dc
June 20th 06, 01:33 AM
"Kelly" > wrote in
ups.com:
> Now these new koi are starting to show the same symptoms. They have
> been stratching for about a week. Water parameters are perfect this
> time. This time I notice small round white things on one of their
> tail fins (not ick looking..... bigger).
> Any idea what this could be? Should I treat with a malachite green
> medication too just in case?
Unfortunately it's very hard to say exactly what the problem is without
a lot of experience, direct access to the fish, and a microscope.
What do the white growths look like? How do they sit on the skin? Does
it look like a blob of wax? Does it protrude or sit flat on the skin?
Does it look like a cyst or a granuloma? Does it look like an injury or
an ulcer?
What is your water temperature?
From what you describe it could be a number of different things. The
first thing that comes to mind is an aggressive protozoan infestation or
skin flukes. Either of these conditions can be treated with a formalin
based medication. Many malachite green medications contain formalin as
well.
However, these afflictions may not always cause massive loss of
life--your koi may have died of a secondary infection, or the problem
may have been viral and the flashing due to a secondary infestation. One
disease may weaken a fish and make it susceptible to another which may
kill it. To make things worse many symptoms for one disease may mirror
those of another and many symptoms often overlap.
Put on some latex gloves if you lose another koi and examine its gills
while it is fresh. Do they appear bright blood red and healthy? Are
they discoloured? Do you see any signs of necrosis? Do you see any
growths, granulomas, or is there a build up of mucus? You can examine a
living fish too if it is sedate and you are careful not to injure it in
the process.
Also take note of whether or not the whitish discolouration sloughs off
the fish in globs when you remove it or whether it more or less stays on
the body. The former is a sign of body slime build-up often due to
parasitic irritation; the later is often a sign of bacterial infection.
ups.com:
> Now these new koi are starting to show the same symptoms. They have
> been stratching for about a week. Water parameters are perfect this
> time. This time I notice small round white things on one of their
> tail fins (not ick looking..... bigger).
> Any idea what this could be? Should I treat with a malachite green
> medication too just in case?
Unfortunately it's very hard to say exactly what the problem is without
a lot of experience, direct access to the fish, and a microscope.
What do the white growths look like? How do they sit on the skin? Does
it look like a blob of wax? Does it protrude or sit flat on the skin?
Does it look like a cyst or a granuloma? Does it look like an injury or
an ulcer?
What is your water temperature?
From what you describe it could be a number of different things. The
first thing that comes to mind is an aggressive protozoan infestation or
skin flukes. Either of these conditions can be treated with a formalin
based medication. Many malachite green medications contain formalin as
well.
However, these afflictions may not always cause massive loss of
life--your koi may have died of a secondary infection, or the problem
may have been viral and the flashing due to a secondary infestation. One
disease may weaken a fish and make it susceptible to another which may
kill it. To make things worse many symptoms for one disease may mirror
those of another and many symptoms often overlap.
Put on some latex gloves if you lose another koi and examine its gills
while it is fresh. Do they appear bright blood red and healthy? Are
they discoloured? Do you see any signs of necrosis? Do you see any
growths, granulomas, or is there a build up of mucus? You can examine a
living fish too if it is sedate and you are careful not to injure it in
the process.
Also take note of whether or not the whitish discolouration sloughs off
the fish in globs when you remove it or whether it more or less stays on
the body. The former is a sign of body slime build-up often due to
parasitic irritation; the later is often a sign of bacterial infection.