Carolinagirl
08-12-2010, 09:50 AM
Got a sick fish? We will try to help! But we need your help first!
Since we can’t be there to see your pond and fish, we need for you to be our eyes. When asking for help, please provide as much information as possible. Please test your water with a test kit that uses drops, not the strips. Strip tests are not accurate and won’t give us a good picture of what is going on. And when you do report the results of your water tests, please give us actual numbers not just “the water tests are all good”.
Please provide the results of the following tests
Ph
kH (total alkalinity)
Ammonia
Nitrites
Temperature
Also please describe your pond in as much detail as you can. Gallons? What kind of filtration? Rocks in the bottom? How many fish are in the pond?
Also have you added any new fish? If so…..how long ago and did you quarantine them first and for how long?
If you can manage it, a picture of the sick fish and pond are VERY helpful, especially if there is something visibly wrong with the fish (ulcers, tumors, etc).
The basics......Water Quality
Alkalinity (kH) is the measure of the buffering capacity, or pH stability of the pond. Alkalinity levels of 50 to 170 are the values recommended. Note: maintaining pond water alkalinity is probably the most important thing you can do for the health of the pond since all fish and filter bacteria need a stable pH to survive.
Ph is a measurement of whether the water is acidic or alkaline. Any measurement below 7.0 is considered acidic and any measurement above 7.0 is alkaline. The ideal ph for koi and filter bacteria is around 7.4, but they will do fine in lower or higher pH water as long as it is STABLE!! A stable pH is much more important than the actual pH number. PH is stabilized by Alkalinity levels, so maintaining good Alkalinity is critical. If the alkalinity drops too low, the pH becomes unstable and may drop suddenly (this is called a pH crash). Fish begin to die in large numbers and the filter bacteria also dies, causing the ammonia to rise. Your first instinct will be quickly add something in the pond to rapidly raise the pH back up (like baking soda). But wait….first you must add ammonia binder to the pond so that the ammonia will not harm the fish. Ammonia levels are much more toxic at higher pH levels. The rising ammonia has not harmed the fish yet because the pH is low. As an example, lets assume the water temperature is 70°. Koi can tolerate ammonia levels of 1 ppm for a day or so if the pH was 7. At a pH of 6.0, they could survive an ammonia reading as high as 10! But if you put baking soda in the pond to quickly raise the pH up to 8, an ammonia reading of just 0.1 can be dangerous. After a pH crash, your filter must start building new bacteria so plan on controlling ammonia and nitrites as if the filter was brand new.
Ammonia is produced naturally by the koi in the form of waste. A biological filter contains two forms of beneficial bacteria. The first bacteria that are formed will remove the ammonia by turning it into nitrites. A new filter it will take approximately 2 weeks (with fish present) for enough of these beneficial bacteria to develop to be keep the ammonia levels down. During this time, keep stocking levels low and do not feed the fish. Several weeks with no food will not hurt them. Maintain acceptable ammonia levels through water changes and the use of ammonia binders.
Nitrites are produced by the bacteria in your biological filter as it removes the ammonia. Like ammonia, nitrites are also toxic to your koi. After the ammonia bacteria build up in the filter, another bacteria begins to form that will change the nitrites into nitrates, which are relatively harmless. When installing a new filter, it will usually take up to 6 weeks after the fish are added to the pond for the beneficial bacteria that controls nitrites to develop to the point where it will keep the nitrite levels under control. Bottled bacteria will not speed this process; it just takes time. So keep your stocking levels low and keep a close eye on ammonia and nitrites until the filter is fully established.
Oxygen levels in a pond are very important to the overall health of the koi. It is important to understand that while plants and algae produce oxygen during the day light hours, plants and algae actually consume oxygen at night. So do not assume plants will oxygenate your pond well enough for your koi. Koi need oxygen levels of 5 ppm to 11 ppm. At oxygen levels below 5ppm and fish begin to die, especially the larger ones. Most koi ponds need aeration of some sort. An air pump with airstones is the best method although a good flowing waterfall may be sufficient for smaller sized koi.
A guide to fish symptoms
If you notice large numbers of fish acting differently (flashing and jumping) especially after a heavy rain or water change, suspect pH issues. If fish are flashing and jumping and no new water has been added, suspect parasites such as flukes.
If you notice fish suddenly dying in large numbers after a heavy rain, suspect a pH crash. Read the section on pH before attempting to correct a pH crash.
