[snowman]

1 of my fish died and i want to know if the cause is likely to be something that may affect other fish? Have monitored them and they seem fine but 1 day fine the other could well be the opposite.

If anyone has any suggestions for possible treatments to purchase would be much appreciated. Also for anyone who can clearly tell the problem this fish suffered would like to know how it starts as i monitor water quality closely have constant o2 in the water check for ammonia etc and have never had these problems before?

[ogawa only]

Hi snowman ,

it's fairly easy to answer what is wrong with the fish , its got a fin/skin rot based bacteria infection , the same type of bacteria that cause ulcers .

but for how it got it we would have to thoroughly investigate your pond !!

the reason why i say this , is bacterial problems always have a starting cause , but how they get to the fish them selves , is another question !!


so lets look at the bacteria , in any pond system , there are good abd bad bacteria , usually the good bacteria out number the bad , as you filter usually sheds bacteria into the pond out competing the bad .

so now we go through what lets bad bacteria take over :
a dirty pond , ie a build up of waste on bottom , which turns to the black muddy stuff .

build up of waste in the filter , same as above .

dead spots in the pond or filter (no or low oxygen spots ) this includes pipe work .

also if your filter is constantly playing catch up , and dirty media . also plants and the pot substrate they sit in .


now this as a whole , is not the reason how the fish get infected , but is just a means on how the bad bacteria can manifest in your pond .

now for the fish and how they can get infected :

1st would be fluctuating pond parameters , especially nitrite .

2nd and this is one of the biggest IMO , parasites , as they attack the koi and usually leave tiny lesions in the skin , and mucus , giving bad bacteria a way in !!

3rd bumps , scrapes and knocks .

now to find out how the story unfolded in your pond , you need to do full water test's 2-3 times a day for a couple of days using you usually daily activities on your pond , like feeding ect , so a reading showing as close as possible the norm .

secondly , go through your pond with a fine tooth comb , check every thing you can think of , and make a list of what could be cleaned or cleaner .

thirdly , get a scrape done , or do one yourself , as its always best practise to do a scrape before any treatments .
The reason we say this , is , if you have a bacteria problem in the pond , but parasites are the trigger , ie breaking down the fishes mucus or immune barrier , then it would be best to kill the middle man , then sort out the bacteria problem after the parasites .

steve

[snowman]

Originally Posted by ogawa only

Hi snowman ,

it's fairly easy to answer what is wrong with the fish , its got a fin/skin rot based bacteria infection , the same type of bacteria that cause ulcers .

but for how it got it we would have to thoroughly investigate your pond !!

the reason why i say this , is bacterial problems always have a starting cause , but how they get to the fish them selves , is another question !!


so lets look at the bacteria , in any pond system , there are good abd bad bacteria , usually the good bacteria out number the bad , as you filter usually sheds bacteria into the pond out competing the bad .

so now we go through what lets bad bacteria take over :
a dirty pond , ie a build up of waste on bottom , which turns to the black muddy stuff .

build up of waste in the filter , same as above .

dead spots in the pond or filter (no or low oxygen spots ) this includes pipe work .

also if your filter is constantly playing catch up , and dirty media . also plants and the pot substrate they sit in .


now this as a whole , is not the reason how the fish get infected , but is just a means on how the bad bacteria can manifest in your pond .

now for the fish and how they can get infected :

1st would be fluctuating pond parameters , especially nitrite .

2nd and this is one of the biggest IMO , parasites , as they attack the koi and usually leave tiny lesions in the skin , and mucus , giving bad bacteria a way in !!

3rd bumps , scrapes and knocks .

now to find out how the story unfolded in your pond , you need to do full water test's 2-3 times a day for a couple of days using you usually daily activities on your pond , like feeding ect , so a reading showing as close as possible the norm .

secondly , go through your pond with a fine tooth comb , check every thing you can think of , and make a list of what could be cleaned or cleaner .

thirdly , get a scrape done , or do one yourself , as its always best practise to do a scrape before any treatments .
The reason we say this , is , if you have a bacteria problem in the pond , but parasites are the trigger , ie breaking down the fishes mucus or immune barrier , then it would be best to kill the middle man , then sort out the bacteria problem after the parasites .

steve

Thanks for your very informative reply Steve

Found it extremely useful

Would Virkon be a good substance to help with this situation?