Koi Diseases How to diagnose and treat common koi fish diseases
Koi fish are very hardy, robust fish and don’t often once become sick once they have settled into the koi pond.
koi disease occurs in ponds as fish fall prey to parasitic,
bacterial or fungal attacks.
The causes of koi fish diseases varied and can range from a sudden
drop in water temperature, predator attacks and spawning to name a few.
No matter what the cause of the koi diseases, one thing remains
constant – the sooner you recognize and begin to treat the problem
…the more likely you will be successful treating the koi diseases.
Regular pond maintenance and water-quality checks
help keep diseases away from fish, but illnesses still
occur, even in the best-kept ponds.
The first sign of a problem may be a fish floating at the surface, by
which time it is probably too late for effective treatment.
For this reason, it is vital to set up a routine for examining
fish; feeding time provides an ideal opportunity to
check their appearance and behavior.
So how do you know if you have a sick koi fish? Sometimes the signs
that a fish is sick are very subtle, such as one fish segregating itself
away from other fish, or not eating very much.
As time passes and the koi disease gets worse, the symptoms become more obvious and may spread to other fish.
Environmental problems
The health of pond fish influenced by environmental
conditions.
During spells of hot weather, for example, evaporation can lower
water levels, which has the effect of concentrating dissolved nitrogenous waste.
Atthe same time, elevated temperatures drive oxygen out of the
water; the combination of nitrate and oxygen stress can be
fatal, especially for larger fish.
Many of these problems can avoided by topping off
water levels during the summer, and incorporating a
pump and filter; these improve water quality, break down waste,
and increase oxygen content by creating water movement.
Overstocking a pond, especially if it is not well established, places
great stress on its occupants, and fish may succumb to usually
benign bacteria that are present in the water.
Overfeeding is another common environmental problem,
especially in temperate areas in the spring and fall; uneaten food
decomposes in the water, encouraging populations of pathogens.
It turns out that Koi is quite hardy for ornamental fish. But, on
several occasions when there is irregularity in water quality, things
may become quite rough for them.
Among the most major disease for Koi is Ich parasite or white spot disease.
This disease will make the fish look like they have been
sprinkled with white salt all over their body.
This parasite will attach to the skin, and eat them alive for several
weeks before they detach themselves and move to other host.
There are several disease affecting them as other fish, but there is
one virus, which affected Koi and common carp but not other species.
That viral disease called Koi herpesvirus (KHV) or cyprinid herpesvirus 3. Most of the fish infected with this virus will die but some may survive.
Those who survive will be the carrier and may send the viral
infection to other non-infected fish.
In this case, most of the breeders that have Koi diagnosed with KHV
in their farm will need to take harsh action to cut all the population to avoid the spreading.
fish diseases pictures
Gill rot fish diseases pictures
This disease occurs the most of all the koi diseases.
Irrespective of conditions of breeding or sizes of koi, it occurs.
It often does at high temperature above 20 degrees centigrade, but
sometimes below the temperature, too
The disease advances . before the diseased koi fish loses its weight, it dies, that is before the fish shows any symptom, it dies.
In such a case if you open the gill, you will find red gill filaments turn grey or muddy, or some of them broken.
The germ is columnaris. Its treatment is oral administration of sulfa
drugs or antibiotic substances or a medicated bath of furan drugs.
Aquatic terramycin is very useful
fish diseases pictures Anchor worm disease
Red swellings appear under the scales.
When the tip of a swelling pulled, a worm with an anchor-shaped top comes out.
The worms stick to fins, mouths and the hypoderm.
Sometimes fifty or sixty worms live on a fish and weaken it to death.
Dipterex is efficacious to exterminate them.
fish diseases pictures raised scales
Liquid stays under the scales and puses them up.
The scales bristle up. liquid stays also in the abdomen and the body swells. The diseased koi fish looks like a pine cone.
First a part of the body affected, but gradualy the disease spreads all over the body. Eyes of the diseased koi fish protrude.
It breathes hard, swimming around in crazy manner.
After a day or two the fish dies, overtunring on its back.
The Doitsu happens to affected by the disease, but it recovers
Its causes supposed to be some bacteria, interruption in blood
circulation caused by a disease blood vessel or internal orga, some
medicines and excessive eating of live foods.
It occurs often in the spring when oxidized pupae given to koi.
When the water temperature is high, it breaks out. Any fish, either fry or adult, affected in dirty water.
Sulfa drugs, anitbiotics and furan drugs are efficacious. It is also helpful to break blisters and apply monafracin with Dipterex to the part.
It is important to find the disease in its earl stage, otherwise it will be difficult to cure it.
