Swim Bladder Disease in Koi
Hi,
<Hello Don,>
I have a rather large Koi...approximately 18 inches long, and around 4 pounds in weight.
<Good size.>
He appears to have swim bladder disease and can use some help. I have read several articles about this over the past 4-5 days and still remain confused about what I can do to try and bring him out of this.
<Hmm... do understand that most swim bladder disorders (I don't like the word "disease" in this context) are more to do with other issues, particularly constipation. See here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/gldfshmalnut.htm
>
He began irregular swimming about 5-6 days ago. I live in an area where the outside temperature has been fluctuating ranging from moderately cool nights 40's and 50's to warmer daytime temps in the 50's to low 70's.
<Take care not feed these fish while it's cold; here in England at least, Koi aren't fed between late October and the beginning of March.
Temperatures below 10 C (about 50 F) prevent their digestive systems from working properly, and any food in the gut rots and promotes the growth of bacteria.>
My pond has been established for 8 years, and I have never lost a fish.
<Great!>
The other 5 fish in the pond are smaller, no larger than 9-10 inches in length and no more than 1 pound in weight. None of the smaller fish are experiencing any problems.
<May be a clue... bigger fish eat more, have longer digestive tracts, are perhaps more sensitive to water temperature/digestion issues?>
On the warmer days, I have lightly fed the fish (a high quality Koi staple food), but not on a daily basis.
<Good.>
Over the past few days, the evening temps have fallen into the high 30's, but still warming during the daytime into the 60's on occasion.
<Much too cold for feeding.>
With the exception of an elevated Ph level, all water conditions are excellent. I have slowly reduced the Ph level to normal about 6.4.
<That's actually pretty low for carp. A neutral to basic pH is optimal; aim for 7.5.>
I have also been treating the pond with Tetra Pond Treatment which contains Quinine Hydrochloride.
<Do be careful not to use a "scattergun" approach: medications are poisons, and if used without reason, can end up causing even more problems. Always identify the problem first, and then medicate. Medicating first, and hoping that cures something tends not to be a viable approach.>
I am not sure that my Koi is not simply constipated or really does have swim bladder disease, and I realize from reading it isn't always easy to distinguish one from the other.
<Quite so; but if the fish is defecating (easiest seen in a holding tank) then constipation is unlikely.>
My fish has a swollen abdomen, and there are some slight areas of blood streaks on the swollen area, and also on one dorsal fin.
<Ah, I see. Again, cold can cause problems, especially if you have any water features running (these cool the water further). Frost damage in the fins leads to inflammation and eventually Finrot-type infections.>
He remains mostly laying on his side and does not move much at all.
<Yikes!>
He has not been feed for the last 5 days, and I have to tried to get him to eat any peas, which I understand could relieve the constipation, if that is the problem.
<Do also add Epsom salt to the water, as indicated in the above article and associated FAQ. Epsom salt relaxes the muscles, allowing blockages to pass out more easily. Possibly easier to do if the fish can be moved to an aquarium or holding tank.>
Is there a water treatment I can try that may kill a bacteria infection, if that is what is causing the problem.
<Generally, adding antibiotics to ponds isn't practical or especially effective. There's just too much "ecology" going on there for such drugs to work. Antibiotic foods can be better, since they're going into the fish, but for things as big (and as valuable!) as Koi you need a vet to comment on this. He/she will either calculate the appropriate food dosage, or else inject the fish directly. If there is one fish on the planet that veterinarian science has a good handle on, it's the Koi, so finding a vet able to do this shouldn't be too hard.>
Something that I can use in the pond along with the other fish?? I do not have a hospital tank (but could set up something if it may help). Also, with a hospital tank, how much trouble will this cause give the change in water temp.
<Don't expose the fish to massive temperature changes, but by all means fill the tank with water from the pond, and let it warm up slowly as needs be.>
The pond water temp has to be around the mid to high 40's or low 50's at this point, and I don't want to traumatize the fish with a large temp change to warmer water.
<Indeed.>
Any assistance you can give me with this would be greatly appreciated, as I do not want to lose my prize Koi.
<I bet. These are lovely fish, and worth going the extra mile for.>
Thanks
Don
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Swim Bladder Disease in Koi (RMF?)<<You're spot on>> - 11/07/09
Neale,
<Don,>
Thanks so much for the reply.
<My pleasure.>
I agree that "disorder" is a better term when talking about swim bladder issues. Your comments have caused me to think more about my Koi's problem.
<Very good.>
I realize there are a number is things that can cause the swim bladder to malfunction, such as constipation, a tumor, a bacterial infection, injury, genetic defect, just to name the most obvious.
<Indeed. A vet can narrow these down some more, but from my vantage point on the other side of the Atlantic from you, the best I can do is mention some of the possibilities.>
I have to some degree examined my Koi's abdomen and it feels pliable, no hard spots that may indicate some sort of injury or tumor.
<That's good to know.>
I believe I am ruling out a bacterial infection, since the other fish in the pond show no signs of any issues.
<Hmm... would be careful about this. Genetic variation in fish, as in humans, does affect predisposition to disease.>
Unless the large one's immune system was somehow depleted, I would think if it is bacterial, viral, or some other organism causing the problem, the other fish would also be effected.
<Perhaps. Broadly, yes, it's true that if water quality was bad, several fish would show signs of a suppressed immune system (e.g., Finrot). But this doesn't have to be the case.>
I have also looked at some different pictures of examples of Dropsy....and my Koi doesn't look like any that I have seen. There is no overall swelling of the body, and only a very few scales that are slightly protruding on his abdomen where the swelling is located, but not to any degree it gives the appearance of Dropsy.
<This is also good news. Dropsy tends to be difficult to treat, since by the time it appears (it's a symptom rather than a disease) whatever disease is at work has progressed a very long way. Again, vets can help, particularly where Koi are concerned since they're big enough to treat. But even with Koi, the prognosis is mixed, at best.>
This brings me back to the constipation, and since I had given then food during more colder weather than I normally do (on those warm days) when they were swimming around giving me that look like, don't just stand there give us a bite to eat!!
<Resist! Or at least, provide high-fibre foods that'll get shifted through the gut quickly. Plant material is the obvious thing, and a clump of Elodea thrown into the pond would make a find snack for them.>
If I create a hospital tank using the colder pond water...would it be ok to bring in side and allow to warm to room temp?
<Yes, this is fine. Do put the tank somewhere cold though, like a garage, shed or basement. Or even an unheated spare bedroom (which is where, funnily enough, I overwinter my carnivorous plants that, like Koi, need a cool winter).>
Or should I be more gradual than that?
<The more gradual the better, but don't get paranoid about this. Provided filtration and if necessary aeration are adequate to the size of the fish and the aquarium being used, Koi handle this sort of thing just fine.>
I will have to figure something out as far as filtration and circulation....and I think I have enough resources to get the proper amount of Epsom salt in the water.
<You certainly can add Epsom salt to ponds, but you'd need an awful lot, and getting it out again afterwards would mean changing all the water, and that really isn't practical with most ponds. That's why it's better to do this using by moving the fish to a hospital tank. Good luck, Neale.>

