2 pumps one feed the UV Pond Mate filter and the
other feeds a small water fall. Originally it had 5 10”goldfish / Koi.
Since then I have added 3 more 3” Koi, and a water lily. The water
quality was very bad and I noticed that one fish had a large blister
looking growth (about the size of a dime and ¼” tall) and another had 3
small white dots 2 near the head and one near the tail.
<Environmental...>
I drained, cleaned and refilled and treated the pond with API Melafix.
<...>
Everything was looking good
> the water change out>
and the fish started to eat and everything seemed good until I noticed
that the blister was growing.
After 3 weeks it fell off the fish and it died. I drained and refilled
the pond, and added the 3 new Koi.
<Mmm, this volume and filter cannot really accommodate more fish life>
The last 3 months everything was fine but I notice that the other fish’s
white dots were starting to rise more, stomach is large like she has
eggs and another fish has a single dot near the head. I treated the pond
with API Pimafix and Melafix
<Please... stop... Have you checked the water quality... with test
kits...?>
for a week and added sea salt. The fish with the eggs has been large for
two weeks now and another fish is constantly chasing her. How long does
it take for the mating ritual to end and the eggs to be released? As far
as I can tell the pond has not produced any fry. As a separate note I
changed the type of food that I was feeding them last week and none of
the fist are eating like they were.
It’s the same type of food just a different company. I have search the
internet and books and have not found anything that looks or sound to be
the same. Any ideas?
-Steven Schulz-
<Have just skipped down... Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/Pond%20Sub%20Web.htm
The sections on filtration, Environmental disease... and the linked
files above. Bob Fenner>
Re: Checking up of fish illness
1/17/06
Thank you for the fast response. Yes the water quality is: pH 7.6, Ammonia and
Nitrite 0, and Nitrate 5ppm. I have read over the sections you suggested but
didn't find anything to help my problem.
Thanks again.
<Well, the water quality reads as good... perhaps something else causing trouble
water quality wise though... I would do some very slow water changes... dripping
in new water... over the falls... allowing this to make up for vented water...
Bob Fenner>
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PLEASE HELP!!! Pond... fish... dis. Reading 5/1/08
I have a medium-sized outdoor pond containing 4 black moors, 1 fish caught
in a river, 3 Shubunkins and 6 goldfish. Recently my pond was infested with
plants
<? You mean algae?>
and the fish had an oxygen deficiency. I took out most of the plants and found
that some had Finrot.
<The fishes...>
I treated them
<With?>
and later saw that on some of my other goldfish there is what appears like red
streaks, kind of like veins on them mostly on their heads and near their gills
(some of them are only breathing with one gill, the other seems to be shut).
They aren't feeding properly and have become in active mostly staying near the
plants and never venturing into clearer water like they use to. I have done
water changes and cleaned the pond
<How?>
but the fish don't seem to be getting better. My water also keeps going a murky
greenish brown but is still relatively clear, algae is every where but im not
sure this would have anything to do with this. please help me!
Thanks
Michelle in Melbourne, Australia
<Mmm, a few issues here... Likely your water quality is "out of whack"... and
this, along with the "treatment", pond cleaning... are stressing these fish...
resulting in the blood-streaking. You don't proffer data on the set up,
maintenance, water quality... But, there is likely time to save all here. Please
read:
http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/Pond%20Sub%20Web.htm
The areas on pond design, maintenance, water quality... small, frequent water
changes are all I'd proscribe here. Bob Fenner>
Dead (pond) goldfish
Hello, I have an outdoor in ground preformed 44 gal pond, in Tucson,
Arizona-small filter in pump that runs approximately 7 hours a day.
<Small system... unstable... and would run the filter continuously>
Has snails, Anacharis, water lily.
<Very nice>
I had two comet goldfish, found the smaller one dead this morning, no
eyes. Got the two at the same time, they were and are almost a year old.
I've been reading your website for info. Before he died the smaller one
was hiding a lot, but no noticeable signs of stress except death when I
found him floating this morning. Any ideas what could have killed him?
Is this pond too small or too inadequately maintained (i.e. no continual
filter, etc.) to try to add another goldfish?
<Likely it is the size, cyclicity of the filtration/circulation AND
season change to blame here>
The one still living is 3-4" long. Would another fish have to be the
same size or close? Any help greatly appreciated. Marty
<Could be smaller. Goldfish get along well. Bob Fenner>
Re: Dead goldfish
Bob-Thank you so much for the quick reply. Of course, I want to go out
right away and get a new companion for my existing fish. Sounds like I
need to improve my pond system too, although on other sites (and I'm
quickly learning just to listen to you) they say no filter etc etc.
