All of us at some time or another have had to use chemicals in our ponds but there are a few pointers that we all need to understand
But first we need to understand the when and why we need to use them their and effects on our koi
I think it is very important to understand that before you add chemicals that our koi's health is dependant on the relationships on the type of enviroment your koi lives in, it's stessors and pathogens.
The why and when you use chemicals and what the effect is on your koi when using them.
It can be quite a job working out the when do we use thembut by simple observation ( something we always tell the newbies to do , the older koi keeper should understand this already).
Questions we must ask :-
1)Are my koi swimming and eating well.....?
2)Are my koi flashing or jumping clear of the water.......?
3)Is my koi off to one corner of the pond by themselves and dont join in with the other koi.......?
4)Are my koi showing signs of stress i;e veining of your koi on the body and fins
5) Is my koi just haning there near the surface or head down in the water......?
If we answer yes to any of the above and your koi is exibiting any of the afore mentioned problems, then we must first look to their enviroment i;e checking your water perameters is the first thing we would check, smell is another sense we can use here ( does your water smell), this again can indicate problems with your water......
These are the enviromental factors extremes of temperatures can be added to this side of the coin.
However,we really must remember that especially in springtime a time before our biological filters are not fully operational, that our ponds can and do suffer large fluctuations in Ph.
Koi as most of us know dont handle large fluctuations in Ph well, as this causes them stress and they are generally unhappy flashing off their food, hanging, veining in skin and finage.
Now even though the water parameters are within range we still cannot rule out water quality issues, not until we check our ph in the early morning, at dinner time , last but not least in the in the evening time to see if we are dealing with large changes in Ph.
The other side of this coin being either enviromental parsitical or bacterial.
Questions we must ask :-
1) The water has come back nornal "enviromental" so what is my problem ?
2) Do I have a parasite problem " Pathogen"..there is probable one........?
3)Or is the problem bacterial ?
Now once we rule out a large change in Ph, then the next step will be to do a scrape and look and see under the microscope what we may have, we then have to identify if any what parasites we are dealing with we will then be able to decide what medication and treatment is necessary.
To do this I suggest you buy a number of koi health books and read them, unless you have under gone training for the BKKS health Standards Committee in a position of HLO. or the AKCA equivulant if in the US
We will then have a few things to remember in order to be a responsible koi keeper when using any medications/chemicals in your pond:
1) Health and Safety ( I know they are he bane of modern day life here in the UK
nowadays, wear protective gloves and glasses when handling medications and chemicals.( how many times without trying have you stained your fingers with Malachite Green before now ???.... I rest my case !!!!......
2)What is the exact gallonage imperial or US ( you'll be supprised just how many people talk up the gallonage of their ponds why I dont know Val says its a man thing lol), the easy way to do this is to use a water meter , then you will know for sure the exact amount to use!!!!!.........
3)Check you have the right amount messured out treatment wise if you dont know then ask
4)Remember to turn of your U/V-C before treating your koi.
5)Observe your koi for any signs of distress
6)Remember add extra aeriation whilst you are treating your koi.
You must always remember to store your chemicals in a cool place , look for any sell by dates, never use bottles that have been open for over 6 months they can become in some cases Toxic normally they just loose effectiveness ( a trick is to by only the size bottle that you need for your pond .
Last but not least check your koi for effectivness of treatment if it has cured your koi all well and good if not re-treat them check your your water Parameters
Last but not least do a water change when the treatment has ended
Dave
But first we need to understand the when and why we need to use them their and effects on our koi
I think it is very important to understand that before you add chemicals that our koi's health is dependant on the relationships on the type of enviroment your koi lives in, it's stessors and pathogens.
The why and when you use chemicals and what the effect is on your koi when using them.
It can be quite a job working out the when do we use thembut by simple observation ( something we always tell the newbies to do , the older koi keeper should understand this already).
Questions we must ask :-
1)Are my koi swimming and eating well.....?
2)Are my koi flashing or jumping clear of the water.......?
3)Is my koi off to one corner of the pond by themselves and dont join in with the other koi.......?
4)Are my koi showing signs of stress i;e veining of your koi on the body and fins
5) Is my koi just haning there near the surface or head down in the water......?
If we answer yes to any of the above and your koi is exibiting any of the afore mentioned problems, then we must first look to their enviroment i;e checking your water perameters is the first thing we would check, smell is another sense we can use here ( does your water smell), this again can indicate problems with your water......
These are the enviromental factors extremes of temperatures can be added to this side of the coin.
However,we really must remember that especially in springtime a time before our biological filters are not fully operational, that our ponds can and do suffer large fluctuations in Ph.
Koi as most of us know dont handle large fluctuations in Ph well, as this causes them stress and they are generally unhappy flashing off their food, hanging, veining in skin and finage.
Now even though the water parameters are within range we still cannot rule out water quality issues, not until we check our ph in the early morning, at dinner time , last but not least in the in the evening time to see if we are dealing with large changes in Ph.
The other side of this coin being either enviromental parsitical or bacterial.
Questions we must ask :-
1) The water has come back nornal "enviromental" so what is my problem ?
2) Do I have a parasite problem " Pathogen"..there is probable one........?
3)Or is the problem bacterial ?
Now once we rule out a large change in Ph, then the next step will be to do a scrape and look and see under the microscope what we may have, we then have to identify if any what parasites we are dealing with we will then be able to decide what medication and treatment is necessary.
To do this I suggest you buy a number of koi health books and read them, unless you have under gone training for the BKKS health Standards Committee in a position of HLO. or the AKCA equivulant if in the US
We will then have a few things to remember in order to be a responsible koi keeper when using any medications/chemicals in your pond:
1) Health and Safety ( I know they are he bane of modern day life here in the UK
nowadays, wear protective gloves and glasses when handling medications and chemicals.( how many times without trying have you stained your fingers with Malachite Green before now ???.... I rest my case !!!!......
2)What is the exact gallonage imperial or US ( you'll be supprised just how many people talk up the gallonage of their ponds why I dont know Val says its a man thing lol), the easy way to do this is to use a water meter , then you will know for sure the exact amount to use!!!!!.........
3)Check you have the right amount messured out treatment wise if you dont know then ask
4)Remember to turn of your U/V-C before treating your koi.
5)Observe your koi for any signs of distress
6)Remember add extra aeriation whilst you are treating your koi.
You must always remember to store your chemicals in a cool place , look for any sell by dates, never use bottles that have been open for over 6 months they can become in some cases Toxic normally they just loose effectiveness ( a trick is to by only the size bottle that you need for your pond .
Last but not least check your koi for effectivness of treatment if it has cured your koi all well and good if not re-treat them check your your water Parameters
Last but not least do a water change when the treatment has ended
Dave