Koi with bent tails  10/29/09
hi, i am looking for help with koi with bent tails. we had 1 fish that developed a bent tail, gradually over period of 2 month became severely bent. Eventually this affected his ability to swim upright!! He would
lodge himself between pond liner, in order to stay upright, or else he would mainly flap about trying to correct himself. We have since humanly put him out of his misery (2 wks ago) now i have noticed 2 more fish who have developed this same problem, tail only slightly bent right now, but this is how it started with other fish. Any help on this would be appreciated,
Kind regards, Gilly
<Hello Gilly. It's quite common for fish to be born with bent spines, and good breeders cull deformed fish long before the fish are sent to the shops. But for fish to develop bent spines once mature, that's a whole
other thing. It's typically caused by some problem in terms of maintenance.
The most common reasons are physical injury, dietary shortcomings, poor water quality, and certain (apparently Mycobacterium spp.) infections. I'd consider each of these in turn. Koi aren't likely to physically damage themselves given a sufficiently large pond since they aren't that active, and this is more of a thing with, for example, Orfe, which tend to be skittish and prone to flying into things. Dietary shortcomings are a real problem with Koi because they need a very carefully balanced diet with lots of green foods, or at least processed foods based on plant material.
They're acutely sensitive to Vitamin C deficiency. A key problem here is that Vitamin C isn't stable, and if you buy a big tub of Koi pellets, over time, once open to the air, the vitamin content can drop alarmingly. A vet can help by administering vitamin booster shots, but it's better to avoid this problem by regularly augmenting the diet of your fish with some fresh green foods, such as cheap pond plants or certain green foods from the kitchen. Poor water quality is another major problem with Koi. While their ancestors are famously tough, Koi are so inbred that they're astonishingly
sensitive to non-zero nitrite/ammonia levels, and continual exposure to high nitrate levels will do them harm as well. Check the filter is doing its job, and double-check you aren't overfeeding and that the pond isn't
overstocked. Finally, bacterial infections. These will almost always be triggered by some kind of problem in terms of care, so while bacterial infections might shift the immediate cause in a different direction, the
ultimate cause is still likely to be down to injury, diet, or water quality. There isn't much you can do about Mycobacterium infections using off-the-shelf medications, even antibiotics, and you will need a vet to
diagnose such a problem and devise an appropriate treatment. Do deformities heal themselves? Generally not, but if the deformity is slight, the fish may adapt, and as it grows, the problem will be less noticeable. Again, a vet will probably be the best person to balance the severity of the deformity against the quality of life. If conditions in the pond can be improved, there's no reason to kill a Koi with a mild deformity. Indeed,
some people learn to love such oddball specimens! But still, it's something to avoid, and you want to think long and hard about what's wrong in the pond such that you've had to deal with at least three deformed fish.
Cheers, Neale.>

