help my fish has mouth fungus

[morewater]

Meyer is right on all fronts, a) you need a new test kit, they don't last forever....they're relatively inexpensive and it's not worth the savings for inaccurate results.....the API PondMaster kit is the way to go. b) barley straw and barley extract are simply "dyes" that limit the amount of light penetration to curtail the growth of algae (interferes with photosynthesis). Adding barley straw or barley straw extract simply gives your water a "weak tea" look, and has absolutely no effect on water clarity, in fact, it changes the water clarity.

It seems to me that you clean your filters too often. Bi-weekly in the summer seems excessive. What type of filters are you running? How do you "clean" them? Just spitballing here, but if you're scouring your filters on a bi-weekly basis, you may very well be curtailing the growth of much-needed bacteria, thus negating the purpose of the filtration system.

It is an attractive pond, though I notice that there are no aquatic plants, nor marginals in evidence. Plants are the best filters out there.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Ok thanks. Melafix has gone in for 2 days, hoping it fixes the mouth thing. Should I go for 7 days with it? Is it normal for the pond to look like a bubble bath with Melafix? Should I scoop out the bubbles?

Follow the dosage directions provided by Melafix.
If you read the label you would see that foaming is a harmless occurrence when Melafix is used. The foaming will quickly dissipate.

 

[Dave 54]

I will check the PH again. The pond is crystal clear. Very little debris at all. We have had an unusual amount of rain recently here in GA, maybe that has caused the low PH? I honestly have had to do next to nothing to mantain the pond since we bought the house 2 years ago. We clean the filter weekly or 2x a week in the summer. Only every few weeks in the winter. It does get kind of murky in the summer when its hot and they are getting fed more, which is usually when I add the barley straw. My son pruned and cleaned the waterfall area about a month ago and at that time a lot of debris and muck got into the pond. We cleaned it all out with a net and added some liquid barley straw a few times after that. I am a complete novice as we inherited the pond and all the fish with the house, but up to now we have had great success. only lost one fish in over 2 years, and he was the smallest in the pond, half the size of the rest. I cant tell you how much I appriciate your feedback since we know so little about caring for a pond.

A pond can be crystal clear yet still be deadly to fish life you should never go by that .
Personally I would by a number of books on koi and fish health and read them that should give you a better knowledge base for the future please feel free to read our article about useful books on koi and fish health collected by us over the last 29 years :-

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/articles/our-updated-library-with-reviews.11/

There are titles ISBN Numbers where ever possible and Authors names plus a review of each book .
Melafix is a treatment for fungus yes, personally though I would have used something other to treat your koi with such as :-

http://www.absolute-koi.com/subcat789.html

or just plain old Malachite :-

http://www.ntlabs.co.uk/products/Malachite.html


I hope this helps in the future

Dave

 

[G Wash]

I think I'm having the same problem with one of my Koi. Hey Tonya! Did the Melafix work on your koi?

 

[mrsclem]

G Wash- this thread is 4 years old and haven't seen any posts from Tonya lately. How about going to the introduction section and tell us about you and your pond and then post under fish and koi talk for your problem. Welcome!

 

[j.w]

@G Wash

 

[Mmathis]

Ditto what @mrsclem said! It’s always best to start your own thread, especially about a health issue.