Help - Koi Problem

[strick206]

Hello, my first post so i apologise if it is in the wrong section.

I have a pond, which has a few fish in it, a few weeks ago one of the goldfish died, it was being chased around by some other fish and its scales where really rotten, we put it in its own pond but unfortunately it didn't survive even when left away from the other fish.

We have a similar problem with one of our Koi now, it has been getting chased around, kind of attacked, and rubbing its side against the pond walls.

All scales look fine, possibly a little rough but certainly not lost any.

It appears to have lost it's ability to stay upright, but still looks healthy in a newbies eyes.

I've got some pics which i've added below, and any help would be greatly appreciated, even if it is too late to save this fish, for all the others.

Regards

Gary

 

[koiguy1969]

the only time i know of that a particular fish gets chased around is during a spawn they bump the female fish and force her into things to stimulate the release of eggs. it can look kind of violent i dont that much about it but she may egg bound.

 

[strick206]

thnaks for the reply, i agree that it may be egg bound, another problem we have is the fish is turning itself over, possibly a problem with it's swim bladder

How can i deal with this issue?

 

[koiguy1969]

google it and read up... as far as i know bladder problems are almost always permanent even fatal. i have yet to deal with any significant health issues with my fish... look up dropsy also...maybe start it on some antibiotic food.

 

[DrCase]

Try to feed it thawed shelled peas,,,i never done it but i did read that it will help with bladder trouble,,just a few peas per fish,,,you can get them out of the shell when thawed, with a pinch...

 

[DrDave]

I have had several Koi up to 12" that have had swim bladder problems. I never had the heart to cull them. All of them lived and were otherwise healthy and eventually adopted by people. What I have found, is that even handicapped, they are still were a living being in the Koi community and added another dimension to a pond.

Not every Koi has to be perfect. One of my associates who adopted one, had a party and a child came to him and said one of his Koi was dead. Rod, walked over to his pond and nudged the special Koi and it was very much alive and active. The kids gave him a name and now when they visit Rod, they want to see his special fish.

It is sad that some Koi get this condition. But as long as they can eat, they are worthy of living.

If you can find a remedy that works, please share it with all of us. If not, please keep and care for it as long as it is otherwise healthy and not in pain.

 

[stroppy]

thing is how do you know if its in pain or not ?.... i certananly wouldnt keep one alive if i thought there might be a chance it could be suffering

 

[DrDave]

That is a call you have to make after observing them. If they look distressed, they are probably in pain. If they are happy but handicapped, you will see the difference.
Mine always greeted me like a puppy dog wating for his food. These were all in tanks by this time and we could observe them up close. It is not so easy in a pond. Distress should not be that difficult to figure out.
If you have to put it down, use Ice followed by freezing. The ice water slows them down and puts them to sleep and the freeze finishes the task. It is painless and the most humane way to do it.

 

[stroppy]

yes i guess your right you would be able to tell if they were in pain ... only i cant stand to see anything suffer ..i do have one fish with a miss shaped fin and he swims a bit lopsided, he was like it when we got him about 11 years ago !!

 

[DrCase]

For a small chunk of $$$ you can get the fish fitted with a prosthetic fin .:icon_mrgreen:

 

[strick206]

The fish doesnt appear to be suffering, breathing and trying to swim round but i just feel so sorry for it with it being upside down all the time, it's not too keen on peas either

Looks like they may have attacked the tail, or the tail is rotting as it is very red and looks like its blooded

 

[DrDave]

You didn't mention this before and I didn't see the condition you just described in the photos.
If there are open sores or wounds, I recommend a salt bath. Use rock salt and prepare using the methods described on my web page. Also follow the link to the University for more information.
http://drdaveskoi.tripod.com/html/remedies.html

At the first sign of any injury, I use a salt bath, then return them to the population if well enough.

 

[Philanthropist]

One of my goldfish had dropsy before and a condition similar to that of your koi's. What I did was put in some anti- biotic, ick treatment, and some med that would support their slime coat. I also raised the temperature of my pond to about 76 degrees. Hope this would work for you.