Koi problem... reading  10/20/2009
I have a 2-year old koi in our pond that has developed a problem. I had put leaf mesh over the top of the pond, and the next day found the two koi on top of the mesh. Mr. Big, the older of the two koi, is fine. Carmen, is not.
Today she was swimming on her side or upside down. Is it bloat?
<... a term w/o a specific cause... A symptom>
The pond is 120 gallons, and we have a heater. I'm hoping that we aren't going to lose her.
<This volume is too small to keep Nishikigoi>
Would putting Epsom salts in the pond hurt? There are other fish in the pond as well - 4 comets.
<... not a good idea to mix...>
Thanks for any help you can give me!
Karen
<Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/pdfshdisart.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Koi, hlth.   10/15/09 Hi I have a pond about 1/3 acre and have had koi for many years. I lost one this summer, and found one dying this morning. it had a swollen stomach, blisters on its side, it back was arched from swollen stomach. its anal port was swollen and popped out about the size of a silver dollar. would you know what may have caused this? Thanks Wade graham Canton, pa. <Frightening for sure... there are a few possibilities here... leading likely to bacterial involvement. Have you had a change in the operation of the pond in recent times? An influx of water, some spraying of pesticide nearby? How do the rest of the livestock there look? Please see here re Aeromonads: http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/holedispd.htm and the linked article linked above re pond fish/koi disease. Bob Fenner> re: Koi, hlth.   10/16/09 Thank you for responding, the only thing is we had to disturb the pond and had a backhoe dig out part of bottom in the water to fix a leak. maybe that was enough to cause damage, I see a little hydraulic residue on the water when it was done. Thanks wade <It might well be that this is the cause Wade, or at least a contributor... Best to overfill the basin to float off any "residue", keep whatever aerator/aerating mechanism going continuously (e.g. a destratifier). BobF> re: Koi Here are some pictures that might help. thanks <Mmm... these non-emarginated sores do look like Aeromonad involvement... but there are almost always environmental mediating factors in such instances... I would not be feeding these fishes if your water temperature is staying below 55F. BobF> Re: Koi, hlth. 10/16/09 Hi Bob, I'd concur with your message about not feeding koi while it's cold. Here in England, it is well known you need to stop feeding once water temperature approaches 10 C (about 50 F). The explanation given is that while the movement of food through the gut of the fish slows down with its metabolism, bacterial decay of the food doesn't slow down as much. So you have lots of potential for serious problems, including symptoms like those described by your correspondent. I believe the same holds true for hibernating reptiles and amphibians. In England at least, goldfish and koi are not fed between October and about March. If they do need to eat, they have access to algae and organic material in the pond, and there's seemingly much less risk from those than from high-protein pellets. Cheers, Neale <Thank you for this. Will compile. BobF>

