Emaciated Doitsu Sanke Koi   6/2/06
Hi WWM crew,
I've been trying to find information on treating a condition where juvenile Koi I have purchased seem to be slowly starving to death (Yes, I have actually tried feeding them, including soaking rich foods like brine shrimp in garlic to whet their appetite). There are no external lesions or lumps on the body but these young fish have a hunched over look as their abdomens shrink. They look emaciated and eventually grow listless and die. I haven't been able to find much information on treating them or even what is causing this. I found one pond disease FAQ that mentioned something similar in a much larger fish but gave no reason for the condition occurring in the first place.
I began treating my quarantine tank with Maracyn and Maracyn-Two as the other FAQ mentioned similar treatment anti-bacterial treatment as well as introducing some medicated pellets containing 1.0% Metronidazole (made by Jungle) although I doubt these will be consumed. Since this Koi had also contracted a few spots of ick I added some kosher salt and increased the temperature to 32C. The tank was filtered by a Fluval 104 but I have shut it down overnight to let the medications permeate the fish (will turn it on tomorrow for a few hours to cycle the water through it before the next medication dose) and am just circulating with an AquaClear 150 with no carbon and some BioMax.
I am trying to save this Sanke as it is a very attractive fish but I do not expect a good outcome. I have had to return a series of dead fish to the store for the exact same reasons. This fish is a replacement from another store location for a fish that died of the same ailment. I know the water quality of the display pond where the fish are kept is abysmal but I thought being introduced to a well maintained environment would counter any previous poor treatment.
Any information would be very much appreciated.
Regards, Patrick.
<Mmm... we might discuss the practical use of injectable Chloramphenicol (Chloromycetin succinate)... If this fish is very valuable... through a veterinarian's care... intramuscular. Please have your vet. contact me at WWM or at fennerrobert@hotmail.com
Bob Fenner>

Water temp, Pond Fish with Ick/Ich, UV lights   7/26/06
Hi,
I have a 2 year old pond about 1200 gallons with plants, waterfall and pressurized UV and bio pond filter.
<Okay>
I test the water daily and it is balanced and the water quality good. I have three large gold fish (6" to 8") and two small Koi.  2".
Recently the smallest of my large goldfish developed Ich.  I have a couple of questions:
I am concerned that frequent partial water changes and pond top-offs (every few days because I lose a lot of water through evaporation and waterfall "splash") are creating fluctuations in water temperature that stress the fish and make them susceptible to disease.  
<Possible>
Is there anything I should do about this?
<Yes... replace this water changed out and top offs very slowly... as in  drip... WITH placing a timer, other reminder on the door let's say, to help you recall that the hose pipe is running, needs to be shut off>
And I'm afraid that treating the fish for Ich and continuing this practice might be counter-productive.
<?>
Is the  Ich life cycle longer because I unavoidably keep lowering the water temperature w/these top-offs?
<Slightly more so>
  I'm in a rural area and  my water is very cold because it  comes from a (very clean)  underground well.    
What should I do?
<Perhaps drip the new water over the falls...>
Also, I have used AP Pond Cure Ick.  Just one app. so far.  No additional Ich spots, but the ones that were there still are.   Must  
I take the UV bulb from the filter for this treatment to be effective?
<A good idea if this cure is copper based... the UV will plate out the copper>
Is vacuuming the pond advisable?  
<If there is much "muck", this is a good idea>
Though the pond water tests really well,  I have a lot of silt-like stuff on bottom and that clings to the sides and gets stirred up when it rains.  Is this a breeding environment for the Ich parasite?
Thank you for your time and help.
--Judy
<Is possibly forestalling the cure here. Bob Fenner>

Koi very heavy  8/27/05
I have a Koi that looks like a pregnant horse.  Scales do not stick out like in dropsy.  Swims with the other fish, is active and eats.  I'm wondering if it can't spawn - is that possible?  Any suggestions on what to do.
<May be dropsical... or egg-bound... You can try adding Epsom Salt to a small-enough container at the dose of about a level teaspoon per ten gallons, and/or  drop some liver oil into the fish's mouth... Bob Fenner>

Re: Koi very heavy  8/30/05
Thanks for the quick reply.  I have a total of 6 Koi & 1 comet in a 750 gallon outdoor pond in the Willamette Valley in Oregon.  Is it okay to leave the "fat" Koi in the pond and add the Epsom salt to the pond or should I put the "fat" Koi in a smaller kiddie pool and add the salt to that?
<Can be treated in either place... better in a smaller, separate tank... Do keep it covered, aerated... monitor ammonia... Bob Fenner>

Koi with puffy white spots  - 2/4/2006
Hello,
<Hi there>
I am trying to treat a Koi in my pond.  It has puffy white spots on its tail fin.  I treated the pond with antifungal remedy for a week.   It contained Pimenta Racemosa 2.5%.
<... another "tea" mix...>
The fish is eating and behaving normally for the winter period.  The air temperatures are in the high 50's during the day and into the 30's at night.  The water temperature is cold.
<And hopefully not fluctuating much in the system>
  The fish are not as active as the summer, which is normal for past seasons.  
<Yes>
Can you recommend a treatment?  Thanks, JT from Santa Rosa, California
<Mmm, not w/o knowing what this is, the root cause. Best not to "fool" with ponds, their occupants during cold seasons (when water is consistently below 55 F.)... I would maybe... carefully add salt here... as proscribed on WWM... otherwise I'd wait, hope for a cure in the coming warmer weather. Bob Fenner>

