Koi Disease – How To Tell If Your Fish Is Sick

I’ve built a lovely pond and have it stocked with a variety of beautiful koi fish. I have a good filtration system and check the water quality on a regular basis. If all goes well, I will be able to enjoy them for many trouble free years. Does this sound like your situation?

It is a wonderful feeling when you sit in the shade and watch your pond. The fish seem to impart a feeling of relaxation and serenity that is hard to get anywhere else. But, things can go wrong. Your fish could get sick and you need to know what to look for and how to treat them. These fish are like members of the family. And just like your dog, they sometimes require the assistance of a veterinarian or specialist. There are some things, though that you can look out for and treat yourself.

Why Do Fish Get Sick

Fish, just like other animals can get sick from viruses, parasites, bacteria, dirty water, bad food and wrong feeding habits. Unlike humans who get sick they cannot tell you where it hurts, so you have to be aware of their behavior and look for any changes that might not be healthy. Koi are also easily affected by stress. If they get sick with some kind of koi disease they might even die right in the koi pond and infect your other fish.

Some common things that can stress out fish include: high ammonia levels caused by excessive waste in the water, low oxygen levels, poor water quality, too many fish in the pond, parasites, water temperature, and chemicals in the water. Fish can be injured by sharp pool edges and even handling the fish can stress them out.

Treating a Sick Fish

It is much easier to prevent disease than to treat it and the most important consideration in your pond is good water quality. A good filtration system is probably the most important thing you have to help keep your fish healthy. But sometimes, bad things will happen.

Spotting a sick fish early makes it easier to treat Spotting disease early gives you your best chance of treating it. As a koi owner, you will be aware of their normal behavior. Just like with any other animal, if their behavior changes, it could be an early indicator of illness or injury. Koi normally like to stay with the group. And one of the first things a sick koi will do is leave the group and swim on its own. Sometimes they will stop eating or appear to be gasping.

Treatment for diseases may not be easy. For starters, you have to be able to determine what illness or disease you need to treat. In some cases, you may need to treat the whole pond, while quarantining the sick or diseased fish and treating it away from the pond may be the best course of action.

Water testing kits, perhaps some rock salt, and some of typical koi medicines should be on hand. And remember, good water quality, a good filtration system and always quarantine new fish for several weeks to prevent diseases from infecting your pond in the first place. An ounce of prevention is worth several pounds of cure.