Mysterious koi illness... study, application...   7/14/09 I have searched every website I can find and ask several pond specialist in or area but have not found the answer to my koi problem. All of my water test are good except salt witch I've been told to add sea salt instead of pond salt specifically for the koi. <I would not add salt period... not often useful, but quite often deleterious> The problem started after I added three large comets from a friends pond. <Mmm, not a good idea to mix goldfish and Nishikigoi... The reasons are gone over on WWM's pond subweb> Their pond is a very stable, healthy home to many large and small comets. Since adding the new fish one of my koi had a black spot behind the gills. It grew to the size of a nickel then all the scales fell off. Then I notices black spots on the other koi but they haven't lost any scales, yet. The first koi has now lost scales farther back on it's tale the same size as the first. The only other symptoms I have noticed are the over all color has changed to a dull orange and it seems to stay on the bottom sometimes. It still comes up to feed very vigorously and swims around with the others. The only answer I have found so far is some kind of disease that there is no cure for that is carried by gold fish to koi. I'm told that the gold fish do not show any signs of disease they are only the carrier. One of the pond stores I use lost $1,800 to this disease. Of course I can't remember the name of it only that it starts with "P" sorry. Before I learned about this mystery disease I treated with Melafix <Worthless> for 14 days with no benefit what so ever. I have now purchased Tetra Pond fish treatment at the recommendation of a local pond specialist. They told me they hated to even sell me the Tetra treatment since we have no idea what we're treating. <... then why not find out? A simple microscopic examination, skin scraping... perhaps with a dye...> Do you have any idea what this is or how to treat it from my pictures and my description? <Can only guess... there are a few Protozoans... Likely a Ciliate... maybe read re Chilodonella, Costia... and the treatments for such> The pictures below shows the first koi that showed signs of the disease. If you can tell it has lost scales on the left of it's body just behind it's gill and on the right side you can see where it has lost scales at the end of the top fin before the tail. It also has more black spots on top of it's body as you can see. The only other fish that show any signs of anything out of the ordinary is the comet to the right of the koi with the white head. That comets head wasn't always white and it has spread with time. <"Something" eating it...> None of the other comets show any signs of disease and I didn't notice that one until after I realized the koi had black spots. This pond is over a year old the only other guess I could make is we may have over stocked it with the addition of the last 3 big comets. I'm told that would not have caused this kind of disease. Please help I hate not being able to do something for them. Ruth Hall <Read on Ruth, read on... Bob Fenner>

Pond Goldfish  6/28/09
Hello BobF
<Gordon>
Please see my re-sent question in normal text sorry for the one in capitals I misread your info page.
<I see>
I wonder if you could help me with the following problem.
<Will do my best>
I have a 2500 gallon pond in which my koi and goldfish have been happy and disease free till about two years ago.
Many of my goldfish have been lost to very bad ulcerations on their sides,
<Mmm... Viremia? Viral? Environmental?>
however the koi have not been affected at all. I have spent rather a lot of money using various treatments from major aquatic retail stores and have listened to their advice but to no avail, I have lost 3 goldfish in the
past 2 weeks. I have even taken them out and tried to treat them but with no result. Rather than let them suffer I now extract the fish from the pond and dispose of them as and when required.
The ulcers/sores would be classed as MRSA in humans,
<Bacterial?>
and wonder why the koi are not suffering the same fate?.
<Mmm same family, different genera... though not too different... can cross breed... But there are differences in susceptibility to other contagions known twixt these species>
Any advice to eradicate this problem would be very much appreciated.
Regards Gordon Vaughan
<Mmmm, likely your best "bet" here is to seek out the services of an "aquatic veterinarian"... perhaps the Yellow Pages... you may need to refrigerate (not freeze) and send a specimen or two out... Bob Fenner>

Losing Koi... paucity of data  6/19/09
Hi my name is Vicky
<Hello Vic>
last year i started my pond its 20' by 12 and about 3 1/2 feet deep.
Well this spring got it all set up have a waterfall and pump in middle and a uv filter box i had about 8 to 10 fish in it and everything was fine, a week ago i went and bought about 12 fish 3 medium and the rest were little including some babies all koi. My 3 bigger ones are dead now and have lost 5 more that were smaller.
<Yikes... no quarantine procedure?>
Some of the fish that were dead had cloudy eyes the others looked like their scales were coming off and some looked fine. My concern is the ones that already were fine and doing good like my large butterfly koi i am really scared i might lose him, anyway i did a fifty percent water change
<Mmmm>
and put some pond salt back in and water conditioner and I have been using megafix and pimafix
<... please... follow directions... and search/read on WWM ahead of writing us. These two "compounds" are worthless>
for bacterial and fungus disease with my uv filter turned off. I have a lotus plant and lily plants in there also with some floating plants too, since i turned off my uv my water is real green too. Do you think what I am doing will help?
<... There's insufficient useful information here to help you... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/Pond%20Sub%20Web.htm
Especially the sections on disease... and write back with water quality test measures, some close-up, well-resolved images...
Bob Fenner>

