Koi with ulcers on skin

[ArtT]

I have attached a picture of a koi in my pond that has had ulcers (I think) since last spring - so about a year. It is hard to see from the picture, but the skin is red in several areas and some look very raw showing blood red marks. The water quality is good and I have about 8 other fish in the pond that have not had any problems. Last year I had given the fish a salt bath (before I heard all the negatives about giving a salt bath) and its skin improved substantially. The raw spots went away and the red reduced. Now it seems to be as bad as it ever was so I am looking for help on how to treat it.

Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
Art

 

[GBBUDD]

There is stress coat thats is sold in the aquarium trade it has aloe which is a great skin irataion medication

 

[ArtT]

There is stress coat thats is sold in the aquarium trade it has aloe which is a great skin irataion medication

Thanks

 

[WaterGardener]

If there are open sores, they can be treated with triple antibiotic salve or iodine.

 

[ArtT]

If there are open sores, they can be treated with triple antibiotic salve or iodine.

Do you have any recommendations? Do I need to trat the whole pond or do I apply it directly on the fish? Thanks.

 

[WaterGardener]

Directly to the fish. You never want to put antibiotics in your pond. That will kill your beneficial bacteria.

 

[ArtT]

Ok thanks.

 

[GBBUDD]

If there are open sores, they can be treated with triple antibiotic salve or iodine.

IT sure would be handy if you put together a basic medical fixes and have IAN or addy put it to a sticky

 

[Lisak1]

A salt bath isn't a bad thing necessarily. The purpose is to irritate the skin and increase the natural slime coat. Salt may also help the fish shed external parasites. Salting the whole pond is another story.

You've gotten good advice already, but a few questions - how big is your pond? With 8 or 9 koi you need a good volume of water to keep them healthy. You say the water quality is "fine" - is that by appearance or testing? If you're testing, what type of test are you using and what are the actual numbers? What kind of filtration are you using?

I only ask because ulcers are frequently a sign of a water issue.

 

[WaterGardener]

Thanks for the vote of confidence GBBUDD, but I don't feel like I have enough knowledge for that project.


However, there are others that I think do, and I go here when I have a question about my pond:

Koi Health: A Comprehensive Discussion

Koi Health: A Comprehensive Discussion has been updated May 15, 2014. Introduction: The information given here is based on many year's experience; the experience of koi keepers, wholesalers, breeders and importers. In most cases you will be given some treatment options. You must do your...

www.koiphen.com

Everyone may not agree with everything there, but I find it to be a good reference page with lots of useful information.

 

[Lisak1]

Those koiphen-ers can be a bit rough on the garden ponders. While I do agree they can offer a lot when it comes to fish health, they have a goal that differs slightly from those of us who are not dedicated koi pond keepers. They chased me out years ago. But otherwise I concur - take what they share that makes sense and adjust as necessary to your actual pond!

 

[GBBUDD]

Obsessives Germaphobes is how I view their Raised pond square box ponds. imo it's like putting your fish in jail. no where to go nothing to do in a padded cell where you can't hurt yourself no matter how hard you tried all in clean water.
"well some of them anyways " i have clean water, and a fish I call scar face after swimming into a boulder .. selective breeding.

 

[WaterGardener]

If I paid what some of those people paid for their fish, I'm afraid I would be the same way! I would have to pad all the sides and edges of the pond, too.

I don't need to agree with everything, but there is a great deal of knowledge there and I have no problem with using that.

 

[GBBUDD]

Totally agree, I was just poking at them as they do to the wetland ponds. they're advantages and disadvantages to both sides.

 

[WaterGardener]

Very true. There's more than one way to have a pond to enjoy.

That's nice about this site, that every ponder type is welcomed here.