So if it is not new fish bringing in problems, what are the causes of disease. Well there are the same reasons that there have always been, and some of these may not be as obvious as first thought.
Poor Water Quality
We get
complacent, don’t both to check our water parameters weekly,
forget the weekly water change and keep chucking in mountains of
food……Until eventually our Koi are showing signs of
ulceration, or parasites and when we check our water we find that
Make no mistake, low levels of nitrite and ammonia which are permanent will stress your koi. Stress can lead to either parasite infestation or bacterial disease or both.
We must bear in mind that our koi are living in an artificial, closed environment; a bacterial soup if you like and we need to be vigilant to ensure premium quality water conditions at all times.
Overstocking
Still one of the
biggest killers of koi. Leads to poor water quality as above and
an increased chance of cross infection. Once one fish develops a
problem, it’s neighbour's can quickly succumb. The general rule
of thumb is one fish inch to every 10 gallons. I know most of us
don’t stick to this rule but it is a fact that the higher the
stocking rate, the greater is chance of a disease outbreak
occurring
Inappropriate Treatments
Your fish are jumping; it’s spring so your fish must be suffering
from parasites. Chuck in some Malachite and Formalin just in case.
Result – fish that were probably very happy and full of the joys
of spring and free of parasites are now stressed after a week or
so living in chemicals that they didn’t need. Obviously the pond
may need medicating from time to time, but ensure that you
investigate the cause of any perceived problem and apply the
correct treatment
Cleaning out the Filter
Some hobbyists still believe they should be cleaning out their filter
every week and switching off their pumps altogether in winter. I
am amazed at just how often I have come across disease problems
apparently caused by these factors. If you need to clean your
filter out every week, it’s the wrong filter and you need to do
something about it! A mature filter should not need cleaning more
than once per year and then only one chamber at a time
Poisons
Not as uncommon as it
may sound, with inappropriate wood preservatives, poor fibre
glassing and use of dangerous substances, such as polystyrene
coming into contact with the water, closely followed by
inadvertent dosing with weed killers or slug pellets. I know of a
least one very toxic weed killer which is guaranteed to kill patio
weeds for up to 3 years with just one treatment which is currently
being offered in the Koi market as a pond additive to kill blanket
weed. And we wonder why we get problems!
There are of course a myriad of other reasons that could potentially lead to a disease problem but most of these result in poor water quality which is the ultimate culprit in the vast majority of cases.
So is it all doom and gloom, must we expect regular disease outbreaks and expect newly imported fish to be more vulnerable to disease than existing stocks? Are we at the end of the road with antibiotics being misused and abused?
Well I personally believe the answer is no on both counts. Firstly, we must recognise that our prime objective as koi keepers is to keep good water. If we achieve that, then as the saying goes the Koi will largely look after themselves.. So lets try and remember the Golden rules.
- Don’t overstock
- Do check water parameters regularly. Ammonia, Nitrite and pH being the most important
- Do carry out regular water changes via a purifier of around 10% per week, especially during summer
- Do investigate apparent problems to ascertain the cause(s) before medicating your pond and seek advice from an experienced club member if you need help
- Don’t introduce new fish without being quarantined first
- Don’t overfeed your koi (or more precisely your filter!)
OK – so you are now a vigilant Koi keeper, doing all this and you still run into problems – what treatments should you use to combat problems.
Happily, even with bacterial problems these days, we don’t always have to rush for the antibiotics. First consider some of the good old remedies that still work, and work very effectively.
Fresh Water
Yes that’s right
just good old high quality water. Many perceived problems will be
reduced or even go away completely by carrying out water changes
(through a purifier) and/or by trickling in a constant supply of
fresh water at very low flow rates. This will dilute poisons and
pond pollutants and reduce bacteria count
Potassium Permanganate
Still one of the best bactericides available, cheap and effective,
can be used at any temperature and reduces bacteria count and
cleans up external wounds on our koi very effectively. Has the
added benefit that it kills some parasites as well.
Chloramine T
Very similar to
Potassium, slightly more expensive, but like potassium kills
bacteria and some parasites. Must be used above 55 deg F.
Salt
The great tonic, great
supportive treatment when treating koi for a wide variety of
ailments, can be used as a dip and can be used to kill parasites
and bacteria at high strength. Helps lessen the burden on the
koi’s osmoregulatory system (helps keep the koi’s fluid bodily
level in balance). Cannot be used with all chemicals, notably
potassium and chloramine T.
Acraflavine and Acraflavine derivatives
Great non-aggressive treatment for bacterial disease,
and like potassium and chloramine, cleans up external wounds very
well, and can be used with salt. One of the only recognised cures
for dropsy when used in conjunction with salt. May be safely
overdosed, and whilst at high strengths it will affect your
filter, it will not harm your fish.
Now as well as these good old treatments we can add a range of new treatments to our armoury, all of which have been proven to be very effective in our fight against disease. Some are as yet not widely used but I am sure that when the message finally sinks in they will be!
Proflavine Hemisulphate
Excellent bactericide can be used with salt and, like Acraflavine
non-aggressive. Acts systemically, (internally) unlike the drugs
above, and can therefore be effective against septicemia and
internal infections, including dropsy. Ideal treatment therefore
where antibiotics cannot be used. Like Acraflavine can be
overdosed without harming your koi. It’s only drawback is it’s
cost and it is therefore ideal for hospital tanks and quarantine
systems.
Elgabin
Used by the Japanese
for many years but strangely little used in the UK. Excellent
fungicide and bactericide. Ideal treatment to help prevent cross
infection, for transporting fish and can be used with salt. Great
de-stressor, non-aggressive and can be used as a dip and overdosed
with safety. Perfect treatment to be used as a gill wash and
therefore is much used for helping newly imported koi recover from
their journey. Great alternative to Malachite and much less
aggressive. Again the only drawback is the cost.
Tea Tree Oil
Sold as Melafix,
a natural product – not a drug, excellent for curing surface
ulcers on our Koi, can be used with salt, can be safely overdosed
and does not affect filters and therefore helps keep water quality
in peak condition. Once again the only drawback is its very high
cost. Therefore ideal for hospital tanks and quarantine systems.
Propolis
A completely natural
product, a bi-product of honey production and used by bees to line
the inside of the hive. Reputed to be natures own perfect
antibiotic and it is claimed that bacteria cannot become resistant
to Propolis. Has actually been used in human health since Roman
times and is still used today in dentistry in certain countries to
treat mouth ulcers. Also used to treat skin problems and can be
found in a cream as well as in a liquid form.
Used by koi keepers as a food additive (some foods are now including Propolis in their standard recipes). When used in this form helps to boost the koi’s own immune system, and therefore their disease resistance. Can also be used to treat ulcers directly, and is an ideal topical treatment to clean and treat wounds. One of the best topical treatments available today (just look at it’s uses through history) and will stick to Mucus and wet koi like you have never seen. Excellent treatment for mouth ulcers, and round the eyes and gills where you would not want to use nasty chemicals. Try pouring a little into a dry glass jar, leave for a few seconds, and then try washing it off! Even if you use soap and warm water a residue can normally plainly be seen sticking to even the smoothest container. A zillion times better as a topical treatment in my humble view than most of the bottled junk available today. Started off life very expensive, but happily the cost is coming down rapidly. If you don’t like using it on your koi you can add it to your tea! It will probably increase your sex life by a good ten years!!
So as you can see, it’s not all doom and gloom, the vast majority of Koi are fit and healthy when imported, there are still excellent opportunities to avoid problems altogether by sticking to the Koi bible of golden rules, and when we do run into problems, we don’t always have to reach for the antibiotics.
