Things I have Learned

by Ray Jordan 

Originally published in TKFGS newsletter July 1994.

The last few months have been a real challenge for us and our fish! We lost several but others that were affected are finally coming around. The memory of their damaged fins and scarred sides is receding slowly but the anxiety of the situation is permanently fixed in our minds

We found a vet, finally, that was willing to help us get the medications we needed to whip the aeromonas and pseudomonas bugs that were eating away at some of our fish. Martha lost "Mr. Marilyn" which was one of her favorites and one of the first good fish we ever bought. We also lost several baby fish that were really nice. In looking back over our problems it is apparent everything started with a close call while we were doing some unplanned spring cleaning of our pond without moving our fish to a safe holding area.

The muck we stirred up surprised us and suddenly our fish were at the surface gasping for oxygen. We have learned that the dead material, when mixed with pond water, can suck most of the oxygen out of the water almost instantly. We lost a pretty little Kohaku. But, as I said, this was just the beginning.

As several weeks passed we thought we were out of the woods. Then we bought too many koi at a recent koi sale. The fish were gorgeous, and priced very reasonably for high quality koi. So we were greedy and bought too many. When I couldn’t put them all in our quarantine tank I decided to put them all directly in the pond. Then a business trip took me out of town for a week.

About Wednesday, Martha called me concerned about several fish. We started with conservative treatment, salt, high aeration, and constant temperature in the quarantine tank. Then we started adding medications and finally started antibiotic injections into the fish. Just about the time we thought we had turned the corner several other fish in our pond developed ulcers.

So we put the new patients into our hospital tank and started injecting them as well.  We also mixed prescription antibiotics into the koi’s food and started feeding medicated food for two weeks. I recently checked the koi most affected and was very, very relieved to see how well their fins and sores had healed. So what have I learned from all this:

Never stir up the muck in your pond with fish still in the same water. Use a holding tank. Our club loans show tanks for exactly this purpose.
Resist the temptation to buy too many fish or keep too many fish in your pond. With a very good filter system circulating your water every 1-1/2 to 2 hrs. you should still stay well under 1-lb. Of fish per 100-200 gal. of water. That is about 12 -12 in. or 3 -18 in. fish max per 1,000 gal. pond capacity. Remember weight increases dramatically as the fish grows. From 6 in to 12 in the weight of fish increases about 5-fold.
Always, Always, put new fish in a quarantine tank. Also, duh, do not buy more fish than will fit in your quarantine tank. This will let you observe new arrivals much more carefully and catch any problems earlier. If necessary you can treat a problem simpler and more efficiently.
Really check your fish at feeding time. This will give you a chance to see their mouths and undersides better where many problems can start. Also, watch for any fish that do not swim or eat with the other fish.
Find a vet or physician that is willing to help you get the right prescription medications. This maybe the toughest for many of you, it was for us. In fact, it would be very smart to have a prescription product like Floxin on hand just in case you ever need to mix and utilize medicated food.
Read and learn about diseases before they happen to your fish. The new club library is a great way to start. The Fish Disease video by Dr. Hansen is fantastic.

I hope that some of you will benefit from reading about our situation. Please be careful not to over crowd your fish. It can happen in only a few months of rapid growth. Also, quarantine and watch carefully all new fish. Finally have a plan and be prepared for problems such as fish diseases & injuries, pond leaks, equipment failure, and routine maintenance. We are extremely grateful to Water Garden Gems, Andy Moo, Dr. Galen Hansen, the recent AKCA seminar, all the books we referenced, and our new vet Dr. Carter for helping us through this crisis. Best wishes to everyone for quiet, healthy, and happy ponderings this summer!