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Koi diseases, detection and treatment

What to do when koi are sick? In any case, a veterinarian specialized in the animals should be consulted - because on the one hand, many fish diseases are contagious among themselves, and on the other hand, they can sometimes lead quite quickly to an agonizing death of the animals. So if your koi behave differently than usual and you notice them unwell, you should definitely seek advice.

Here is a list of possible causes and comparative chances of treatment, so that you can better recognize diseases:

Do your koi show splayed scales, pop-eyes and possibly a bloated body? Bacterial dropsy may be the culprit - after consultation with the vet, the animals are either given a bath with antibiotics or are fed a feed mixed with antibiotics. In this case, the veterinarian must specify an exact dosage and duration of treatment, depending on the number of affected koi and especially their size and weight.

In the case of inflamed areas and open wounds, a bacterial disease presents itself as a skin infection. Again, a bath with antibiotics is necessary, but open areas must also be disinfected. Additionally it can be helpful to warm up the pond water to over 26° Celsius. Here, too, the veterinarian must be consulted.

Another bacterial cause is the so-called gill swelling - in this case, feeding must first be stopped, the vet usually advises a bath with gill powder or Chlormin T.

One of the dangerous viral diseases is fish tuberculosis: Here your koi show rocking almost staggering swimming movements, inflamed skin areas and a swollen body. Here, too, it is advisable to increase the pond water to over 26° Celsius and in any case to improve the water quality. Also, a possible cause of susceptibility to infection may be too much continuous stress.

If your Koi start to scrub heavily, show increased respiration, reddening of the skin and a strong formation of mucus, the so-called spot disease or semolina grain disease may be responsible.This is caused by external parasites, for example Ichthyophthirius, and requires treatment with the active ingredient malachite green oxalate.

The fungal disease Saprolegnia must also be treated with the same active ingredient. It can be recognized by a white, cotton wool-like coating on the skin of the koi.

The so-called carp pox looks unsightly and frightens the pet owner at first, but this disease is quite harmless for your koi. It disappears by itself when you increase the pond temperature. Carp pox shows up as whitish, gel-like growths on various parts of the body.

Care should be taken when treating against external parasites such as skin-sucking worms and gill worms if you maintain goldfish in your pond in addition to koi: The active ingredient Ovitelmin, which is necessary for this treatment, is very toxic for goldfish! The disease itself shows itself by strong scouring and spitting of the fish.

If your koi suddenly start jumping, you can probably even see the external parasites : the carp louse, a fish fluke or the anchor worm. In this case, a pond bath with the active ingredient Masoten is recommended - again, a warning for other pond inhabitants: goldfish do not tolerate the active ingredient!

In the case of great loss of appetite and gelatinous feces, internal parasites such as scratches or worms may be to blame - here, too, the veterinarian should be consulted without fail.