Onset of crooked spine, pond, Koi   6/20/07
Dear Crew... Helpppppppppp!
<Helloooooooo....>
I've tried the entire day, phoning area vets to find answers as medical deformity in seven year old pond Koi. We've had him since he was about 4" long... he is still the runt of the pond at approximately 16 - 18" long... the others are at least 2 feet long. He is the size of our 5 year old Butterfly Koi.
<Well, yes, sounds like bad genes.>
Yesterday, I thought "Shrimp" looked a little curvy. I've been observing him since sundown yesterday... he ate as usual... as well and as aggressive as the other eight pond dwellers. I observed him at least two hours today... he has a decided "kink" where his tail begins. His swimming appears to be fine... appetite fine... but he wasn't shaped like this three days ago. I've been on line for the past 2-1/2 hours and getting nowhere. We had a storm several nights ago with thunder and lightening... could he have been struck?
<Struck, yes. Still alive afterwards, no.>
What precautions should I take with medication, etc. I'm so frustrated at NOT being able to get an answer. One website suggested Vitamin B or C deficiency... another a mycobacterium... please help. I have a friend who is a vet but knows nothing about fish... nor does the nursery who sold them to us seven years ago. Apparently no one in the area knows anything about Koi... only how to sell them to you and provide food for them. We purchase all our food and pond supplies through Drs. Foster and Smith out of Wisconsin... and feed several kinds of food... three different ones actually.
<Yes, diet can cause deformities in fish. Just as in humans. To be fair though such a problem with Koi carp isn't common, because they are omnivorous fish and their are so many brands of good quality Koi feed on the market. Identifying particular vitamins is a bit of a waste of time; you need to get them all correct. Standard Koi diet, mixed with some greens from the kitchen should give a nice balance. The green foods are often overlooked, but are critically important because fresh foods contain vitamins that dried foods tend to lose gradually after manufacture. A ratio of 50:50 pellets and greens would seem about right to me. At the very least, keeping the pond well stocked with edible aquatic plants, such as pondweed, is a good thing to do, and by skipping some of their meals, you will encourage them to eat these plants plus some algae.>
Please help me determine what to do for my little guy.
<Likely bad genes. Koi are intensively bred, and quality control is variable. There's a reason Koi aficionados pay $1000s for top-quality fish while your local pet store sells them for $10 a pop -- quality. With Koi (as with everything else) you get what you pay for. This isn't to say "Shrimp" can't be a fun, friendly pet, I'm sure he can. But you have to accept that when you chose that fish, you pulled the short straw, so to speak. He probably always had a kink in the tail, but it's only now become obvious to you for whatever reason. Provided he is otherwise healthy, and the water quality is good, and you're giving the fish a nice balanced diet, then don't worry about it.>
I hope he isn't suffering. It is raining now and they are all frolicking in the rain drops. That is what they do when it rains. It seems the rain is their own private little sprinkler system. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
<Sounds as if your fish are happy. Please, just enjoy your fish, don't worry about the deformed one, and just love him that little bit more because he's special.>
Barbi
<Good luck, Neale>

Re: onset of crooked spine  6/20/07
Neale... thank you for your prompt reply regarding Shrimp.
<No problems.>
Usually when at the pond, and am feeding, I observe that all are eating... getting their share, make sure there are no bulging or protruding eyes, nothing on gills that shouldn't be... swimming... aggressive... etc. I can't believe that Shrimp could have been crooked and I didn't notice it.
<Interesting.>
Perhaps because it looks as if he is experiencing a growth spurt... now it is more obvious.
<Certainly a viable hypothesis. Spine deformities are quite common in fish (I have one peppered catfish with an alarmingly twisted spine and had a baby halfbeak in a recent batch of fry much the same. Doesn't cause any particular problems, but the main thing is not to breed from them, so the faulty gene dies out.>
I think perhaps I was lax in more closely observing and became complacent because we've never had a problem of any kind. It also appears that the sides of his body are a little darker. Or can it be my imagination... like humans who think they have maladies that don't exist.
<Without seeing the fish, difficult to know. Fish do change colour for a variety of reasons, some normal, others worrying. But provided the fish is otherwise healthy, I'd tend to focus on "observation" rather than "treatment".>
Is it possible to be just looking for any little thing that may have changed? I'm becoming paranoid about him despite your reassurances.
<Hah! Nothing wrong in being careful, where animals' lives are concerned.>
Would you possibly e-mail back if there is anything to the fact that he appears to be darker on his sides than before.
<The most common reason in stress. Many fish can change colour to signal to other members of the group they are, for example, not a threat, so please leave me alone. But Koi don't do this (as far as I know) because they're bred to have certain (artificial) colours. Now, they can lose/gain colour over time. This is (again) where breeding comes in -- people pay for show-quality Koi because the parents and grandparents of that fish were known to have consistent, quality colours throughout life. Generic Koi aren't backed up by this sort of breeding. It's basically like buying a pedigree cat versus a moggy. A pedigree cat will exhibit behaviour and colour within very specific boundaries. A moggy is a bit of a pot-luck because you don't know its ancestors -- sometimes you get something as beautiful as any show cat, other times something a bit more ordinary (but still loveable, of course).>
I so appreciate your expertise and kindness in replying. Your words have eased my mind somewhat... but still am wondering.
<It's good to worry. Look out for accessory signs of infection: Finrot, mouth fungus, pox, lice, etc. that Koi sometimes get. Koi Herpes Virus is another thing to be aware of, and while it's a viral infection the signs are similar to those of Finrot or some other bacterial infection -- blisters, open sores, dead skin patches, and so on. But if your fish is otherwise completely normal and happily swimming about doing his thing, then there doesn't sound (to me) to be anything alarmingly bad here. I hasten to add that this isn't to say something isn't wrong, since I can't see this fish, and if you're really worried, a trip to the vet may be in order. Koi are large enough that treatment by vets is viable, and given the cost of good Koi and how long they live, economically worthwhile. There are also some excellent Koi books on the market, any one of which could be a sound investment. I remember petting a 20-year old giant Koi in a pond at a family friend's house. Really nice animals, and definitely among the very few fish that really seem to enjoy human company.>
Shrimp and his pond mates ate as usual last night... in the rain... swimming
back and forth in the reeds looking for remnants of food. I will definitely
begin the greens today... I always have tons and tons of various types of
green in the fridge for my two guinea pigs.
<This all sounds great. Greens help a lot, including fish colours, because many of the chemicals used to produce colours come from plant sources (such as carotenes). Shellfish, especially prawns, are also very good for this. But the flip side to prawns is their high Thiaminase content, a chemical that breaks down vitamin B1, so great as a treat, not so good as a staple.>
Again, Neale, thank you so very much.
Barbi
<No problems. And good luck. Neale>