Re: Losing Koi, still not reading...  6/20/09
I have been checking my water for about 3 weeks now, today i checked again nitrate 0,nitrite 0, GH in-between soft and hard looks more hard, KH 80, ph in the range of 7.8 to 8.4 says alkaline?
<Yes... and this is too large a range if shifting. You need to address the algal issue... which is driving this variation>
From what i have read the nitrate and the nitrite are most important?
<Mmm, no... of nitrogenous issues, ammonia is paramount, with NO2 secondary>
well its 6:00 Cincinnati time and I don't see any fish dead they all seem to look well moving ,eating and from what i can tell i cant see any signs of cloudy eyes or fin rot or any thing else tomorrow i am going to get in and check a lot closer but i want to turn my uv back on,
<I definitely would do so>
like i said earlier i was treating it with those 2 products the last treatment i did was about 7:00 Thursday night do you think it has been long enough so i can turn my uv filter back on?
<... the products mentioned are shams... Again, read... on WWM re>
I hope i have gave enough info that you can try to help, but this is all confusing to me. By the way 3 years ago I had a smaller pond in a different town and the only problems I had were with fish getting caught up in the pump, its funny i did not have to do anything I mean anything to the water just let nature that its course i guess and all my fish were fine and till one day 13 fish were just gone totally vanished. I thought some of the neighborhood kids took them because we had a few bad apples but for all I know a raccoon and other animal got them.
<... Turn the UV back on and read. BobF>

Pond Goldfish with Dropsy – 06/15/09
I have had problems in the past few years with cases of dropsy among the goldfish in my small (125 gallon) pond--about one case every two years.
<Likely environmental: for a pond, this is rather small, and if you don't have a filter, then water quality, pH stability and oxygen availability are likely very variable. There's probably a reason the deaths are periodic as
well. A fish dies, so the pond load is reduced and the fish are healthy, but then the fish grow above a threshold size, the pond is overloaded again, and another fish dies, and so on.>
The affected fish actually survive in an increasingly bloated state for over a year, beginning to show symptoms one summer and finally succumbing at some point during the following summer. This is the beginning of summer number two for one of the fish, and for the first time ever a second fish is showing signs of being affected concurrently. I have dealt with any and all environmental issues that might contribute to this problem and, after hours (probably totaling days) of researching the web for info, I am currently dosing the pond with Maracyn 2 and Epsom salts.
<While antibiotics such as erythromycin and Minocycline can help, and Epsom salts may reduce the swelling, the prognosis for Dropsy once it is established is generally pretty poor. It's more important to review the causes, and usually euthanising the fish while fixing the aquarium or pond ends up being the way forward.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/euthanasia.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/pdfshdisart.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/pndfiltrovr.htm
>
The Epsom salts ratio is presently 1/8 tsp per 5 gal of water, as I have read that this ratio will not harm the other healthy fish in the pond. I have also seen recommended doses of 1 tsp per 5 gal, and even 1 to 2 Tbsp per 10 gal,
<1 teaspoon per 5 to 10 gallons for Dropsy.>
however I haven't found any clear info re whether those stronger ratios will harm (e.g.. dehydrate) the other healthy pond fish or if those doses are for hospital tanks only.
<Won't do any harm to healthy fish. Goldfish are very tolerant of hard water, in fact they need it, and do very badly in soft/acidic conditions.
Feral Goldfish are found in brackish water too, which underlines their preference for mineral-rich rather than mineral-poor conditions.>
I'm trying to avoid a hospital tank if I don't need one, since catching the darn fish isn't easy and is stressful not only to the fish being chased but to all the other fish who think they're being chased (not to mention the
person wielding the net). Could you clarify for me what the maximum Epsom salts dose for a pond or aquarium containing a general population of healthy fish would be, and whether or when the dose should be repeated?
Thank you very much.
Mary
<Cheers, Neale.>

