Dealing with Koi (carp) pox (or goldfish pox).....

[Mmathis]

My pond has just been through its 3rd summer. I still have 3 of the very first fish I added. I believe that 2 of those have koi pox. The largest, a common, has had a couple of the waxy bumps almost from day one, and another, a fantail, has had a few spots that come & go. I scraped them both a while back, and there was nothing that showed on the slide, so I've just kept an eye on them.

Now, all of a sudden (water has cooled), the common is covered with spots, and the fantail has a few extra ones. From what I've read -- as usual, mixed reviews -- koi pox isn't contagious, though water quality plays a part in that. And I've read that the fish don't usually die from this (unless mouth parts or gills are affected), and that it's mostly cosmetic. And there were a lot of articles that I skimmed that dealt with "carriers," genetics, etc......

But now I'm worried about my other fish, esp with winter coming. It may not technically be contagious, but am I putting my other fish at higher risk by having these 2 guys in the pond? Apparently this virus is always present, and only susceptible fish will come down with it......

How do you guys handle koi pox with your fish, koi or goldfish? I thought about euthanizing these 2, but that seems wrong unless they are suffering (which they don't appear to be).

 

[bettasngoldfish]

I have not had to deal with this with my goldfish but I have heard about it. I was under the impression it only shows up in cold water and then basically disappears when the water temperature rises again. What is the temperature of your pond now?

 

[Mmathis]

@bettasngoldfish Last time I checked, water temp was in the low 70's, bordering on the 60's.

 

[Dave 54]

@Mmathis @bettasngoldfish Koi or Fish pox is a virus is acctually both one and the same and afflicted fish are basically it as it doesnt go on to infect others in the same pond .
It is a temperature related virus which you will only see bellow temperatures of 10c
Similarily the virus seems to switch off when the temperature of the pond above 10c and symptoms disapear as the temperature of the water climbs into the Teens .
It is described by many as a waxy like growth, as though someone had dripped a hot candle over the fish.
The only time a koi has been put to sleep is when for some unknown reason the pox takes over the mouth region and the koi is unable to eat .
"The koi in Willo's thread about the same subject has a growth on the lower lip of the koi's mouth which has a blood supply. making it more of a tumor than koi pox" .
Then you have another growth called the papilloma, these differ from koi pox because they seem to grow on the outer edges of a koi's fins , younger fish less than a year of age seem not to be affected by it and older can grow out of it again like koi pox papillomas only seem to infect one koi out of the whole pond.
Again these are temperature related and tend to start to disapear as the temperature rises however you'd have to raise the temperature of your pond towards 25c before it disapears.
Some Papilloma however do not disapear and the only way to treat these would be to have them surgically removed by a qualified Vet .
You could if you so wish control both viruses but this would require you first to heat the pond at a degree a day,to the temperature already mentioned.
Basically we just let it ride its course. then in the spring early summer its gone until next winter

Dave

 

[Mmathis]

@Dave 54 Thanks for the response! I've read various articles regarding [I'll just call it] "carp" pox, and yes, this guy's spots definitely blossomed with the onset of colder weather this year! This will be his 3rd winter with me, but the first time for him to have more than 2 or 3 spots.

So basically, as long as I keep good water quality (and quarantine any new-comers, etc.), it should be OK to let him live out his life in the pond with everyone else?

I'll just keep an eye on him (and the little fantail) and make sure he's eating and showing no signs of fishy-distress.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

If they are not acting sick I would leave them to live out their lives in the pond (especially if they are not contagious)

Your temperature in the low 70s to 60s isn't near the 50 degrees or lower where they say you should be seeing this though.

 

[Mmathis]

If they are not acting sick I would leave them to live out their lives in the pond (especially if they are not contagious)

Your temperature in the low 70s to 60s isn't near the 50 degrees or lower where they say you should be seeing this though.

Yes, but it's cooler than the mid-high 80's of the summer months.

 

[Dave 54]

It's the night time temperatures that do the damage and sap the pond of its summer warmth over a period of time .
Weve already had ice on top of the Polycarbonate covers here in the UK and here in Plymouth as its coastal you normally dont get that much in the way of freezing temperatures.
Just keep on with your usual QT routine , I think we may be seeing our first ever outside case of koi pox on our Doitsu Koromo and his first winter with us .

Dave

 

[Mmathis]

Was able to [barely] read the thermometer yesterday and it was @ 66 degrees F. Lots of wind yesterday, ahead of a massive cold front that's expected to move in, dropping the temps. by as much as 30 degrees (or 50 degrees, depending on which forecaster you listen to). I was attempting to scoop leaves off the surface, but finally had to give up as I couldn't keep up with Mother Nature!!!!

Anyway, yesterday I noticed that the spots on Mr. Fishy weren't quite as bad as they were a few days ago. Now, to prove to the world that I don't have enough to do.....I'm going to keep a log: daily temp. readings + number of spots on fish

 

[Dave 54]

Winds gusting 93 mph here in the South West of the UK at the moment Maggie , looks like we are in for more of the same this year as we had last year namely storm, after storm after storm

Dave