Spring and Summer Wed-Fri: 10-5 Sat: 10-5 Sun: 10-4
Koi Ulcers This article was written some time ago by Donna Caruso and myself. Some of the informatin might be useful.
Ulcers are caused by bacteria, Aeromonas and Pseudomonas. Aeromonas have been documented in Japan since as early as 1981. There are other bacterias that contribute to the disease, but these two, are most common. Both are present in the pond all of the time and both are treated the same way.
The bacteria usually enters the fish through any wounds the fish might get from sharp objects in the pond, poor diet, poor water quality, rough handling and stress. Up until now, while it has a high mortality rate, it has been responsive to aggressive antibiotic treatments; however, the health care industry as a whole has been reporting severe problems with drug-resistant strains of all types of bacteria.
This in itself is reason NOT to use antibiotics in your pond as a "tonic" or preventative medicine.
Prevention is key to this problem and most others. Proper water quality, fish quarantine and fish handling should always be observed. Ulcer disease can happen at anytime but most frequently in the spring, mainly because of poor water quality due to not filtering or not making regular water changes during winter time. Water quality is usually at its worst in the spring and the fishes' immune system is usually at its lowest point at this time of year.
The information presented here has been compiled from many different sources (see the Resource list below). After scouring over these books and some other articles here are some things we came up with to help you deal with this disease if you should ever get it. Keep in mind these are only brief examples taken from larger sources that you should really read to get all the information for yourself and so that nothing gets lost in the translation or taken out of context.
1) Symptoms: Ulcers or sores, a white spot with red in the center or pimple that bursts to reveal muscle eventually or possibly eating its way the to bone. Reddening of fin base and anal vent (which can also happen with other ailments).
2) General Treatment: There are many different ways to treat this disease. These are some of the most often mentioned: Add 3LBS pond salt per 100 gallons. Raise water temp to 80F and increase aeration. If the fish is still feeding, feed a medicated food with antibiotics. For more persistent cases and according to most of the experts injection is the best treatment (more on this later).
3) Treatment of the ulcer itself: Remove fish from pond, dry the ulcer and clean the wound with a antiseptic solution such as mercurochrome or Triamcinolone Acetonide in orabase form (you need a prescription from your vet for this).
4) Injection of the affected fish according to the experts is the best way to treat this disease. If you have never injected a fish you should consult with someone who has attempting this before. Some of the more popular drugs for injection are, Azactam, Gentamicin, and Baytril.
5) Prevention: Prevention is the best way to avoid getting this disease. You should keep all filters clean, keep all debris from the water and pond bottom, and test your water regularly for ammonia, pH, and nitrite. The bacteria is in the pond all the time. It is just looking for the opportunity to attack a fish, whether it is a weak, injured or has a parasite of some kind. If you do get ulcer disease you should suspect a underlying problem. For instance if you have poor water quality this can lower a fishes immune system allowing the bacteria to act. If you have a parasite like anchor worm the fish will flash or scrape the pond sides and bottom inviting the bacteria to settle in to the affected spot. If you don't handle your fish correctly when you are netting them this could also give the bacteria a place to set up. You should inspect your fish daily while they are feeding because this gives you a chance to check them over from all angles. (One author suggests setting a mirror in the bottom of the pond at the feeding place, to more easily inspect the underside of the fish.) The earlier you catch this disease or any other problem the easier it is to treat.
6) Treatment with antibiotics: Keep in mind some parasites and bacteria can build a resistance to certain treatments. Also some antibiotics work better then others for a particular outbreak. If one treatment dose not work try another one but be sure that you are treating for the right thing. And remember when treating with antibiotics to follow the directions to the letter, whether you are treating your fish, cat, dog, or yourself. Do not misuse antibiotics because this can help pathogens to build up resistance to different drugs and make the pathogens stronger and more resilient.
RESOURCES
AKCA Practical Koi Keeping, Volumes I, II and III
(Volumes II and III in particular deal extensively with aeromonas and ulcer diseases).