can you please help my fish? (Goldfish, dropsy) – 06/12/09 Hello my name is Amanda and my goldfish needs some serious help. <Indeed it does.> My goldfish (im not sure what type of goldfish) is in trouble and i would like to take it to a vet. or a specialist on fish but my parents do not care much about the fish and, in their words, "don't want to waste time on it". <Bad karma.> I was wondering if there was anything i could do on my own to help save the fish. My fish is extremely bloated and its scales are standing up but he is not floating at the top of the tank. There are clear bubble like sacks coming out all over its body and there are little white dots on his head that look to be potentially harmful to him. I know that cleaning the tank is a start since it has been a while since it has been cleaned. but i was wondering if there is anything i can do to save him. what do you recommend? I would greatly appreciate your help. <It's almost certain your fish has Dropsy, also known as Oedema, a condition caused by organ failure. Usually this happens because water conditions have been bad for a long time, so you do need to review how your fish are being kept more generally. Is the tank big enough? Is the filter strong enough? Do you change enough water each week? http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/goldfish101art.htm In any case, curing Dropsy is very difficult because the damage is done before you see the symptoms. Antibiotics such as erythromycin or Minocycline may help, and you can buy these from US pet stores under brand names such as Maracyn and Maracyn 2. As well as using antibiotics, if you ALSO add some Epsom salt at a dose of 1 teaspoon per 5 to 10 gallons and raise the temperature to around 82 degrees F, the antibiotics usually work quite a bit better. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/dropsyfaqs.htm Otherwise, Euthanasia is the only option, as described here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/euthanasia.htm Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Pond Goldfish with Dropsy 5/16/09 Thanks, Neale, for the information. Half our goldfish are about twenty years old and the rest--their offspring--are eleven, so I guess it's not overly surprising that the odd one would suffer from some ailment or another at this stage. <Be open minded: while I agree that at this age, some may simply be dying from natural causes, a wise aquarist take any deaths as possible clues something is amiss. Review stocking, filtration, circulation, etc.> Thanks again. Mary. <Cheers, Neale.>

New Pond, New Fish: Pond System\Water Conditions\No Useful Information 5/22/2009
Hello
<Hi Troy>
We have a new pond and 4 new fish, Koi.
<OK>
They been in the pond for about 2 days and they don't do a lot of moving around or eat, every once in a while they do eat.  How long will it take for the fish to get use to the pond.
<Need a lot more information than this. How big is the pond, did you test the water? What were the results of your water tests? What kind of filtration?
Do start here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/Pond%20Sub%20Web.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/h2ochempds.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/tstkitspds.htm
and read the articles and the linked pages on top.>
Troy
<Mike>

POND FISH NOT MOVING 5/22/09
Hello
We have a new pond and 4 new fish, koi. They been in the pond for about 2 days and they don't do a lot of moving around or eat, every once in a while the do eat.  How long will it take for the fish to get use to the pond. Troy
<Hi Troy, Mac here with you today. Koi are some of my favorite fish in the world and they are absolutely great in ponds so you have made a great choice. But you haven't told me. How big is your pond? What is the temperature of the pond and the outside area? Have you got water movement?  So let me tell you a little about what I have seen with Koi. First, they get to be big fish, sometimes up to 18 inches or 2 foot long. They need a very large pond. Depending on where you live you'll need to have a pool that is at least two feet deep so in the winter they have a place to be safe where it doesn't freeze. You might already know lots of this so pardon me for repeating. They tend to do better with top food which is
food that floats and they tend to be better eating when the weather is warm but in my experience mostly at the end of the day. Wet web media has lots of information on koi so I encourage you to look it up and get as much info as possible. Oh and it might take a couple of days for them to settle in.
They will start coming to the top of the pond.
Best of luck,
Mac>

Koi problem. No data, reading  05/23/09
I bought a Koi about a week ago. I just start noticing its not swimming smoothly ,Tail seams to be drooping and looks a little stiff. I never had a Koi do this before. It eats very well. What could be wrong ? Is there anything to do, will it die? thanks
<Umm... need more info... Read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/pdfshdisart.htm
and the linked files above... Bob Fenner>

Pondfish hlth. reading   5/16/09
I have a 700 gallon pond with 12 goldfish and 1 koi the koi is about 14inchs long. I noticed that at night he is wedging his nose in between the rocks.?? I have a waterfall and an airstone in my pond for years = I'm wondering if its oxygen?
<Mmm, no... otherwise the goldfish would do so also>
all of a sudden? I live in ny - he eats during the day and swims around and I am also seeing some other fish just hanging out like they are sleeping at night only?
<Do rest nocturnally>
my ammonia is fine my ph was 7.8 someone told me that was a little high so I put in the ph down. I don't know what to do?
please help
Paula
<... Please read: http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/pdfshdisart.htm
and the linked files above. Not enough information presented to begin speculating... Read, observe and report back with data as others have in your reading. Bob Fenner>

