Hello, I'm new to raising koi, and have ran into a completely discouraging problem....all of my fish appear to be sick with a possible parasite and I'm not sure what else to do. I have a 1000 gallon pond w/plants. My fish have been dying off for the last month, one by one. They are flashing off the bottom, acting lethargic, and are either hover at the surface or lay under the waterfall. Their appetites have been dissipating the last few days, and the ones that die grow a white cottony substance on their faces. All water conditions have tested to near optimal levels. I tried a mix of melafix and pimafix for a week straight with no results, except 2 more floaters. I got my hands on a bottle of outrageously priced PraziPro day before yesterday, so far no good. I'm getting really frustrated and cant find a solution. I also have 12 tadpole in there, but they seem fine. My three malaysian koi are also jumping out of the water every so often. I have inspected the dead fish for any visible parasites but have found nothing. Can someone please help?! Thank you

Have you tested your water chemistry (pH, oxygen, ammonia, nitrite, hardness, etc.)? How many koi do you have in the 1000 gallons and how big are they?

White cotton on the mouth is cotton mouth disease (a form of columnaris) which is a bacterial problem that can be treated with pond salt and antibiotics. Here are a few links on it I found by a Yahoo search: http://www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseases/cotton_mouth/
http://tropicalresources.net/phpBB2/d_prof...outh_fungus.php
http://www.aquaserve.com/DiagnosticsFW/Cotton%20Mouth_tx.htm
http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/articles/columnaris.html
And tons more, just search for "cotton mouth disease" and "columnaris."

You need to find out if the cotton mouth problem is the only problem or not. The fish may also have parasites or other problems. The easiest way to do that for a koi pond is to contact your local koi club. They will send out someone to test your water and do a scraping of your koi (look at things under the microscope) as well as look at your pond and setup and give you ideas of what is wrong, changes to make, and treatments to try. Where do you live?

Here are some links:

My health page - http://www.fishpondinfo.com/health.htm
koivet.com
koicrisis.com

Thanks for your quick support. I'm in chicago. I'll look into a nearby koi club. I dont have too many fish...they're all pretty small...three of them are 8 inches, the other three are about 5 inches. 2 fantails, and a 5 inch comet. I woke up today to find a half eaten koi on the rocks next to the pond. The cottony substance is more on the top of the head. Its not on their mouths. Actually the dead ones only formed the substance a day or 2 before they died. I tried that pimafix and melafix, with no results. Then I thought that it may be parasite because of their flashing, and jumping. But this is the first time I've ever owned koi, so I obviously dont know much, except for what I've read. I have tested the pH, nitrite, ammonia, and salt levels. Not the oxygen or hardness. I do have about 55/60% pond covered in plants, and have a waterfall with a fountain. Well, thanks again for your help, and I will most definitely do what I have to to take care of this problem. Brian

It sounds like they might have regular fungus. The PimaFix might help with that but the dose you'd need for 1000 gallons is huge so perhaps you didn't add enough (it would be costly). Regular pond anti-fungal medications may work better. The cost would still be high so it might make sense to treat the fish (being that they're still small which is good so your pond is not overcrowded) in a separate aquarium or small pond. Flashing can be due to parasites but also due to water quality problems, other problems, or sometimes, it's nothing. Jumping is more serious and may indicate parasites, lack of oxygen, high ammonia, or other problems.

Here is one koi club near you:
http://www.mpks.org/

Robyn, you are fantastic, that's why I like coming to this site!!!.. I hope she finds the help she needs....

Either way... trdrpwr83, please come back and let us know what happens.... I would be interested to know because this is my first year owning Koi, myself and I'd like to know how you fare with dealing with them...

What beautiful creatures!!! I love them!!!



adreamer2

O.K. I have used two doses of prazipro and the fish are now actively eating every day finally. There is still a lot of flashing though. I lost one last night. But that fish was pretty lethargic before I treated the water. So I am down to three 8 inch koi, 2 five inch koi, one comet and two fantails. I dont want to buy any new ones until I know if these guys are healthy or not. Now, I have another question though, why do my tadpole seem to be nibbling the sides of my fish? Is this normal? The fish dont seem to mind too much...hope I dont come out to find a bunch of ten inch tadpole and no koi tommorrow...

What kind of tapdoles do you have? Do the fish show any signs of damage due to the nibbling? Are the fish that are being nibbled lethargic/ill? Since you have half the pond full of plants, I assume the tadpoles have enough to eat. They will also eat fish food. Nibbling by tadpoles on fish may occur if they are starving (not likely in your case); the fish are so sick or slow that they're just there so why not nibble on them; or very, very rarely, the tadpoles get a taste for fish slime coat. If the fish don't seem harmed by it, it may just pass when the fish are healthier and faster.

Hello, I am not too sure what kind tadpoles they are, except that they are not bull frog...I purchased them from a landscape and garden center. Green frog or leopard maybe? They were sick and seem to be getting better slowly. There is no possible way anything in there is without food. The plant life has soared with this heat spell we're having over here. The pond surface is about 70% covered, with a decent but not invasive algae bloom. The tadpole mouths are almost like big suction cups. Its most likely not a problem, just was wandering if anyone knew why this behavior occurred. Thanks again

Maybe the tadpoles are delirious from the heat. I know I am. It's 82 degrees F and 100% humidity at my desk, and I'm in long pants and a lab coat. They claim the air conditioner works (it's set at 60 degrees F) but after 7 years, I know I have to live with it. I can't think straight and want to pass out. I'm overloaded with work so must get back.