AKCA Guide to Koi Health Contributing Authors: Kathy Feriss (Cascade Koi and Goldfish Club), Jim Riley (Mid-Atlantic Koi Club), Lester Berkow (Tropical Koi Club), Debbie Tibbetts (Southern Arizona Koi Club)
The Manual of Fish Health
Dr. Chris Andrews, Adrian Exell and Dr. Neville Carrington 1988 Salamander Books Ltd. Published by Tetra Press ISBN 3-923880-37-5
Manual to Nishikigoi
Takeo Kuroki 1981 T. Kuroki Published by Shuji Fujita, Shin-Nippon-Kyoiku-Tosho Co. Ltd.
Treatment of Ulcers
Here is Donna Caruso's (Dear Nana Koi) personal experience with hole in the side disease and the directions she used to treat her sick fish:
"When my husband and I first joined Tucson Koi Society in 1988, there was much discussion going on about "Hole-in-the-Side", which was currently making the rounds in California. Since so many of our fish were from there, or at least passed through the state, it was naturally of great concern to us. One of the direct results of the outbreak was the decision to use "American" or "English" style judging at Koi competitions. (In a traditional "Japanese" style show, all fish of the same classification and size are placed in a single tank, regardless of owner. In "American" style, each owner maintains his/her own tank with his/her own Koi, separate from all others. In this was there was less chance of contamination from other Koi.)
"My personal experience with it came about 4 years ago - Bandit, an otherwise healthy Showa Koi about 6-7 years old, came down with it, developing a few dime-size lesions by her pectoral fins, and especially her jaw - the whole lower left half of the jaw was completely eaten away by it, almost down to the bone. I contacted Debbie Tibbetts, who was then a member of our club, and who was one of the "health care" experts, who provided me with medicine and instructions on its use (see below). The treatment is not quick and easy (I carried a lot of water buckets that week!), but in the end it worked. Bandit lived for another 2 years, before finally succumbing to another unrelated illness."
SUGGESTED TREATMENT (COURTESY OF DEBBIE TIBBETS)
1) To start: In 50 gallons of pond water, dissolve 5 cups rock salt and add 1 tsp Malachite Green & 1 tsp Nitrofurazone. (Solution is 0.63% salt, 0.526ppm Malachite Green and 28ppm Nitrofurazone)
3) Hour 17: Take out 20 gallons, replace with 20 gallons of pond water. (Solution is 0.32% salt, 0.26ppm Malachite Green)
4) Hour 29: Take out 20 gallons, replace with 20 gallons of pond water. (Solution is 0.2295% salt, 0.19ppm Malachite Green)
5) Hour 41: Take out 20 gallons, replace with 20 gallons of pond water, add 0.5ml Malachite Green. (Solution is 0.1639% salt, 0.172ppm Malachite Green)
6) Hour 53: Take out 20 gallons, replace with 20 gallons of pond water. (Solution is 0.117% salt, 0.123ppm Malachite Green)
7) Hour 65: Take out 20 gallons, replace with 20 gallons of pond water. (Solution is 0.0836% salt, 0.088ppm Malachite Green)
8) Hour 77: Take out 20 gallons, replace with 20 gallons of pond water, and add 0.5mg Malachite Green. (Solution is 0.0597% salt, 0.1ppm Malachite Green)
9) Hour 89: Take out 20 gallons, replace with 20 gallons of pond water. (Solution is 0.042% salt, 0.07ppm Malachite Green)
10) Hour 101: Inspect fish - if white cloudy spots show on body, take out 20 gallons, replace with 20 gallons of pond water, and add 1 tsp Malachite Green. (Solution is <>0.0% salt, 0.425ppm Malachite Green)
11) Hour 107: Take out 20 gallons, replace with 20 gallons of pond water. (Solution is 0.3035ppm Malachite Green)
12) Hour 113: Take out 20 gallons, replace with 20 gallons of pond water. (Solution is 0.216ppm Malachite Green)
13) Hour 125: Take out 20 gallons, replace with 20 gallons of pond water. (Solution is 0.154ppm Malachite Green)
An auto-fill can help avoid a potential disaster when re-filling your pond. It makes maintaining a pond much easier and with an auto-fill you do not run the risk of forgetting to turn off the water. An auto-fill will automatically keep the pond water at the same level all the time.
