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Koi
Health
Koi fish today are
not the same tough fish as their ancestor, the magoi
carp. The magoi carp are extremely resilient fish.
They can survive in very poor water conditions and
host a serious parasite population without getting
sick. Because our modern day koi have been
selectively inbreed, so much, to produce the
beautiful colors and shape that we all love, they
have lost much of their ability to endure such harsh
treatment. Still, today's koi seldom get sick and or
die without a reason. The following chart lists the
most common reasons koi die.
|
Most Common Reasons Koi Fish Die |
|
1) Poor water
quality |
33%
|
 |
|
2) Parasites |
25 |
|
3) Ulcer disease |
15 |
|
4) Predators |
10 |
|
5) Lack of
oxygen |
6 |
|
6) Medication
overdose |
4 |
|
7) Jumping out
of water |
3 |
|
8) Virus |
2 |
|
9) Toxic
pesticides |
1 |
|
10) Tumor
|
1 |
From the chart it becomes obvious that if you can
prevent the first three causes of death you will cut
your potential losses by over 70%. Here is a brief
discussion of how to deal with three of the top
causes of death for koi.
Poor Water Quality :
When you appreciate that water is to koi fish like
air is to humans, you begin to appreciate why water
quality is so important to koi. To illustrate:
imagine you had a very slight gas leak in your
house. You can’t see the gas and you don’t
recognize the smell, but you find that after a few
weeks you don’t feel well. The gas itself is not bad
enough to kill you, but your resistance is lowered,
because your body has to constantly work to repair
the damage the gas is causing. In time you find that
you get sick easily, whether it is a cold, the flu
or whatever you are exposed to. On the other hand,
if the gas leak suddenly got bad enough, it alone
could kill you. It is very similar with fish and
pond water. Poor water quality will kill your fish
faster than anything else. Low oxygen in a pond can
kill every fish in the pond overnight. High ammonia
levels can kill fish within several days. But, even
marginal levels of oxygen, ammonia and nitrates can
set your fish up to fall victim to other life
threatening problems. So, the goal should always be
to have the best water quality possible. There are
basically five water quality items you need to be
concerned with, ph, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and
oxygen....CLICK
HERE FOR MORE DETAILS
Parasites :
Parasites are a real health issue when it comes to
koi fish. The most common way koi fish contact
parasites is from other fish. Before a new koi is
introduced to the pond, it is extremely important
that the new fish be quarantined for 3 weeks. During
this time period the koi should be treated for
parasites. Isolating a koi for 3 weeks in a
quarantine tank, without treating the koi, is no
assurance that the koi is parasite free. All that
tells you is that if it has parasites, there are not
enough of them to make it sick at this time.
If you do not have a separate quarantine tank in
which to treat a new koi in, then be very careful
who you purchase your new koi from. Make sure the
dealer is very conscientious about treating all
their koi to make sure they are parasite free before
they sell them. Do not take their word for it that
they are parasite free. Ask them exactly how they
treat their koi for parasites. If they are vague
about how they treat the fish you would do well to
assume the koi will have parasites and then make
your decision as to whether or not to purchase the
koi based on that fact....CLICK
HERE FOR MORE DETAILS
Bacterial Infections :
(The following is meant to be a very simple
explanation of why bacterial infections occur and
how to treat them. For a more detailed discussion
see “Koi Health and
Disease” by Dr. Erik L. Johnson, D.V.M.)
The two most common bacteria that cause
problems on koi fish are Aeromonas and
Pseudomonas. Both of these bacteria are
naturally occurring and are found in all pond and
lake water. These bacteria are non existent in tap
water because chlorine is added to kill any
bacteria. Never the less, you can start up a brand
new pond with tap water and within 3 weeks after the
chlorine has evaporated, you will find at least a
low level of these bacteria in your water. Normally,
in a clean healthy pond, the levels of bacteria are
so low that they will not cause a problem on their
own. The outer slime coat or epidermis normally
protects the fish from these harmful bacteria. The
most common reason koi experience a bacterial
infection is when their slime coat or epidermal
layer is broken and the bacteria is allowed to
infect the koi. These soars can grow very quickly if
they are not treated....CLICK
HERE FOR MORE DETAILS |
