Dying young koi... need help. flukes?

[WaterGardener]

I actually have only used the one in your link, but now use Safe when needed.

It looks like the difference is in the dosage amounts. I think either version would be fine to use.

 

[Mmathis]

@Formypet Have you gotten any help yet from KOIPHEN? I would be curious to know what they say.

 

[Mgessert]

I applaud your hard work and don’t want to be mean, but could you return the koi to wherever you got them, and get goldfish instead? It seems they sold you fish that aren’t appropriate for your situation.

 

[Mmathis]

I applaud your hard work and don’t want to be mean, but could you return the koi to wherever you got them, and get goldfish instead? It seems they sold you fish that aren’t appropriate for your situation.

Agree, and not to sound negative, but this might be a losing battle.

 

[Formypet]

update: I understand the worries on here and thank you for the help. I will be upsizing the pond very soon. i think itll be unlikely he'll take the fish back that is not 100% At the moment. I have 3 small koi in a 400 gallon pond. theyre about 6 inches in size I would say. I used prime and started feeding once in the morning two days ago. the ammonia levels are down to 0. the nitrite no2 is at 0.1mg/l and the nitrate no3 is at 10mg, so I think the pond cycle is now doing well.. I hope... the ph though is at 8.5 so I want to get that down. what's the best way to get ph down without having to do a big water change? The fish seem ok. swimming about and feeding. it seems the ulcer is slowly healing, but could heal better if the ph is down I feel. I've learnt so much on here from all of you and want to thank you for all taking the time to help.

 

[WaterGardener]

The pH is fine. Please don't try to get that down. Your fish will be fine in pH as high as 10. Keeping it stable is what matters, not a specific number. If you start trying to lower it, chances are it will just jump back up, then you will want to lower it again. All that see-sawing will stress the fish and cause more problems.

Why do you feel that the fish would heal better with a lower pH?

I'm glad that things are improving. Ulcers can take a while to heal, especially severe ones. If you feel the need to do anything, you can treat the ulcers topically again.

Good job getting the water issues straightened out.

 

[Formypet]

I thought I heard in a video where a guy said he was treating his fish and he preferred a ph of about 7.5. I also spoke to the fish seller who thought 8.5 is a bit high. I'll leave it though as the ph seems stable at 8.5 and like you said too much change stresses the fish out, which is why I dont want to do a huge water change again. I was very happy with the result of the chemicals of the pond. hopefully I can get it under control now and the fish feel better.

 

[Mmathis]

With goldfish and koi, it’s not the number of the pH level that is the issue. These fish can tolerate a wide range of pH levels — we have some on here who have pH’s in the pond 9’s, and some in the 7’s. Mine normally runs 8.2-8.4.

Your goal should be a STABLE pH — one that doesn’t swing back and forth. You do this by keeping the KH high (I don’t recall the ideal range, but I shoot for 100-120). The KH is important because it “buffers” pH and prevents swings. Swings are dangerous.

For KH, some add baking soda, but I prefer to incorporate crushed oyster shells into my bog/filter system (it gives a nice timed release).

It’s been a while since I kept tropical fish, but from what I recall, certain of these fish do require specific pH levels. Koi and goldfish are not in this group.

How are your remaining fish doing now?

 

[Formypet]

With goldfish and koi, it’s not the number of the pH level that is the issue. These fish can tolerate a wide range of pH levels — we have some on here who have pH’s in the pond 9’s, and some in the 7’s. Mine normally runs 8.2-8.4.

Your goal should be a STABLE pH — one that doesn’t swing back and forth. You do this by keeping the KH high (I don’t recall the ideal range, but I shoot for 100-120). The KH is important because it “buffers” pH and prevents swings. Swings are dangerous.

For KH, some add baking soda, but I prefer to incorporate crushed oyster shells into my bog/filter system (it gives a nice timed release).

It’s been a while since I kept tropical fish, but from what I recall, certain of these fish do require specific pH levels. Koi and goldfish are not in this group.

How are your remaining fish doing now?

got an ulcer, which ive treated with topical treatment. the ulcer seems to be getting better ( getting smaller). they seem ok in that they're swimming around and now I'm feeding them. I've had no flashes etc, so hopefully they're doing good. thanks for all the help.

 

[Mmathis]

got an ulcer, which ive treated with topical treatment. the ulcer seems to be getting better ( getting smaller). they seem ok in that they're swimming around and now I'm feeding them. I've had no flashes etc, so hopefully they're doing good. thanks for all the help.

Good to know — thanks for the update.

Be sure you aren’t over feeding or you’ll end up with water quality issues again. Believe me, it can happen very quickly, especially with a smaller pond.

 

[Formypet]

Good to know — thanks for the update.

Be sure you aren’t over feeding or you’ll end up with water quality issues again. Believe me, it can happen very quickly, especially with a smaller pond.

I'm not sure if my thinking was right, but I started feeding, not because the koi needed feed, but to get ammonia in the water for the good bacteria to develop. I'm only feeding a little bit in the morning, but if the pond can handle it, then I'll start feeding a little bit twice a day. is this thinking right or not? I still use a small amount of prime ( half dose) just incase I get a quick spike as new pond.

 

[Mgessert]

As long as you’re testing, you’ll be fine.

 

[GBBUDD]

i think I've found what the markings are by looking on the internet. the wounds look like ulcers. the treatment I gave does say it's for ulcers. I'm hoping for the best.

what im going to do I think is try and maintain cleaner water. hopefullty let the bacterial infection do its thing in the mean time, and treat the water with prime every two days. see what happens.

don't use chemicals unless you need them. if you add tap water add the prime but if no tap is added don't add. All to often Over feeding, over stocking, not adding water conditioner and under filtering are the main causes. so much so i'd blame them for 90 % of all issues.

 

[WaterGardener]

Fish produce ammonia just by breathing, so feeding them is not necessary for ammonia to develop.

 

[Formypet]

don't use chemicals unless you need them. if you add tap water add the prime but if no tap is added don't add. All to often Over feeding, over stocking, not adding water conditioner and under filtering are the main causes. so much so i'd blame them for 90 % of all issues.

how big of a pond minimum would you say for 3 japanese koi?