Help with a fish infection!

[JackhWirral]

Hey there

New poster to this site on behalf of my dad who has had a pond in his garden for years now on the Wirral, NW England.

He's noticed one of his fish with this problem for some time now quite large white cysts on its body however the fish never seemed in I'll health - feeding and swimming perfectly as usual.
They are larger than ever recently and even burst today so he has removed the fish from the pond today.

Should he be worried about.other fish getting it although none have in the time the fish has had it? What is it and is there any measures to take to prevent it? Any advice would.be great as Google is just suggesting white spot but none of the photos online are as extreme as this fishes symptoms.

Thanks very much in advance.

 

[Nevermore44]

Not an expert but those look like tumors.. and quite a lot for a single fish. You can google up more specific info, but i believe the general advice is to let them live out there lives as normal since many times the can be just fine for years and years. You could break out the iodine or other topical med for any that burst (don't get it near the gills) to fight off any infections.

 

[Mmathis]

It looks like “carp pox.” This article might help, but there is a lot more info out there.

Koi Carp Pox Treatment & Prevention (5 Steps) - Pond Informer

Guide to koi carp pox treatments, recovery, and the best prevention methods. Information on carp pox in koi, and ways to reduce pox outbreaks in future.

pondinformer.com

Except that it is carried as a genetic trait, it really isn’t a danger to the infected fish (of course, if you were breeding, you would want to cull those fish so they don’t pass on the trait.). From what I recall, there is no “cure,” so no sense treating the fish with anything, and cutting the lumps off won’t make them go away — it will weaken the fish and make it more susceptible to bacterial infections.

The best advice I have heard, is that as long as the fish is thriving, it isn’t in any pain or discomfort, do nothing. Problems come up if the fish can no longer eat or it‘s health declines.

 

[Nevermore44]

I have one koi that has carp pox... (looks like he's outgrowing it though). Back when he first showed it, someone said the difference between it and other growths.. is that pox looks like melted candle wax on the fish's scales/skin/fins. But really, either route is to just watch him. Unless you want to get all fancy and do this at home! Surgery