Orfe with green growth   5/2/09
Hi
<Hello,>
Recently added (5 weeks ago) two Orfe (4-5 inches) to an established pond (10 years+), both appeared to have settled in well. The pond is a mix of Koi and Orfe.
<Sounds lovely! This time of year the Orfe should be nice and active, swimming about all over the place. Great fish.>
All readings are fine, with good water clarity.
<Impressive; Koi by their nature make water cloudy, which Orfe hate, so there's a real balance here that you'll need to maintain via filtration and keeping the bottom of the pond relatively silt-free.>
Last week I noticed signs of a green 'weed like' growth on one of the Orfe, fins have a stringy growth (almost weed like) and there is a slight fluffy growth on the sides of the body, limited to were the fins meet the body.
<If fluffy, does sound like a Fungal infection. I've never heard of green fungal threads, but grey and brown are certainly possible, as well as the usual white. Do consider possible alternatives though, in particularly
Columnaris, a bacterial infection that can form thread-like colonies.>
I removed from the pond and treated with Para-Pure and salt, no improvement. (2-3 days) I then moved onto a Anti fungus and Bacteria with salt again, and have continued with this. Whilst the growth is not getting any worse, it is also not improving. The fish is not eating. Having searched the web and checked with local suppliers I cannot identify what this growth is.
<Ideally, I'd use something capable of treating both Fungal and Bacterial infections, since both are possible. Use something based on some cocktail of antimicrobial, antibiotic and/or organic dyes; avoid pseudo-treatments like tea-tree oil and salt, which really don't work reliably. This said, I suspect a Fungal infection more probable, and if forced to choose, would target that first. Treatment in a hospital tank is the ideal scenario, though remember not to use carbon while treating. Since Orfe are sensitive to low oxygen levels, ensure the treatment tank is well filtered and aerated.>
If you could help identify what it is or suggest a treatment, I would be most appreciative.
Thanking you for your assistance in advance.
Regards
Peter
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Orfe with green growth (RMF?) <Mmm, at times an oaf, but not an Orfe>  5/10/09
Good afternoon
I thought I would update you with news of the Orfe. Finally treated him with a product called Acriflavine. An intensive 'soak', followed by several days of slightly higher than recommended does in the holding tank. The growth cleared up, in about a week, and we returned him to the pond this morning, his first act was to eat!!
To confirm it was definitely a green growth that the Orfe had.
Many thanks for your assistance.
Regards
Peter
<Hi Peter. Acriflavine is a chemical (rather than a brand) used in many anti-fungal medications. It is, as you've observed, very effective. Now that you've established the problem was likely fungal, your next step is to figure out why the Orfe became infected; fungal infections primarily affect fish after they've been wounded or damaged in some way, typically through fighting or handling, but sometimes in pond fish via predators, frostbite,
etc. Cheers, Neale.>

