Treatments for Your Sick Koi Fish
Pond
It is every
koi fish owner’s nightmare. You wake up one morning to find a pond
full of sick fish! You don’t really know what they have, but you
know that something is off. Below you will find a list of some of
the most common complaints from koi owners, and some ideas as to
what the problem could be. With anything, you will want to do your
homework beforehand and research the best treatments for your fish.
Here are some
things that should alert you to a problem:
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Sudden death - this is obvious but if only one fish dies, the rest
of the pond could still be affected. Possible problem: poisoning
and/or severe bacterial problem.
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Lethargic fish - they won’t eat and may hang around on the surface
of the water or stay at the very bottom of the pond. Possible
problem: poisoning and/or severe bacterial problems.
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Your koi fish may try to leap out of the water. Possible problem:
water imbalance or parasites.
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Fish rubbing against rocks and other solid objects in the pond. You
may notice silver coloring on the sides of their bodies where they
rub their scales off. Possible problem: water imbalance or
parasites.
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Heavy breathing, gasping motions. They may also crowd around the
water inlets. Possible problem: low oxygen levels, water imbalance,
parasites, anemia, or gill disease.
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Cloudy or grey areas on their skin. Possible problems: could be a
variety of diseases, parasites, bacterial infection, and water
imbalance.
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Skittish and/or shy behavior. Ragged fins. Possible problem: poor
water quality, polluted water, parasites, bacterial disease.
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Covered in slime. Could also have skin lesions or ulcers. May also
show reddening or inflammation on the body and fins. Swelling may
also occur. Possible problem: physical injury to the fish,
parasites, bacterial disease, poor water quality or pollution.
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Pop-eye - a bulging eye. Possible problem: viral infection,
bacterial infection, tumor, heart or kidney disease, parasites,
genetic disorder
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Tiny white spots on the skin of the fish - looks like they are
sprinkled with salt. Possible problem: Ichthyophthirius (Ick)
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Cotton-like patches on the skin. Possible problem: fungal infection,
cotton wool disease, bacterial infection.
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Cloudy eyes. Possible problem: physical damage, poor nutrition, poor
water quality, bacterial infection.
Many of these
problems will come in clusters, which makes it increasingly
difficult to diagnose your koi. And remember, even if none of the
other fish in the pond are exhibiting signs of illness you will want
to treat the entire pond. Quarantine the ones that are showing
symptoms and keep a close eye on the rest of the pond. If the
outbreak is bad enough, you may have to drain your pond and start
from scratch.
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