Poorly Koi - Any experts here?
Discussion
One of our Koi isn't looking all that well at the moment. Across her back there are lots of patches of blood and some of the scales around those patches are broken.
This is a picture from just before we moved. We thought it was to do with the water quality, but the new pond is much better. Any thoughts?
This is a picture from just before we moved. We thought it was to do with the water quality, but the new pond is much better. Any thoughts?
Not a Koi expert but I've had fish for a few years now.
Looks like you want to get that fish out and into a QT tank and treat it - I know there are treatments for Koi in that condition as I've helped a mate (actually we took it out, put it in a bowl and put in some "relaxer" so the fish settled down then we could use the cotton bud and treatment on the scales) fix one of his.
Looks like you want to get that fish out and into a QT tank and treat it - I know there are treatments for Koi in that condition as I've helped a mate (actually we took it out, put it in a bowl and put in some "relaxer" so the fish settled down then we could use the cotton bud and treatment on the scales) fix one of his.
The OP said that only one of his carp is poorly. Therefore I doubt if it is a "general" problem, pH,parasitic etc.
If it was a salmonid, I would say it was physical rubbing caused by any of a number of things. What came first the chicken or the egg I can't tell and could only be resolved by careful observation.
There might be a low level bacterial infection of the skin and the dorsal fin looks a bit suspect.
The fish is still feeding which also suggests a low level problem.
Most remedies that I know are now probably banned. It won't be the low level skin infection that will be the problem but the following secondary fungal infection.
All I can suggest is a saline wash/bath which is very effective for skin problems.The stronger the better but bath treatment can be a bit dodgy.
I can't really see from the picture but is the predator net too close to the water and the fish is rubbing on it?
My gut feeling it is sunburn or the fish is egg-bound if it is a female (needless to say!)
Whatever, saline is probably the most practical treatment. Please e-mail me if you wish but please remember my experience is only with salmonids.
If it was a salmonid, I would say it was physical rubbing caused by any of a number of things. What came first the chicken or the egg I can't tell and could only be resolved by careful observation.
There might be a low level bacterial infection of the skin and the dorsal fin looks a bit suspect.
The fish is still feeding which also suggests a low level problem.
Most remedies that I know are now probably banned. It won't be the low level skin infection that will be the problem but the following secondary fungal infection.
All I can suggest is a saline wash/bath which is very effective for skin problems.The stronger the better but bath treatment can be a bit dodgy.
I can't really see from the picture but is the predator net too close to the water and the fish is rubbing on it?
My gut feeling it is sunburn or the fish is egg-bound if it is a female (needless to say!)
Whatever, saline is probably the most practical treatment. Please e-mail me if you wish but please remember my experience is only with salmonids.
Edited by tenex on Wednesday 21st July 19:27
otolith said:
Fair point that it's just the one fish, but cyprinids will tolerate water quality issues that would kill salmonids outright with just an increased risk of disease - frequently things like ulcers and dropsy. It's always the first thing I would rule out.
I was only trying to be helpful. I'm aware that cyprinids will survive water temperatures and oxygen levels outwith the salmonid range. However this is irrelevent to the OP's problem.It seems extrapolation could be a dangerous thing, and as such, I defer.
Wasn't disagreeing with you, Tenex, more making the point that stress caused by sub-lethal water quality issues may be enough to make fish vulnerable to other problems - the other fish aren't affected yet, but if the water quality is poor, there may be more problems in the pipeline. Best just to check it, confirm that it isn't a contributing problem and move on. I'm sure you've got valuable experience to contribute, and I didn't mean to denigrate that.
The problem with sickness in pet fish is that it's difficult to get effective medication, because not many vets really treat fish. Over the counter treatments are basically the same stuff that I expect you buy in bulk (what hasn't banned yet) - formalin, malachite green, methylene blue, acriflavin, copper sulphate, etc - repackaged for a massive mark up. Fine for many things, but pretty ineffective against things like serious bacterial infections - it's like trying to treat septicaemia in humans before antibiotics came along. There are some vets who do treat fish, though, so it may be an option for the OP.
The problem with sickness in pet fish is that it's difficult to get effective medication, because not many vets really treat fish. Over the counter treatments are basically the same stuff that I expect you buy in bulk (what hasn't banned yet) - formalin, malachite green, methylene blue, acriflavin, copper sulphate, etc - repackaged for a massive mark up. Fine for many things, but pretty ineffective against things like serious bacterial infections - it's like trying to treat septicaemia in humans before antibiotics came along. There are some vets who do treat fish, though, so it may be an option for the OP.
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