White spot disease
malachite green early June and minced fresh meat of aan immunized
Abrasion, Aquatic mold, Aquatic germ, Coton cover
The germs have many mycelia of which bottom parts stay inside the skin of a diseased koi fish.
The upper parts live in the water. They look like fur. The extreme case is that they enter deep inside, and the fish grows weak and dies after two to seven days.
The disease often breaks out in a pond where too many fish are put or the water is dirty.
Weak or wounded koi are easily affected by the disease. Its germs are Sapro legniasis and Achlyasis.
Treatment for the disease is to wash and remove the germs in 1.5 to 2.5 NaCl solution.
Remove the fur-like mycelia and apply 2% mercurochrome to the affected part.
Then put the koi fish in a medicated bath of monafuracin for fish. A medicated bath ofNitrofurazone is also efficacious
Treat for 5 consecutive days. Repeat until symptoms clear.
Secondary infections are also common and can be treated with
antibiotics or general cures like Tetra Ick® Guard® or Tetra® Fungus Guard®.
Consistent temperature and good water quality
will help prevent infections, in addition to using aquarium salt. learn more at http://www.tetra-fish.com
Can salt cure fish fungus?
This is the reason that body fungus infections are not seen on saltwater fish.
Adding 1 tablespoon of noniodized rock salt to each gallon of water is helpful in effecting a cure. …
Salt will kill aquarium plants and snails, but this should not be a
problem if you are treating the infected fish in a separate container.
What keeps fungus from growing on fish’s body?
Prevention. You can easily prevent body fungus. The fungi that cause this disease are considered “opportunistic” infections.
This means that the fungi lives in most aquarium water, and even
on the skin of most aquarium fish, without causing disease.
Is fungus on fish contagious?
Because fungus is not contagious, infected fish can be moved to a
quarantine tank for treatment away from other livestock.
This is the recommended approach for systems where some of the
livestock are intolerant of antifungal medications.
What causes fungus on fish?
The infection is usually caused by the fungus Branchiomyces and
can cause the entire gill to rot away.
Infections usually occur in stressed fish that are living in tanks with
high levels of ammonia or nitrate.
How do you treat fish fungus in a pond?
Make an un-iodized salt dip by using Pond Salt (available at your local pond retailer).
Dissolve 2.5 cupfuls of Pond Salt in 10 U.S. gallons of pond water making a 2.0% solution.
Gently place fish in a soft nylon net, then lower them into the salt dip for 5 to 10 minutes, no longer.
Fish lice disease
A koi with fish lice swims as if it were jumping in water, scrubs itself
against rocks or swims along the walls of the pond.
Being examined closely, it has worms about 5 millimeters long and 3 millimeters wide often on fins.
They make the fish weak and causes some other diseases of which it dies.
The technical term of a fish louse is Argulus foliaccus. It can be exterminated by Dipterex
Bladder disease
A koi with this disease struggles to go up to the surface, sinks down to the bottom or turns itself upside down.
It loses the sense of equilibrium and cannot swim in a normal position.
The causes are that swelled intestines press the air bladder because
of indigestion, that indigestion makes the body weak as the
temperature falls and that fatty degeneration of an air bladder.
It is difficult to cure it.
Tumor of reproductive organs
Huge koi are apt to be affected by the disease.
The diseased koi has a large tumor in its abdomen which gradually
gets larger and affects the skin Finally the tumor breaks and the fish dies.
Especially the tumor in the first half of the body seems to be malignant.
It is a malignant tumor of the genital gland. Particles like cancer virus are found in it.
The tumor should be found and removed in its early stage. Examination of the texture is necessary as soon as it is found.
Spinal paralysis
Agricultural chemicals such as Dipterex, over-feeding or electric
shocks from the submersible pump motor or lighting cause koi spinal paralysis.
They become crooked. It is difficult to cure it, but sometimes it heals naturally.
Keeping the diseased fish in a large pond is an effective treatment.
Gas bubble disease
It occurs when the water temperature is high in the summer. Fry often suffer from it in green water.
Gas bubbles appear on the head or the fins and sometimes eyes
protrude, supersaturation of oxygen in water causes the disease.
It can be prevented by adding water to the pond or making a shade over it.
When aeration or heating is working in a tank, they must be well-controlled not to cause the disease.
Dystrophy of the back
The back of a diseased koi caves in along the dorsal fin. The line of the backbone shows itself clearly.
Its mortality rate is not high. Koi affected by the disease are weak against oxygen shortage or wintering.
They are apt to get scraped or molded. The cause is said to be degenerate fat of pupae.
A report tells the disease resembles men’s sugar diabetes pathologically.
Vitamin E drugs are used for its treatment but it is very difficult to cure it.