If you notice fish suddenly dying in large numbers and detect a rotten egg smell, your pond may have released hydrogen sulphide gas that was trapped in rocks, an unused pipe, a potted plant or anywhere that waste can get trapped and decay. There is no treatment for this other than to quickly remove all remaining live fish to clean dechlorinated water.
Fish suffering from ammonia levels will usually sit in the bottom with their fins clamped to their sides. Their fins are usually red and some fine red veining might be visible on their bodies. Some parasites can also cause this though, so be sure to test your water for ammonia levels.
Fish that gather under the waterfalls are doing so in an attempt to get more oxygen. If you notice the fish that are gathering or dying there are smaller ones, suspect nitrite poisoning. Check your nitrite levels immediately. If nitrites are allowed to form in the pond, nitrogen will begin to replace the oxygen in the koi’s blood causing organ damage and death. Small koi are affected more quickly than large koi. Nitrite levels should always be below 0.25 ppm. If the nitrite level rises above that, stop feeding, add aeration and add 2 pound of salt per 100 gallons. Continue to monitor nitrite levels. If they continue to rise, additional measures may need to be taken. If the fish that are gathering or dying under the waterfalls are larger ones, suspect low pond oxygen levels. Increase aeration in the pond with air stones.
If you notice that your fish are developing sores, you may have a parasite problem. Infected sores (known as ulcers) are usually secondary to a break in the skin, frequently caused by parasites such as flukes (which are microscopic) anchor worms or fish lice. Let us know what you are dealing with and we will go from there. Pictures of the ulcer are VERY helpful.
If you notice the fish’s color looking milky or cloudy, that is due to an increase in the slime coat. This is a common symptom of irritation due to parasites but can also be caused by a water quality problem. We will need more information to help with that one.
More to come. We will get some parasite treatment information here, as well as information about quarantining fish.
Important links to learn more:
The value of Quarantine http://www.thepondforum.com/showthread.php?192-The-How-To-and-Value-of-Quarantine
The koi medicine chest http://www.thepondforum.com/showthread.php?193-What-you-should-have-in-your-koi-medicine-chest!
KHV information (very technical, but good information) http://www.koihealth.org/
Since we can’t be there to see your pond and fish, we need for you to be our eyes. When asking for help, please provide as much information as possible. Please test your water with a test kit that uses drops, not the strips. Strip tests are not accurate and won’t give us a good picture of what is going on. And when you do report the results of your water tests, please give us actual numbers not just “the water tests are all good”.
Please provide the results of the following tests
Ph
kH (total alkalinity)
Ammonia
Nitrites
Temperature
Also please describe your pond in as much detail as you can. Gallons? What kind of filtration? Rocks in the bottom? How many fish are in the pond?
Also have you added any new fish? If so…..how long ago and did you quarantine them first and for how long?
If you can manage it, a picture of the sick fish and pond are VERY helpful, especially if there is something visibly wrong with the fish (ulcers, tumors, etc).
The basics......Water Quality
Alkalinity (kH) is the measure of the buffering capacity, or pH stability of the pond. Alkalinity levels of 50 to 170 are the values recommended. Note: maintaining pond water alkalinity is probably the most important thing you can do for the health of the pond since all fish and filter bacteria need a stable pH to survive.
Ph is a measurement of whether the water is acidic or alkaline. Any measurement below 7.0 is considered acidic and any measurement above 7.0 is alkaline. The ideal ph for koi and filter bacteria is around 7.4, but they will do fine in lower or higher pH water as long as it is STABLE!! A stable pH is much more important than the actual pH number. PH is stabilized by Alkalinity levels, so maintaining good Alkalinity is critical. If the alkalinity drops too low, the pH becomes unstable and may drop suddenly (this is called a pH crash). Fish begin to die in large numbers and the filter bacteria also dies, causing the ammonia to rise. Your first instinct will be quickly add something in the pond to rapidly raise the pH back up (like baking soda). But wait….first you must add ammonia binder to the pond so that the ammonia will not harm the fish. Ammonia levels are much more toxic at higher pH levels. The rising ammonia has not harmed the fish yet because the pH is low. As an example, lets assume the water temperature is 70°. Koi can tolerate ammonia levels of 1 ppm for a day or so if the pH was 7. At a pH of 6.0, they could survive an ammonia reading as high as 10! But if you put baking soda in the pond to quickly raise the pH up to 8, an ammonia reading of just 0.1 can be dangerous. After a pH crash, your filter must start building new bacteria so plan on controlling ammonia and nitrites as if the filter was brand new.
