Koi laying on his side

[Jetz1138]

They made it through the nigh and look fine now!!! I guess I now have some indoor fish friends to take care of for the rest of the winter. That creates a whole new "process" I have to prep for. I'm going to upgrade the tank a bit. I spoke to a person at the Koi store near me. He asked if I had these Koi last winter. I told him, No, He mentioned that some Koi may not have never been in this type of environment over a winter and they're just not able to handle the quick shock. They've been there most of the summer though. Curious if this is right??? He said, If a Koi came from a breeder that brought the fish in for winter or we never in an extreme cold environment may need a season or so to acclimate to this environment??? I' guess more learning on my part. Rob

 

[Lisak1]

He said, If a Koi came from a breeder that brought the fish in for winter or we never in an extreme cold environment may need a season or so to acclimate to this environment???

I have never heard that. If they are able to acclimate, then they acclimate. There's no real logic behind getting them used to the cold weather/water. Now if you had taken them from 70 degree water directly to 30 degree weather that would be a different story. But no matter how quickly the weather changes, the water still cools/warms slowly to allow for acclimation.

Sometimes I think people say things just to have something to say when they don't know the real answer.

 

[Faebinder]

They made it through the nigh and look fine now!!! I guess I now have some indoor fish friends to take care of for the rest of the winter. That creates a whole new "process" I have to prep for. I'm going to upgrade the tank a bit. I spoke to a person at the Koi store near me. He asked if I had these Koi last winter. I told him, No, He mentioned that some Koi may not have never been in this type of environment over a winter and they're just not able to handle the quick shock. They've been there most of the summer though. Curious if this is right??? He said, If a Koi came from a breeder that brought the fish in for winter or we never in an extreme cold environment may need a season or so to acclimate to this environment??? I' guess more learning on my part. Rob

Observing my fish, I believe tha's true. New fish that I get sometimes dont do well for the winter and I have to bring them in, especially true for fish brought in end of summer, early fall. The temperature fluctuations really do impact the swim bladder... even though water does not fluctuate as much as air. This is n=1 observation.

My blue oranda had trouble tolerating the winter last year... this year it's doing it without a problem. The new ranchu is having a problem with fluctuations.

 

[Lisak1]

But if you bring them in for the winter how does that help them acclimate? You don't get used to the cold weather if you stay indoors. You acclimate by, well, acclimating! And honestly - you either acclimate or you die, right?

Maybe I'm looking at this wrong...

 

[Meyer Jordan]

He said, If a Koi came from a breeder that brought the fish in for winter or we never in an extreme cold environment may need a season or so to acclimate to this environment???

There is some scientific data to support this claim. If your fish came from a breeder that is several climate zones away from yours, a certain amount of acclimation (adaption) time is required. The greater the change in zones the longer the acclimation time required.

It is known that fish that are adapted to high latitudes differ physiologically from fish that are adapted to lower latitudes.....the heart is larger in those fish adapted to higher latitudes and there is more red muscle mass in those fish adapted to lower latitudes....to name a couple.
This is why I always recommend that fish be purchased from a hatchery (breeder) that is near. Adaption time and the accompanying stress can be eliminated or minimized.

If this is the case with your fish then by bringing you fish indoors, although it will still need to adapt, at least the temperatures can be kept relatively constant during this period.

 

[Tula]

Glad to hear they're doing well

 

[Jetz1138]

very interesting. I think this is true. So, I noticed another koi I bought late August. just saw last night that it was sitting on it's side and I thought, OH KNOW, here we go again. By mid-day today, she seems to be slightly better. I went and bought a 100 gallon stock tank and any one I see on it's side I will bring in. The only fish in my pond that seem to be doing alright are the few i had from my first winter. thoise came from someone who was getting rid of a pond in my climate zone. i was also told to just bring the indoor tank temp to 50F. enough for them to thaw but still not come fully into summer habits.

 

[Jetz1138]

I'm going to try and document the process from when i find the fish at the bottom of the pond. FYI, Pond max depth is 34". total with 2 streams and waterfall about 5,000 gal. . I just brought another "newer" Koi in from the cold. His name is Pablo. I will get video as well. So, the pond temp is 38F. As water warms up inside garage, you'll see how he does.. Well I hope as the other 2 did... The first photo is in the pond. He was there for 5 hours same position flat on his side. Second is in temp holding bin until he hopefully revives.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I'm going to try and document the process from when i find the fish at the bottom of the pond. FYI, Pond max depth is 34". total with 2 streams and waterfall about 5,000 gal. . I just brought another "newer" Koi in from the cold. His name is Pablo. I will get video as well. So, the pond temp is 38F. As water warms up inside garage, you'll see how he does.. Well I hope as the other 2 did... The first photo is in the pond. He was there for 5 hours same position flat on his side. Second is in temp holding bin until he hopefully revives.

View attachment 96652 View attachment 96653

As an aside, I would like to mention how clear your pond water is, but I can not detect any algae growth on any submerged surface.

 

[Jetz1138]

Hi Meyer, the water has always been really clear except for a few times. I think the Sludge remover treatments help. Here's a short video i took with my iphone. You can see Pablo and then some of the other fish by their cave entrance

 

[Tula]

Oh dear, hate seeing your koi like that What type of sludge remover treatments are you using and how often?

So now you have three koi that have been affected like this?

 

[Jetz1138]

Yes, three now. It's so weird... and not all at once, So, Pablo, the one in the video, is already starting to move much better. It's like his swim badder is thawing out. When you see a fish at the bottom of your pond, totally still for hours on his side, It's hard not to take action. I mean he looked totally dead and if I nudged him with the net, he just floated back to the bottom. I'll add another video in a few hours if Pablo starts moving more to show difference. I hope this isn't worthless, it's just such a learning experience I never expected.

For pond treatments, in the summer I use Microbe-lift SA (sludge away) once a month per directions. And then I use the Microbe-lift PL once week as prescribed for beneficial bacteria.

 

[Ruben Miranda]

Hello
He.looks bloated in the pic and (hard to say) but the scales also look to be extended.

I might have missed it
But do you feed them ?
As he could be blocked up

Ruben

 

[Jetz1138]

I started with wheatgerm based food at temp around 50f, then stopped feeding completely once below that. but temp did drop fast. I think your right, he does look a little bloated but last feeding was probably late October.

 

[Jetz1138]

OK.. Here's Pablo only a few hours out of the pond. temp close to 40F in container.