Possible Tumor? Pondfish   4/28/09
Hello WWM Crew,
<Hello Stephanie,>
We have had an outdoor pond for 6 years now. It is a 500 gallon pond with a filtration system that over turns the water every hour and is also ran through a UV light. We clean the filters regularly and float Hyacinths during the summer. Our water is crystal clear with no odor and we never add chemicals...never! We live in Kentucky and our pond is shaded with a roof so there is plenty of sun and shade. Water temperature is good and they get plenty of oxygen due to a three tiered water fall. We actually do not do anything to it but replace evaporated water about every two weeks or so.
<All sounds ideal.>
Our fish are growing great, very active, get a long well with each other, and reproducing fine. Color is bright, breathing normal, scales good and beautiful. Not sure of breeds but believe comets and koi.
<Also good.>
Problem--6 years ago my friend gave me 2 fish (I don't know what the are...maybe comets?) They have long tails similar to butterfly koi but they do not have the [whiskers] that Koi have. They are reddish orange
and white in color.
<Most likely Goldfish of some sort, if they lack whiskers.>
They are approximately 10-12 inches from mouth to tip of tail. They were approximately 4-5 inches when we got them. But one of them last summer looked like it had a scale sticking up above it's right eye. Thinking it would fall off, we decided to leave it alone. Over the winter it grew. I netted it tonight for investigation and discovered it is at it's nostril.
It doesn't seem to bother it. It acts just as happy as ever and still as beautiful as it has always been. This is the only area of the spot and it is the about the size of an adult pinky finger tip. No other fish has this
or anything else. Is this a tumor?
<If only on one side of the head, then it is likely either a tumour or a cyst. Malignant tumours are rare in fish, and usually benign tumours or cysts only cause problems if they obstruct something important, like the
mouth or anus. The nostrils aren't terribly important to fish, since they only smell and don't breathe through them, so provided the swelling wasn't getting in the way, I'd not worry over much. A vet should be able to remove the thing without much bother. It's not something you can treat at home (unless you're a vet or surgeon, of course). The alternative explanation is Carp Pox, a viral infection very similar to Lymphocystis seem in tropical fish, particularly marine fish. Carp Pox tends to look like hot wax has been dribbled onto the fish and left to go solid. Like Lympho, it's basically untreatable but not usually fatal. Given good conditions, it eventually goes away, but like Lympho, this can take months or even years.
Carp Pox is usually related to overstocking and poor water quality, but may have other causative factors as well.>
Does it sound fatal?
<Not normally.>
Should I have it removed?
<Ideally, yes.>
Should I quarantine it for any treatment?
<Not required.>
Is this common in these fish?
<Not common, but does happen, just as with people. The reasons are obscure, and likely partly genetic, partly environmental, just as with humans.>
Please help! We love all of our fish but this one is special because it is one of our originals!
Thank you,
Stephanie
<Good luck, Neale.>

Strange looking white area on orange-red Koi 4/23/09
Dear Crew: I have corresponded with you several years ago regarding Shrimp... Koi with a kinked tail. He has since totally recovered and marvelously swimming "wit da fishes". My concern is now Marigold, a 10
year old orange-red butterfly Koi. I noticed white marks on her head when we opened our pond for the season yesterday. We are in Ohio and temperatures range from 50/39 (this week). We have pond and aerator going.
<I would take care to not do much with this system, its occupants till the water warms up considerably>
When I first entered your site today, I found something that was similar to my question, but then couldn't find it again. There is a definite "line" dividing koi head/body (where scales begin). I guess it would be the very top of head, opposite from nose. There are white marks there, smooth, not cottony, not raised, no prominent "edges"... only white and smooth, looking like someone took three fingers or an eraser and removed her orange color.
She is the only one. I called my regular "pond guy", nice, but really limited in koi health/diseases, and he said perhaps she swam under a low rock and scratched off the color. She is too large for me to "catch"...
and has been in the same pond since she was eight inches long... now nearly 30" long.
<Nice>
I can't find anything in Dr. Johnson's book, nor in others I have, the white marks are smooth, not raised or "cottony". Can you please help me?
None of the fish are doing too much swimming right now... it's 37 degrees, and they are huddled at the bottom, as in winter. All were quite active this past weekend when we were cleaning up leaves, etc., around the pond and cleaning filters.
<Mmmm, I would NOT do any of this till the water was staying in the mid 50's F... can cause real trouble...>
Anything you can offer regarding Mz. Marigold will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you. Barbi Morell
<Please, don't "do" anything at this point... Just wait for a month or so... then try to take a few good pix... and send them along. Really, best to not fool with the system, the Nishikigoi at this juncture at all. Bob
Fenner>

Re: Strange looking white area on orange-red Koi  04/23/09
Dear Bob... thanks so much for the prompt response. When you said "don't do anything" to the system... we already put in the Microbe-Lift PL and tested for everything. We also did a 10% water change.
<... Don't do anything further... Again, please read my writings on WWM, the TFH book I penned re... >
We needed about 14 cups of salt to bring it to the correct level. That's been done "so far". The next thing will be another one-fourth of the Microbe-Lift PL in four weeks.
<I would NOT...>
Soooooooooo... just the pump is running now, not the aerator or the UV Light/Pump. Shall we just "stand down" till we start averaging water temp of 50-55 degrees?
<Yes>
Sorry to again have to write, but the guy who put in our pond 10 years ago is really our only source. Can't really manage to find "good" info on the net... your site was the only one that has given us proper information. Thanks again, and hope you'll let me know about the above. Don't want to be a pest!. Barbi Morell
<No worries. When, where in doubt read...:
http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/Pond%20Sub%20Web.htm
BobF>