Established Pond, Dying Fish

[alafayette]

Hi there, new to this forum, need some input. I have a very established (8 years) pond about 2,000 gal. Has about 15-18 koi and has been a very healthy pond for years. My hubby bought some new koi from our regular pond place and it's been 10 days. Half my koi have died, with no apparent outer signs - there are no ulcers, fungus, not flashing or scratching, etc. just a bit of red in the fins. They are not eating and hanging at the bottom. I treated with salt and have done 2 malchite green treatments, but they are still dying. 2 more this morning. 2 days ago my water had been crystal clear. Today it is so cloudy I can't see more than 8-12 inches in. Any ideas?

 

[bunnymp]

I think you just learned the hard way that you always have to quarantine new fish. Not much more can be done at this point, but keep the salt level up at .30. If you have parasites this should kill them and help heal the fish. Do daily water changes of about 25%, making sure to pump out from the bottom. This will clear the murkiness and bacteria if it is that. I am thinking it may be because if the new fish had herpes, they would of died faster. By the way, are the new fish alive?

 

[alafayette]

Thanks for the reply. Actually they were quarantined at the pond place we go to for 7 days prior to us getting them Only one is still alive and 5 of my largest most beautiful are gone. I will do the water changes beginning today. Any idea why the murkiness?

 

[bunnymp]

Oh I forgot, you can purchase a medicine called Romet that is pretty good too. But, the med gets applied to the food and if the fish aren't eating, they can't digest it. If you have some fish that are still eating, give it to them to help prevent them from getting sick. Here is how you use it: Spread out some fish food on a newspaper, spray with veg oil spray, spinkle on garlic powder (Koi like garlic) and then sprinkle on the Romet, feed as usual.

One more suggestion is to treat the pond with Pot Perm or Proform C, but it is better to know if you are dealing with bacteria or parasites first.

 

[bunnymp]

7 days is not long enough. Should be done for at least 2 weeks - I like 3. I buy fish from a local pond store too and they also QT their fish and the guy who does it still tells me to QT the fish when I bring them home. It is worth the trouble as you just learned. I learned the hard way too.

I am not sure why it is murky, might not be related to this. I need more info though. Has it been murky before? Do you have overhanging trees dropping in leaves and what not in? Is the pond lined with rocks? What is the filtration system like - skimmer?

 

[dizzy]

i've also had many fish die this past two months. Also established pond for 8 yrs. bio filter with skimmer. I feed with tetra pond sticks and package said made in China. With all the problems with lead ect. I was wondering if that could be a problem. I've got a new bag, and says made in viginia USA. Don't have the old bag but it looked the same. Think I bought it at Lowes, but not sure. Will check next time i'm there. May have nothing to do with problem.

 

[alafayette]

Thank you again for the feedback. There are 2 trees that overhang the pond, but have been there longer than the pond. We don't spray or use fertilizer so thats out too. I did a water change tonight, about 20-25%, and it is looking clearer. I also put a small bubbler at the bottom to help get some oxygen to the lower levels where some of the fish are hanging. A few of them seem a tad more active tonight, so hopefully that is a good thing. Thank you again - any other feed back is welcome!

 

[DrDave]

goto:
Click2Roark.com
and tell him everything. He can help, read his FAQ before wasting his time.