Winter time and 2 half paralyzed koi

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We had a day here in Northeastern Ohio that the pond melted and I took a good look at all of the fish while I had a chance. I noticed that one koi was on its side looking lifeless, and there was another one that was upside down looking lifeless.

At first I thought they were dead so I got the scooper out and fished out the one that was on its side. When I got him out for a better look I noticed it was still breathing. I put it back in the water and he started swimming, but it looked like it was only using one side of its body. This fish was a silvery metalic and his coloring has turned to a pale white color now.

When I got the other fish out, its mouth was wide open but I can also see his gills moving. When I put him back in he did the same thing trying to swim, but stayed upside down. This was a beautiful butterfly that was white, deep orange/red, and had black specks over the red coloring. The weird thing is his colors are still super bright and he looks healthy besides the whole upside thing.

Today, I went back out there with a flashlight and checked on them. They are both still breathing. The upside down one is swimming a little better.

Has anyone had their koi do this? My buddy has had this happen with some of them making it but we were able to move his to a sick tank and monitor them. With my water so cold at this point im not sure what to do. Any suggestions?
 

addy1

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Has your pond been frozen over, solid? Maybe you need to add some air to the water, get some of the gases gone, which the ice melting would help do. This is just my guess
 

sissy

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I know my koi sorta just hang there in the winter ,but this winter it has been warm and they are still swimming a little .But last winter they just hung out on the bottom and hardly moved and they looked dead but where just chilling out for there winter sleep .Addy 's info could be what is happening if they are not getting enough air .I know water is supposed to be more oxygenated in winter but we have longer nights also and maybe they are using up what is there ,not sure .Have you tested your water
 

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What about lightning strikes or a bad wire from lights or pump cord in your pond? Had any storms lately? That can really mess the fish up if they get hit w/ it. I think usually tho the fish has a bend in it's spine when electricity is involved.
 

HARO

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Looked at a friend's pond a couple of weeks back; the ice on the pond was clear, and you could see all his goldfish on the bottom. To me they looked dead, some were upside-down, or twisted into a crescent shape, but he said they are like that every winter, and survive. The ice on my pond is always milky, so I can't see the fish in winter. Could it be your fish are simply in hibernation mode?
John
 
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Thanks for the info guys. I am still watching them. I have air lines in there to keep air in the pond/ hole in the ice and it kept a hole in the ice all winter. I check it everyday when I take my dog out. Its super weird.......out of all the fish, just these two are acting strange. They are both still alive but always on their sides and can kinda swim but it looks like they cant use half of their body. The one will just lay there on its side, stay in the same place for days at a time, and if I get close he will get like excited and try to swim......but its short lived. Im wondering if they ate something too late in the year and couldnt digest it???? Would that cause issues? Maybe a plant or something?
 

fishin4cars

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Shallow pond less than 30"? This is really not good for the fish. They are in hibernation mode but can have after effects. the water has reached the freezing point but the warmth of the soil and the airstones are keeping it from turning to ice. There are formula's that give all the data but I don't have it in front of me. Your doing what you can now the air removing gases and the opening in the ice are the best measures you can take. The best thing to help prevent this from happening is having one area in the pond that is 4'-5' deep and not to disturb this water. It will stay slightly warmer the the fish will just sleep. When they get to cold they rock, or belly up. nerves are shut down, swimbladder stops functioning. Biggest thing to watch for is when the ice does thaw, check and take a count of the fish and make sure they do start moving. A dead fish decays a lot slower in winter so you do have a small window to get them out before causing to much water problems.
 

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