Koi laying on side, not dead

[Dexterstorm]

I found one of our koi on its side looks dead but is not, it can’t not stay straight, will swim with effort then go sideways. There is a bruise on its abdomen.
I tried the frozen peas, no improvement, Iam treating the water for a bacterial infection as precaution. It will eat if I hold it. Any ideas? Or do I need to put it down, it seems neurological to me. Thanks!

 

[Laaf]

Animals can recover from serious injury. I would give it a chance to recover from what you are describing.

 

[Lisak1]

It's always sad when someone comes here with fish issues - hopefully it can get straightened out.

First - more details: how big is the pond, how many fish are in it, what kind, what type of filtration, how old is the pond... any information would be helpful.

You say this fish has a "bruise" on the abdomen - do you have reason to believe it was injured? How do the scales and fins look? Are the scales raised? Fins clamped? What about the eyes - clear or cloudy? I don't know that I would recommend holding the fish - it may be stressful. Eating isn't really the biggest priority right now - fish can go many days without eating, so don't worry about that at the moment.

I know you already treated the pond, but for future reference, treating the whole pond isn't the approach I would take, unless you believe all your fish are affected. Removing the affected fish to a smaller tank and treating individually is a more judicious approach, in my opinion. Others may disagree.

Also post some photos of the fish if you are able - there are folks here with good fish knowledge who may spot something that could be helpful.

 

[Dexterstorm]

I found him in the skimmer last Friday so o think he got stuck and caused trauma to himself. All other fish are fine.
Ijust didn’t know if they recover from a swim bladder trauma.
he is still on his side hanging out.

 

[Lisak1]

Oh boy. I don't know if that's swim bladder trauma or not, but hopefully the fish will make it. It could be internal injuries. They are powerful fish and can cause a lot of damage to themselves trying to get out of jams.

I'd still like to know a few more details about the pond. Is it possible the fish were spawning and this one went into the skimmer to escape?

 

[Dexterstorm]

I don’t think they were spawning. Who knows? The big guys in the past have gotten themselves stuck in the skimmer looking for food. I have always been out there luckily when it has happened.
not sure what this one was doing. We have 5 fish total. In a 1000 gal pond. We have never had babies. The pond is about 6-7 years old.

 

[Lisak1]

I'd think about a way to keep them out of the skimmer - that's never a good thing.

I mentioned spawning only because often one fish will become the object of the affections of several others at one time and they will try to escape the pursuit. But food would indeed be the other motivator. When we had koi, we had a couple that would attempt to climb rocks for a stray food pellet - they are chow hounds.

At 1000 gallons, you have a small pond for koi. As they grow - and they do! - a previously perfect pond can quickly turn Into a disaster. Just something to think about...

 

[Tula]

You can make an easy DIY skimmer guard by cutting a piece of PVC to fit snugly across the weir.

 

[Olenka]

I found him in the skimmer last Friday so o think he got stuck and caused trauma to himself. All other fish are fine.
Ijust didn’t know if they recover from a swim bladder trauma.
he is still on his side hanging out.

Which skimmer are you using? I bought Oase Aquaskim 40. Afraid to install it.

 

[WaterGardener]

You can easily make a grate to cover the skimmer opening to keep the fish out. A plastic coated wire plate rack or a piece of plastic coated shelving works well.

Hope your fish recovers.

 

[lynnestins]

I'd think about a way to keep them out of the skimmer - that's never a good thing.

I mentioned spawning only because often one fish will become the object of the affections of several others at one time and they will try to escape the pursuit. But food would indeed be the other motivator. When we had koi, we had a couple that would attempt to climb rocks for a stray food pellet - they are chow hounds.

At 1000 gallons, you have a small pond for koi. As they grow - and they do! - a previously perfect pond can quickly turn Into a disaster. Just something to think about...

 

[lynnestins]

I think if u get skimmer brushes u won’t have that problem

 

[Jhn]

Putting something screen or brush wise In the weir of the skimmer to me defeats the purpose of the skimmer, which is to skim the water surface of floating debris before it has a chance to sink. Unless it is a large screen that stuff can still get pulled through. Brushes came with a skimmer I got years ago, those are useless they clog quickly and don’t let the skimmer pull in floating junk.

 

[WaterGardener]

The plastic coated shelving doesn't block the skimmer or interfere with it's operation. Debris easily passes through it, especially if it is set horizontally to the top of the water.

 

[Olenka]

My Oase AquqSkim 40 is doing a good job. I am using 1760 gph pump for the skimmer and a small waterfall (approx 18-24 inches tall, 12 inches wide) The suction is not so strong, so the fish does not get in.
And yes, they recovered!

Thank you everyone for your inputs!