Thanks for being there. Marty
<Some friends who keep "container gardens" (like half wood barrels) have
great success using air pump and sponge filters or canister filters (my
fave, the Eheim line) run continuously. Please see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/contpdsart.htm
Bob Fenner> |
Sick Goldfish Downunder 8/16/05
Hi there,
<Howdy>
I have a 400 litre outside fish pond with around 14 goldfish.
<Yikes... dangerously crowded...>
2 are around 11 years old, (about 9 inches body length) 6 are self sown and
range from 7 to 4 years and 6 were bought about 4 years ago. One of the old
ones has had a protruding right eye for several years and did not appear to be
affected by it.
<Happens... resultant likely from a physical trauma...>
More recently the protrusion has increased significantly and the other eye is
showing similar symptoms. Now the other old one is showing some eye protrusion.
Yesterday whilst the two old one were “basking” in the sunlight I noticed that
lumps have erupted around the body of the second ‘old’ one. Looks like cysts but
no colour difference. Is there any treatment I can use to fix either or both
problems?
<Mmm, just environmental improvement... they need many more gallons of space...>
Since day 1 they have been fed with commercial granular fish food except when we
go on vacation when I give them a slow release block.
Occasionally there is an algae problem which I treat with Simazine
<A common ingredient (for our readers) used in commercial ornamental algicides
(Princeps powder...)>
and in summer a flocculent. Pond is clear water filtered with a bubbler and with
pond weeds.
Can you help?
Thanks
Russell
<Really... what you, they need is a larger, less-crowded world. Though you've
had good success with all these fish in a mere hundred gallons or so for
years... they're "getting old" (maybe they and I can start a club?), and the
vacillating water quality, exposure to the Simazine... is taking its toll... Do
consider either "thinning the herd" or building a larger pond. Bob Fenner>
Swollen or loose scale in Koi's side 9/21/05
Hi Crew,
<Sybil>
I have looked over the Koi FAQs and searched in the query but was still unable
to distinguish what the Koi actually has.
I just relocated and transported the Koi. during the move, i lost one 11" Koi
carp from what looked like internal bleeding. I also lost my algae eater (the
species that sucks on the glass, 7").
I recently bought 2 1" algae eaters of the same species and introduced it to the
tank.
Here comes the main problem.
I have 5 Koi remaining in the 45 gallon tank, one 12", three 6" and one 5" on
top of the two new algae eaters.
<Too much fish for this volume...>
1. The 12" Koi has been acting funny the past 2-3 weeks by idling at the bottom
of the tank and stop breathing for minutes at a time and isn't as active as it
was previously. I thought it was in shock from the move and needed time to get
used to its surroundings. Could there be any other factors that might be
causing this?
<Mainly having to do with being crowded, moved, all-new water... yes>
I don't see any signs of parasites, though my Koi's' fns aren't always fully
extended/erect.
<Shouldn't be...>
2. I found that one of the bigger the scales were raised and the flesh
underneath it was red.
<A bad sign... of environmental stress>
It would be great if you could tell me what it is exactly and how i can treat
it. The main concern I have is whether that scale would fall off and lead to an
infection.
pictures included
1. the biggest fin in the middle is the one that is protruding.
2. side view of how far it is protruding from the body. (it was difficult to
focus)
Thanks in advance, I'm looking forward to your response.
Sybil, CA
<Is this system cycled? What sort of filtration, circulation, aeration are you
providing? What of water quality? Please read over WWM re these issues... keep
good amounts of pre-prepared water to make large water changes on hand... and I
would administer "aquarium salt" here as a general remedy. From your
description, photos, it is obvious your Koi are suffering from a poor, changing
environment... more space is needed, likely adjuncts to biological filtration,
aeration. You need to identify and solve the root (environmental) causes here...
Now! Bob Fenner>
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Pond goldfish sinking, blowing bubbles, gulping air 10/31/05
Greetings,
Our large, 3-4 yr. old goldfish is resting on the bottom, top fin a bit clamped,
releases bubbles, and every few minutes darts to the surface, pops out of the
water and gulps air, returns to the same spot at bottom of pond. All other
fish are active and milling about as normal. Looked through the WWM website but
couldn't find a similar description. I have an 11' x 16' pond (Aquascapes
system). 25 goldfish from 1 ft long to 3". Just did the fall clean-out as
temperatures are dropping.
<Ahh...>
Would appreciate any advice. I do have an indoor tank that the Plecos overwinter
in.
Thanks so much,
Holly
<Very likely "simple stress" from the clean-out, time of year... and also very
likely to recover of its own accord. Bob Fenner>
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