Mysterious koi illness... study, application...   7/14/09 I have searched every website I can find and ask several pond specialist in or area but have not found the answer to my koi problem. All of my water test are good except salt witch I've been told to add sea salt instead of pond salt specifically for the koi. <I would not add salt period... not often useful, but quite often deleterious> The problem started after I added three large comets from a friends pond. <Mmm, not a good idea to mix goldfish and Nishikigoi... The reasons are gone over on WWM's pond subweb> Their pond is a very stable, healthy home to many large and small comets. Since adding the new fish one of my koi had a black spot behind the gills. It grew to the size of a nickel then all the scales fell off. Then I notices black spots on the other koi but they haven't lost any scales, yet. The first koi has now lost scales farther back on it's tale the same size as the first. The only other symptoms I have noticed are the over all color has changed to a dull orange and it seems to stay on the bottom sometimes. It still comes up to feed very vigorously and swims around with the others. The only answer I have found so far is some kind of disease that there is no cure for that is carried by gold fish to koi. I'm told that the gold fish do not show any signs of disease they are only the carrier. One of the pond stores I use lost $1,800 to this disease. Of course I can't remember the name of it only that it starts with "P" sorry. Before I learned about this mystery disease I treated with Melafix <Worthless> for 14 days with no benefit what so ever. I have now purchased Tetra Pond fish treatment at the recommendation of a local pond specialist. They told me they hated to even sell me the Tetra treatment since we have no idea what we're treating. <... then why not find out? A simple microscopic examination, skin scraping... perhaps with a dye...> Do you have any idea what this is or how to treat it from my pictures and my description? <Can only guess... there are a few Protozoans... Likely a Ciliate... maybe read re Chilodonella, Costia... and the treatments for such> The pictures below shows the first koi that showed signs of the disease. If you can tell it has lost scales on the left of it's body just behind it's gill and on the right side you can see where it has lost scales at the end of the top fin before the tail. It also has more black spots on top of it's body as you can see. The only other fish that show any signs of anything out of the ordinary is the comet to the right of the koi with the white head. That comets head wasn't always white and it has spread with time. <"Something" eating it...> None of the other comets show any signs of disease and I didn't notice that one until after I realized the koi had black spots. This pond is over a year old the only other guess I could make is we may have over stocked it with the addition of the last 3 big comets. I'm told that would not have caused this kind of disease. Please help I hate not being able to do something for them. Ruth Hall <Read on Ruth, read on... Bob Fenner>

Re: Mysterious koi illness  7/14/2009 I ask how you came to the conclusion that this is a protozoan? I can't find anything that comes close to what my fish are displaying. You also said no salt and it states salt baths on the cure. I do realize the difference in adding salt to my pond and a salt bath. I take it you don't believe in maintaining a low salt level in ponds. Why is this? Ruth Hall <Read, search here: http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/Pond%20Sub%20Web.htm BobF>

