KHV or Koi Herpes Virus

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Koi Herpes virus if caught by our koi is a death sentence to around 80% of our koi , the survivors thought to be carriers of the virus and thus left in perpetual QT with all their own equipment filters etc .
How much to any of us know about this dread disease ?
Val and I had a friend here in Plymouth go down with it last year decimating his pond , did he get his koi from a reputable dealer and it was all a horrific mishap ????
No he bought his koi from Ebay from a person who has since ceased trading but you can garentee he still is but under a diferent name .
How much do we all know about KHV ?, its like the AID's of the koi world we all dread catching it many of us sticking to one dealership we know and trust.
KHV is rife in the Far East any koi brought from there suspect as another friend in South Africa found when he lost all of his koi to KHV.
Traditional thinking has KHV dormant at 7c active at 26-27c ..........think again even at 7c your koi are no longer safe why ?
Because like all viruses KHV is evolving and the authorities are now getting reports of outbreaks lower than 7c .
Are we safe from it ??? well that depends from where you buy your koi from Ebay they could come from anywhere.
Here in the UK koi dealerships have got together to form an assocciation in an atempt to protect their customers against this dread virus " so far so good its working"
We hear the Goldfish keepers breathing a huge sigh of relief.....wrong folks please think again .
There is also a GHV or Goldfish Herpes Virus but thankfully it has not been found to be as virulent as KHV but will still claim lives if your unlucky enough to buy a goldfish that has the virus.
However fatalities are far less than that of koi down at around about the 50% level , however the same applies should you buy a goldfish that goes on to infect your pond strict 24/7 QT with their own equipment etc
Try to buy your koi and goldfish from a reputable dealership and avoid things like Ebay where quite frankly you dont know the providence of your koi or Goldfish , yes it may be a stunning fish of either species and a bargin to boot but what happens if it has KHV or GHV ....you loose big style its just not worth it
QT your fish for a good two months before putting them in your pond , try heating your QT fasility up to 27c then drop it down to normal temperature do this over the two months of QT first normal temperature then high temperture , in the koi world its known as heat ramping and is supposed to bring on KHV if our koi have it , most probably this would be the best way forwards for goldfish too

Dave
 
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