Ammonia is produced naturally by the koi in the form of waste. A biological filter contains two forms of beneficial bacteria. The first bacteria that are formed will remove the ammonia by turning it into nitrites. A new filter it will take approximately 2 weeks (with fish present) for enough of these beneficial bacteria to develop to be keep the ammonia levels down. During this time, keep stocking levels low and do not feed the fish. Several weeks with no food will not hurt them. Maintain acceptable ammonia levels through water changes and the use of ammonia binders.
Nitrites are produced by the bacteria in your biological filter as it removes the ammonia. Like ammonia, nitrites are also toxic to your koi. After the ammonia bacteria build up in the filter, another bacteria begins to form that will change the nitrites into nitrates, which are relatively harmless. When installing a new filter, it will usually take up to 6 weeks after the fish are added to the pond for the beneficial bacteria that controls nitrites to develop to the point where it will keep the nitrite levels under control. Bottled bacteria will not speed this process; it just takes time. So keep your stocking levels low and keep a close eye on ammonia and nitrites until the filter is fully established.
Oxygen levels in a pond are very important to the overall health of the koi. It is important to understand that while plants and algae produce oxygen during the day light hours, plants and algae actually consume oxygen at night. So do not assume plants will oxygenate your pond well enough for your koi. Koi need oxygen levels of 5 ppm to 11 ppm. At oxygen levels below 5ppm and fish begin to die, especially the larger ones. Most koi ponds need aeration of some sort. An air pump with airstones is the best method although a good flowing waterfall may be sufficient for smaller sized koi.
A guide to fish symptoms
If you notice large numbers of fish acting differently (flashing and jumping) especially after a heavy rain or water change, suspect pH issues. If fish are flashing and jumping and no new water has been added, suspect parasites such as flukes.
If you notice fish suddenly dying in large numbers after a heavy rain, suspect a pH crash. Read the section on pH before attempting to correct a pH crash.
If you notice fish suddenly dying in large numbers and detect a rotten egg smell, your pond may have released hydrogen sulphide gas that was trapped in rocks, an unused pipe, a potted plant or anywhere that waste can get trapped and decay. There is no treatment for this other than to quickly remove all remaining live fish to clean dechlorinated water.
Fish suffering from ammonia levels will usually sit in the bottom with their fins clamped to their sides. Their fins are usually red and some fine red veining might be visible on their bodies. Some parasites can also cause this though, so be sure to test your water for ammonia levels.
Fish that gather under the waterfalls are doing so in an attempt to get more oxygen. If you notice the fish that are gathering or dying there are smaller ones, suspect nitrite poisoning. Check your nitrite levels immediately. If nitrites are allowed to form in the pond, nitrogen will begin to replace the oxygen in the koi’s blood causing organ damage and death. Small koi are affected more quickly than large koi. Nitrite levels should always be below 0.25 ppm. If the nitrite level rises above that, stop feeding, add aeration and add 2 pound of salt per 100 gallons. Continue to monitor nitrite levels. If they continue to rise, additional measures may need to be taken. If the fish that are gathering or dying under the waterfalls are larger ones, suspect low pond oxygen levels. Increase aeration in the pond with air stones.
If you notice that your fish are developing sores, you may have a parasite problem. Infected sores (known as ulcers) are usually secondary to a break in the skin, frequently caused by parasites such as flukes (which are microscopic) anchor worms or fish lice. Let us know what you are dealing with and we will go from there. Pictures of the ulcer are VERY helpful.
If you notice the fish’s color looking milky or cloudy, that is due to an increase in the slime coat. This is a common symptom of irritation due to parasites but can also be caused by a water quality problem. We will need more information to help with that one.
More to come. We will get some parasite treatment information here, as well as information about quarantining fish.
Important links to learn more:
The value of Quarantine http://www.thepondforum.com/showthread.php?192-The-How-To-and-Value-of-Quarantine
The koi medicine chest http://www.thepondforum.com/showthread.php?193-What-you-should-have-in-your-koi-medicine-chest!
KHV information (very technical, but good information) http://www.koihealth.org/