Dying young koi... need help. flukes?

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hello, my sons koi that we bought just a week ago has died. I noticed this mark on it. the other koi I've noticed now has it. how do I treat this problem?. thank you for all the help.
 

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Mmathis

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Oh my! Tell us more about the pond: how big is it? how many koi? were the other fish fine until this new one was added? what are the water tests?
 
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the pond is 400 gallon. 3 small koi, now 2. upsizing pond in feb. the water tests results were not great. ammonia is 0.5mg. nitrite was I think 10mg. the filter system is the topclear 5000 and the pump is superfish 5000. I bought the koi altogether. I'm now buying for the ammonia. what do you think is best? actually I tested the water earlier and didn't expect to see those results. 2 hours later I found out that one of the fish was struggling. that's when I found out about the mark. all went downhill from my perspective so quickly.
 
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thanks, I've started a thread on there. I need to also decrease the ammonia, nitrite and ph. ph was at 8.5. I dont know what to get as dont want to harm fish with too much chemicals.
 
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the pond literally has only been up and running a few days before I got the koi. in hindsight I shouldn't of bought the koi so soon, but was with my son and they looked so nice and he was so happy that I bought them. I just now want to sort the problem out. i got to sort out the pond levels ammonia, and I got to know how that fish died. what disease etc so I can treat the pond.
 
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Are there any sharp points in the pond that could have caused an injury?

This is likely a water quality issue stressing the fish and allowing an infection to take hold.

Prime, made by Seachen can bind the ammonia and nitrite and prevent it from harming the fish. It has to be dosed every 48 hours for that purpose.

Don't worry about the pH, it's fine, but those other issues need to be dealt with asap.

Always fix the water first. Most problems will resolve with good water.

Check your tap water and make sure there is no ammonia and nitrite there. If there is none, water changes could help reduce those numbers. Be sure to re-dose Prime after every water change.
 

Mmathis

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the pond literally has only been up and running a few days before I got the koi. in hindsight I shouldn't of bought the koi so soon, but was with my son and they looked so nice and he was so happy that I bought them. I just now want to sort the problem out. i got to sort out the pond levels ammonia, and I got to know how that fish died. what disease etc so I can treat the pond.
You can do small, frequent water changes (with de chlorinator if your source water contains chlorine or chloramines). I think Prime is recommended for reducing ammonia, but in your case, you may be beyond that point — but you can try. Be sure to have water movement via a pump and or aerators going to increase the O2 content.

See what KOIPHEN has to say about any disease process that might be going on and maybe they can recommend treatment.

BE SURE YOU TELL THEM THE SIZE OF THE POND AND THAT IT HAS NOT YET BEEN CYCLED! That is important info.

They will probably ask you to scrape and scope the fish, but if you don’t have a microscope and aren’t experienced doing that, it probably won’t help. They might also recommend a salt bath or dip, which can be helpful in a pinch. We recommend that as a treatment, but we don’t advocate the routine use of salt in a freshwater pond.

I am so sorry you are having to go through this, but the hardest lesson to learn with ponds is to have patience — and it’s an especially important learning process when kids are involved.

If these koi survive, please consider finding them a new home and consider goldfish instead (or….build a larger pond). You water volume isn’t adequate for koi. Also, study up on the nitrogen cycle and cycling the pond.
 
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Prime is a dechlorinator as well, so it should be all you need right now.

It does not reduce ammonia and nitrite, but binds it so that it is not available to the fish. But that binding will last only 48 hours. And it can be dosed safely up to 5 times the normal dose without harm to the fish, so I don't think it's too late to use it.

But it is essential to use it every 48 hours. The binding will only last that long, after which all that bound ammonia and nitrite will be released back into the water.
 
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You can do small, frequent water changes (with de chlorinator if your source water contains chlorine or chloramines). I think Prime is recommended for reducing ammonia, but in your case, you may be beyond that point — but you can try. Be sure to have water movement via a pump and or aerators going to increase the O2 content.

See what KOIPHEN has to say about any disease process that might be going on and maybe they can recommend treatment.

BE SURE YOU TELL THEM THE SIZE OF THE POND AND THAT IT HAS NOT YET BEEN CYCLED! That is important info.

They will probably ask you to scrape and scope the fish, but if you don’t have a microscope and aren’t experienced doing that, it probably won’t help. They might also recommend a salt bath or dip, which can be helpful in a pinch. We recommend that as a treatment, but we don’t advocate the routine use of salt in a freshwater pond.

I am so sorry you are having to go through this, but the hardest lesson to learn with ponds is to have patience — and it’s an especially important learning process when kids are involved.

If these koi survive, please consider finding them a new home and consider goldfish instead (or….build a larger pond). You water volume isn’t adequate for koi. Also, study up on the nitrogen cycle and cycling the pond.
you're very right. I was going to get goldfish, the dealer used to do them, but no longer does. the koi looked so nice. it was hypnotising good. I do want to learn a lot about koi. been watching videos etc. beautiful fish.
 
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Prime is a dechlorinator as well, so it should be all you need right now.

It does not reduce ammonia and nitrite, but binds it so that it is not available to the fish. But that binding will last only 48 hours. And it can be dosed safely up to 5 times the normal dose without harm to the fish, so I don't think it's too late to use it.

But it is essential to use it every 48 hours. The binding will only last that long, after which all that bound ammonia and nitrite will be released back into the water.
I used dechlorinator when I did the pond. so I have to use prime every 48 hours all the time or is there eventually another way to let ammonia and nitrite permanently to lower level? thank you for the help.
 

Mmathis

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I used dechlorinator when I did the pond. so I have to use prime every 48 hours all the time or is there eventually another way to let ammonia and nitrite permanently to lower level? thank you for the help.
IMO, for that small of a pond….with koi….you’ll probably be doing it a lot. Koi are big waste producers. Be sure your pond is cycled properly to begin with.
 

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