Treating Koi diseases promptly and properly is the key to keeping your Koi pond disease free.
As Koi are not warm blooded mammals they do not have the same vascular capabilities.
Therefore you run the risk of medication abscesses and stress if you do not treat Koi diseases properly.
In this article we are going to cover some of the more common viral Koi diseases.
It is unfortunate that many new Koi owners aren't informed by retailers that they should buy an isolation tank or create a small isolation pond so they can medicate fish that are ill and raise water temperature more easily.
You always want to avoid treating your main pond since some medications can harm the nitrifying bacteria that keep it ammonia free.
Treating viral Koi diseases can be a problem, especially if you have a large pond with no way to heat it.
VHS (viral hemmorhagic septocemia) causes fish to display hemmorhages on the gills, gill plate, mouth cavity and base of the fins.
If they also display bloody red fins it is due to a secondary infection caused by the septicemia.
The best way to heal VHS is by heat treatment.
You need to separate the affected fish, sterilize all the equipment that comes in contact with them, maintain healthy water quality and DO NOT overcrowd the fish! Another of the more common Koi diseases is SCV Dropsy.
In this disease the Koi's gills are pale, their stomach is distended and a thick mucoid substance trails out of the anal vent.
Some fish have loss of equilibrium which results in uncoordinated swimming.
Others show ulcerations and septic symptoms.
The treatment for this disease is heat.
Heating the water to 86 degrees Fahrenheit for seven days has been shown to kill this virus.
This disease commonly makes an appearance in the spring.
If you notice a yellow mucous on your Koi's fins it is a definite sign of another of the viral Koi diseases, KHV.
Koi herpes fish may darken in color and become lethargic.
Excess slime coat is observed.
White to yellow patches may be seen inside the gills.
The treatment for this disease is the same as for SCV Dropsy, seven days at 86 degrees Fahrenheit.
Do not treat the fish with anything else during the heat treatment as the heat is stressful enough on the fish as it is.
After the seven days of heat treatment any secondary infections can be treated with gentamycin sulfate.
Just remember that that heating the water is the most important factor in healing these particular viral Koi diseases.
Nine times out of ten the cause of Koi diseases is gram-negative bacterial infection but these bacterial infections become resistant to traditional treatments due to misuse of antibiotics.
People tend to misdiagnose these as viral disease because the medications didn't work.
Remember that if you use antibiotics the rule of thumb is that it must be used for a minimum of ten days.
Water temperature is also an important factor when treating with antibiotics.
Koi will not respond to antibiotic treatment unless the water is at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Just remember when working with viral Koi diseases that they are often accompanied by secondary bacterial infection.
You first treat the virus through heat treatment for seven days at 86 degrees Fahrenheit.
Next you lower the temperature by 2 degrees per day until the water reaches 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
At this temperature you can begin treating the secondary infection with a 10-14 day program of antibiotics.
Now that you are aware of some of the signs and symptoms, as well as treatment protocols, all you need to do is be observant and watch out for viral Koi diseases!