Medication
It was with great trepidation that we have resolved to make this part of the web-site accessible to guests. The first consideration was that there are so many “knowledgeable” persons that make it their business to criticise, that I dread getting into hours of debate regarding the treatment of fish.
Treating Koi with chemicals are harsh and these chemicals are poisonous to such an extent that it kills lower life forms like parasites, fungus and bacteria without killing the fish. It stands to reason therefore that most treatments are to a certain extent harmful to the Koi, and in some cases deadly for other species of fish. The treatments describe in this section were developed either through trial and error over many years, or it has been confirmed with Koi Health Experts all over the world. The bottom line is that not a single treatment is described in this section that I have not utilised myself for considerable time.
The biggest concern is that readers who have very little experience in Koi keeping may not understand the full spectrum of factors that may influence the treatment. Failure to understand all factors will result in a dead fish or failure to cure the disease. I am not present when you treat your fish and can therefore not be held responsible for losses or damage. If you are not confident in your abilities, please contact a knowledgeable person in your area to assist you.
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Acriflavine |
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Acriflavine is a yellow-orange powder that has been used for Koi heath treatments for many years. Until recently, Acriflavine has been viewed as not very effective and even described by some as a useless dye. It is however my opinion that more experimentation with Acriflavine is necessary to unlock the full potential that it has for the Koi industry.
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Baytril Injections |
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As stated in previous articles, the most effective way to treat a bacterial infection is to inject the Koi with antibiotics. This gets the proper amount of medication directly into the koi. There are various ways to sedate a Koi or to keep the Koi immobile to inject it, but the techniques warrant a separate article. The various ways to inject a Koi are described here.
As a rule, my first choice antibiotic to treat ulcers is Baytril. The reason for this is that Baytril is a relative safe drug with a long shelf life. Baytril is also very easy to inject with a diabetic syringe, limiting the damage to the fish. Unfortunately there are instances where one will encounter bacteria that are resistant to the effects of Baytril. When that happens, there is always the possibility of changing the treatment.
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Common Salt, Sodium Chloride, NaCI |
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Common Salt, Sodium Chloride, NaCI is probably the oldest fish-keeper's treatment and standby, because it works well against many protozoan parasites. It can also assist osmoregulation problems, assist in boosting the protective mucus layer, support fish suffering from stress and help clear congested gills. Salt also inhibits the uptake of Nitrates by the fish, thereby limiting the damage to the red blood cells. Salt is a very safe pond treatment, and will not adversely affect biological filtration in pond filters. It is generally used at fairly high rates in short-term baths or dips, but can be used as a long-term supportive treatment in ponds.
Mostly, the cause of a disease outbreak can be traced to one or a combination of three factors that influence the health of the Koi. These factors are the environment, stress and pathogens. As describe in the introductory paragraph, salt assist to limit the influence of all three factors. The way it influence these factors are based on:
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Emergency treatment for Koi |
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The purpose of this article is to assist the Koi keeper during those stressful situations when a “dead” Koi is discovered in or outside a pond. Take heart, it may not be dead but indecision or a lack of knowledge may be the reason that it will soon be really dead.
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Fish Anaesthetic |
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I have seen people with extraordinary skills catch a fish and inject it swiftly. The fish is clamped between the upper arm, forearm and the body of the handler and injected. This quick injection technique is valuable for wholesalers and breeders who must treat a high number of fish and the possible resulting losses are an accepted risk. This technique is risky especially if the substance to inject needs a prolonged injection time like Nuflor. The sharp bevel of a 20 gauge needle can inflict serious internal damage to a fish if it struggles during the injection.
This kind of “grab and stab” approach is really not necessary for the Koi hobbyist where every Koi is a treasure or a show specimen. The skill to anaesthetise a Koi will be a necessity and may be required from time to time to save a koi’s life. This skill may be required to do topical treatment of ulcers, to inject a fish or maybe to remove an object stuck in the throat. Unfortunately it is also sometimes necessary to take it to the extreme and humanely dispose of a Koi.
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Malachite Green and Formalin |
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Malachite Green and Formalin have been used for many years against a range of parasites, and can be used together or separately as anti-parasite treatments against Gyrodactylus (skin flukes), Dactylogyrus (gill flukes), Ichthyobodo (Costia), Trichodina , Chilodonella and Ichthyophthirius (white spot). It is especially effective against white spot, because the relative long active life of this treatment, together with the low filter toxicity makes it ideal for tackling the complex life cycle of this protozoan parasite.
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Methylene Blue |
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Methylene Blue comes as a very dark green powder, appearing blue when dissolved in water. Considered a 'traditional' medication for bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections, it is used less frequently as it is highly toxic to plants and will wipe out the bacteria in a biofilter. It is easily absorbed through cell membranes and affects cell activity by raising oxygen consumption within cells. The therapeutic action of Methylene Blue on bacteria and other parasites is probably due to its binding with cytoplasmic structures within the cell and also its interference with oxidation reduction processes
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Nuflor Injections |
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Some time ago, I was facing a challenge with a large Ochiba that developed ulcers. As we went through the checklist of possible causes we soon realised that the problem started with an uncontrolled spawning in the pond. Slight damage of the fins, lost scales etc. are normal after spawning and it normally cured spontaneously. Unfortunately this fish was in a sorry state with torn fins and severe bruises on the body.
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Organophosphates |
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Organophosphates are potentially dangerous to both fish and humans. More detail are available on this site. Because of the potential dangers, the indiscriminate elimination of invertebrates in natural systems as well as the cumulative effect in fish tissue, the use of organophosphates in fish disease control has been banned in many countries. The most widely used organophosphate in the treatment of Koi is Trichlorfon. Trichlorfon is listed as an active ingredient in various insecticides, but because of the varying concentrations in different preparations, I prefer Trichlorfon powder obtainable from agricultural stores.
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pH Stabiliser |
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Dr. Eric Johnson, in his book Koi Health and Disease, describe various ways to raise pH in a pond. The most remarkable piece of advice to prevent pH problems from occurring is the use of the “pH pill”. Although the book describes the use of the pH pill in fish tanks, I have used it now for considerable time successfully in all my ponds. Over time I have improved the concept to some extent and am happy to share the method used with readers.
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Potassium Permanganate Dip |
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The various photos and material for this article were kindly supplied by Julie de Villiers.
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Potassium Permanganate in the Treatment of Koi ponds |
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It is known that Potassium Permanganate is an oxidizer that clears the water of most of the diseases and organisms that adversely affect Koi. The article below is published with the kind permission of Dr. Roddy M. Conrad who is a Koi hobbyist of some renown and also a biochemist.
Dr. Conrad has developed a procedure for treating at 2 PPM in concurrent treatments the same day. This makes the use of Potassium Permanganate much safer for the fish.
This article is published without any alterations and therefore the measurements and weights should be converted to the metric system.
Please note that:
2 ppm = 2 g per 1000 litres
1 Imperial gallon = 4.5 litres
1 US gallon = 3.78 litres
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Sodium Thiosulfate (Dechlorinator) |
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Chlorine is a toxic element, and excess chlorine could be harmful to fish and crustaceans, so it is important to remove chlorine from the water before introducing the stock.
It is stated that even as little as .05 parts per million (ppm) of chlorine in your pond may result in fish deaths. Others say, you can add 10% chlorinated water to your pond without any worries. But if your source water has a chlorine content of 0.5 ppm, a typical value, and you add 10% to your pond, the pond concentration of chlorine is .05 ppm - a toxic level!
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