Wardley ick away
Hi,
I have a sick fish in my outdoor pond.  He has ick and very sick.  I went to Wal-Mart and bought Wardley Watercare Ick Away and put it in my outdoor pond.  Is it harmful to kids and domestic pets.
Thank you
Janet
<Mmm, time to send you to their website for their technical help. These formulations vary and most are relatively "safe" around pets, children (let's say, compared to many household cleaners). Check the product or packaging for their website or 800 number. Bob Fenner>

Swim bladder problems in golden Orfe 
Hello to you all, 
<Salutations> 
I am in England and have just discovered you on the web whilst searching for an answer to the problem of what can only be a swim bladder problem in a golden Orfe. 
I have a pond of approximately 2000 gals. in which I have Koi, grass carp, ghost carp, comet goldfish and, of course, golden Orfe. The total number of fish is 20 so the are definitely not overcrowded.  Yesterday, Sat. 13th. April, I noticed one of the golden Orfe, a fish about 10 inches long, was on the surface with its dorsal fin out of the water and it was having the greatest difficulty submerging. Twenty four hours later it shows no sign of improvement. I can only presume from its condition that it is a swim bladder problem.  As at this time of year in England the pond water temperature is still rather low the fish are not really feeding so I am unable to supply any oral treatment, if indeed there is any, at this time.  The pond has been treated with Acriflavine and a commercial tonic pond salt with a Ph buffer.  I would be grateful for any suggestions you may have and thank you in anticipation.  Kindest regards,  Ken. Drewitt. 
<I suggest the application of Epsom salt here (Magnesium Sulfate), at the rate of one pound per thousand gallons... I would not be concerned re the lack of feeding during this cooler weather. The root cause/s of this condition may not be nutritionally related, but I would look into a low protein (less than twenty percent by dry weight) prepared food source during cooler months. Bob Fenner>

Sick Koi & Comets
<Hi! Ananda here today while the usual Koi crew are out and about...>
I guess I have been lucky until now, I have a large pond (1600) gallons, this past week the fish all started acting strange, they seem to gulp for air, (not all the time) stay at the waterfall, some have a film
<I'm not quite sure what you mean by "a film"...>
and I have lost 5, the salt level was low, I have brought it up to .2%, the ph, is a little high but not in the alarming range,
<Any change of more than 0.2 per day can be stressful to fish.><<RMF says 0.1>>
the nitrates, ammonia are both ok, the water is on the hard side, well water. We recently put in a new filter system could this have stressed the fish? 
<Perhaps, if you also removed the old filter system at the same time, leaving the fish with no biological filtration, or something similar...?>
I also wonder if maybe the pond now is overcrowded as I have several large Koi and then smaller fish. I am at the end of the rope trying to figure things out. There are several pond owners in town that have problems and have lost fish this past week.
<In that case, a couple of things come to mind. Have you had a heat wave? A sudden increase in water temperature might lead to significantly lower oxygen levels. A sudden change could be especially problematic. Did several of these people do a water change shortly after the city added something different to the water, perhaps?>
We have had a lot or rain.
<What is the pH of the rain, compared to the pH of the pond? Is the difference enough to cause a pH swing in the pond?>
If you have any suggestions I would appreciate them.
Sarah
<Got a pond club or Koi club? If so, I'd get everyone who's lost fish, and several people who have not, to check their water parameters -- preferably with the same test kit (pond tour time) or at least using the same brand of kit. I'd compare those results with each other. I'd also look at any trends the various owners may have noticed in their water parameters. And I'd compare pond maintenance practices. I'd look for patterns in just about anything... it's detective work, but perhaps you'll find something. Wish I could be of more help. --Ananda> 

All my pond fish have open sores
Hello,
I have a 95 gallon in-ground pond that has been running for the second year.
All of my fish, seven 4" comets and one 7" calico goldfish have developed a severe case of open sores.
<This is very bad...>
  Reading some disease facts on your site, I believe they have Furunculosis.
<Me too... or some extreme environmental insult>
These are the same fish I had last year with no problems.  I have been told by my LFS to use Pond Melafix to treat the pond.
<Ehhh... what?>
After 4 days of usage I have not seen any improvement in the sores.  I am at a loss of what to do next.  My questions are if I should do any of the following: Should I continue this treatment, try some other med, do a large water change, add salt?
<Please review the article on Furunculosis... if all fishes are affected I would encourage you to commence a regimen of antibiotic laced food/s>
I would appreciate any help you could give me as the situation looks severe.
Background
Early this year, I added a bio filter to the existing bubbler pump to help filtration and a trickling flagstone rock waterfall.  The water has been clear, which I contribute to the filtering abilities of the thriving water hyacinth, lettuce, and a water Lily.  I have not been in the practice, however, of testing the water as I did not for the first year which was very successful.  The same has held true for this year except for the open sores in the fish.  I perform a 15 gallon water change about every month.
Feeding is once a day without overfeeding where the fish are always eager and active to eat.  Circulation and oxygenation is very adequate.  I have used the Micro Lift product two times, once in the early spring, and once about 1 month later.  Temperatures, as of first noticing the disease, have been low in the upper 50's to high in the mid 70s.
Thanks,
Glenn Koenig
<Do you have a sophisticated store where you might take some of your fish for their inspection? Are the sores emarginated? That is, do they have an obvious reddish zone about the openings? Bob Fenner>