Injuries koi, need help!!!

[Jeronheiser]

Yeah I did a double checked and looked it up on the internet to even see if its possible. Someome had a 55 gallon tank and same problem, the crazy part is the water is clear. And okay the test kit provided some thing I can purchase to lower or raise the ph and ammonia.

 

[Mmathis]

Clear water does not equal healthy water. I honestly think that your number one problem is water quality due to an overstocked pond. In general, the minimum for koi is 1000 gallons for the first koi, then add 250-500 gallons for each additional koi. Your koi, at 24” will produce a lot of waste. Not necessarily commenting on this injury, but I would recommend either downsizing (re-home some of the fish), or building a larger pond. As long as you are over-stocked, you will continue to have water quality issues.

 

[Jeronheiser]

The pond was fine though before, its just I change over my filters and now all this started. I changed it from my home made filter box to a 3500 gallon mechanical filter. Could that be a cause? I do appreciate you saying that clear water doesn't mean healthy water, I have just recently learned that and im really glad I know.

 

[WaterGardener]

If you changed our the filter without transferring any media, that could indeed be the cause. If that is the case, you threw out all the beneficial bacteria that was in the old filter. So you are having to start a new nitrogen cycle. That is very hard on the fish.

You are between a rock and a hard place here. The ammonia will be less toxic at a low pH, but the bacteria you need to process that ammonia and the resulting nitrite will have a hard time getting established in that acidic water.

You need yo raise the pH, but you will have to bind that ammonia first, as soon as possible, to prevent more harm to your fish.

Get some Prime and dose your pond. Then gradually and slowly raise the pH with baking soda.

As Mmathis said, clear water has nothing to do with healthy water. You can't see ammonia or other toxins in the pond. And your water is highly toxic.

 

[TheFishGuy]

It is worth noting that prime is only effective for 24 hours.

I am going to say the unspeakable, and tell you to get some “instant” cycling benifical bacteria such as fritz turbostart ( there are also plenty of others out there ) This will help establish your bio filter much more quickly, and keep your fish in the best condition.

 

[Jeronheiser]

Okay I will get that today, and I'll look up on how much baking soda to use.

 

[WaterGardener]

The information on Seachem's website states that Prime is effective for binding ammonia and nitrite and nitrate for 48 hours.

FishGuy, can you point me to the information that it lasts only 24?

Yes. That bacteria will work. It's the right type of bacteria. But it is expensive, especially since it has to be shipped overnight and kept cool. Perhaps things have changed but iin the past, it was not available in stores but had to be ordered online. If you were willing to pay the price, it is effective.

I don't seem to be able to pull up their website. I just get a blank page for my search.

I do see there is now a frozen type available, but I have to wonder if those bacteria are still viable.

 

[Mmathis]

FishGuy, can you point me to the information that it lasts only 24?

My guess is that after 24 hours all of the ammonia has been bonded, but new ammonia is constantly being produced. Once the bonding agent has been used up, it is no longer effective. That’s why it’s important to get to the source of the problem.

 

[WaterGardener]

The product keeps binding for 48 hours. The agent lasts for that amount of time and binds new and existing ammonia during that time span. After 48 hours, it will release the bound ammonia back into the system.

This is what I was told by one of their chemists. They are very helpful and welcome all inquiries. They will gladly talk with you and answer all your questions.

 

[TheFishGuy]

The product keeps binding for 48 hours. The agent lasts for that amount of time and binds new and existing ammonia during that time span. After 48 hours, it will release the bound ammonia back into the system.

This is what I was told by one of their chemists. They are very helpful and welcome all inquiries. They will gladly talk with you and answer all your questions.

Sorry for the incorrect info! I was simply trying to point out that prime isn't a solution, just a little help while you find a solution.

 

[WaterGardener]

Prime is only a means of protecting the fish while you fix the problem. It's great for what it does, but you are correct in that it is not the solution to what is causing the problem.