Help regarding Ghost Koi  1/20/08 Dear Wet Web Media Crew Great web site, which I often look to for inspiration but this is the first time I've actually tried posting a question. My question is regarding a ghost Koi who is about 4" long and has been housed in 40" deep garden pond of around 440 gallons (2,000.00 litres) with twelve other smaller or similar sized fancy goldfish. For a while now I have noticed what I thought appeared to be fungus growing around the ghost Koi's dorsal fin and the base of the tail fin. <I see this... pox> But after catching the fish and re-housing him in a small hospital tank in readiness to treat him with a proprietary anti fungus fin rot treatment I was surprised to find what I thought was fungus doesn’t look anything like the woolly mould like growth I was expecting but more like some sort of ulcer. Other than these various "lesions" growing on the Koi's body all else seems fine, i.e. swimming normally, feeding well etc. I have regularly tested the pond water quality where the Koi was recently caught from and in the two years the pond has been operational the Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate have never been any cause for alarm. <Good, and well-reported> If you could spare a few moments to look at the attached photos of the Koi and any advice you or any one else in the Wet Web Media Crew good give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for a great web site. Yours in anticipation Simon B <Not to be an alarmist... as I could be wrong... this doitsu Ohgon appears to be a bearer of carp pox... Please take a look/read on the Net... Perhaps via Google, Images... and let's chat further. Bob Fenner> Re: Help regarding Ghost Koi Bob Many thanks for your very prompt reply. After doing a bit more research as you suggested, it would seem that your initial diagnosis of Carp Pox was correct. From what I gather Carp Pox is a viral infection, similar to the Herpes virus in Humans and some people say that it can be brought on by poor water quality and stress. <Yes> The fish was purchased in early September from a well known garden aquatic centre here in Oxfordshire UK. But was caught by a Saturday moron, who franticly chased the fish around the tank with an over sized net, before finally catching it, then roughly manhandling it into a bag after its fin rays became completely stuck in the nets mesh (I don’t shop there any more) <I certainly don't blame you> so I guess that could explain the stress part, but like I said my pond water quality is regularly tested and hasn’t ever been a cause for alarm. I did read that the “Carp Pox lesions” can often go down by themselves in the summer months and indeed simply raising the water temperature can apparently sometimes cause the lesions to go down. <Yes, sometimes> If this is correct the fact that the fish is now in a small hospital tank in the heated living room could put this theory to the test, although the fish doesn’t particularly seem to be enjoying his new smaller surroundings and seems to rarely venture out of the two flower pots that were put there to give him a bit of a feeling of security. Do you think it would be smart to keep the fish in its new home until late spring now, rather than returning it to the unheated outdoor pond which is currently around 10 or 11 oC (unusually mild British Winter, probably making up for all the flooding of July 2007). And from what I have gathered Carp Pox is incurable but more unsightly than harmless, is this correct? <Mmm, can be... unfortunately this "plague" is often tied/linked to incidences of Furunculosis/Ana aki... Aeromonad infections that can be trouble...> Or do you know of or have any experience of a medication that actually works, <Ah, no> because I don’t really want to go needlessly bombarding the fish with chemicals for a condition that I understand wont kill it and may improve by it’s self, is that correct? <Yes> Well thanks again for your earlier reply and a great web site, I promise I will set up a Pay Pal account and make a small donation for its up keep. Simon B <Simon... I do wish we could quickly communicate... such that your mind might be more at rest. The gist of what you write is so... there is not much to do other than keep the one fish isolated (from the rest of your Nishikigoi), do what you can to provide good water quality, bolster its immune system... and hope. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Re: Help regarding Ghost Koi – 1/28/08 Hi Bob Hope this e-mail finds you and the rest of the wet web media crew well. <Thank you my friend, yes> Apologies for being a bit slow with the communications but our e-mail access hasn’t been working for a while and besides this whole Internet revolution thing passed me by I bit and I am still a newcomer to it all. <Better late than...> Any way just to keep you up to date on your original diagnosis of Carp Pox affecting my Ghost Koi. Since we did last communicate after I moved the fish from the pond into the small hospital tank in the heated living room all lesions appear to have completely disappeared! Literally to the point where you can now barely even see any trace them. So it looks like that higher water temperature has done the trick. <Mmm, yes... and this "cure" points to another probable root cause here... Aeromonad involvement/Furunculosis/Ana aki...> Am still not quite sure what to do with the Koi because I am thinking that as soon as I return him to the lower water temperatures in the pond, the Pox lesions will return as quickly as they seemed to have disappeared. <Likely so...> But as you can see from the attached pictures his present living quarters can only be considered as temporary but at least he seems to be getting used to all the attention from the cat ( but I think I will keep the aquarium lid gaffer tapped down just to be sure) If I did return the Koi to the pond in spring (who knows last April here in the UK was apparently the hottest since records began) are the Pox lesions likely to return each subsequent year as the water temperature drops again in autumn? <Only time, observation can/will tell... but this is what I would do> I did a head count in the pond today and all the other inmates appear to be in fine health but I was wondering is the carp pox virus only contagious amongst other Koi or will the other “non Koi” pond inhabitants (common goldfish, comets, Shubunkins and a couple of seldom seem weather loaches). be at risk each year? <The viral aspect is more universal than Aeromonad outbreaks... which tend to run in "ones", "twos" unless a virulent stage and/or severe "challenge" occurs> Well thanks for all your earlier assistance. Simon <Please do read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/holedispd.htm and the linked, related FAQs file above. Bob Fenner>

Emailing: Fish2. goldfish tumour   2/22/07 Dear Bob Could you please let me know what is wrong with my fish . I have just noticed that one has a white ball the size of a pea on its tail and another has a white lump near its eye . What is it and how do I cure it many thanks Robert Hawker <Likely a Viremia of some sort... can be trouble... spread... Or just resident... like planter's warts. Do step up, and maintain good water quality, nutrition to keep this spread arrested. Bob Fenner>

The Dreaded Furunculosis!
Preface: I know my Koi housing is totally inadequate and probably contributed to the disease. Chock it up to inexperience and a lesson well learned. I have always wanted an outdoor pond and the cost has made it difficult to achieve. I will not be getting more fish without first establishing the proper environment.
<<I've seen well-established, properly stocked systems experience bad outbreaks of this awful disease. While basic husbandry can exacerbate or alleviate the problem, it is not the "final word".>>
My first experience with sick fish didn't turn out well. I had 3 Koi, 2 about 8-9", one 4" (Freckles, Flash and Flip, respectively). After reading your web site I'm guessing the problem was Furunculosis. Freckles had what looked like a few hemorrhages beneath the skin along the body and one at the mouth, one area looked like it had penetrated the skin. He also had enlarged eyes with a white goggle-like appearance.
<<Pardon me, but wholly sheet, that was one badly infected fish. The infection wasn't just presenting externally, it was systemic. Poor fish!>>
I put him into a Qtank and began to salinize the water, 1 T. per 10 gal every 8 hours for 3 doses.
<<Not sufficient salt, and not sufficient treatment.>>
I did not have available on short notice, the proper medications but did have and added some Nitrofurazone based fizz type tablets (Tank Buddies Fungus Clear).
<<Is one treatment.>>
I also dabbed his lesions with iodine.
<<Ok. I've read that Neosporin may actually be effective used in this manner. This is obviously for external lesions only, cannot address internal/systemic infection adequately.>>
I found little Flip the next day dead in the pond, same appearance, except the eyes looked OK. So I removed Flash to the Qtank with Freckles, and increased the saline to 2%, plenty of aeration too.
<<Good move, but again not sufficient. 3% is the place to start.>>
I examined Flash and found no hemorrhagic spots and eyes looked OK. Next morning Freckles is dead, too. So far Flash is fine, no lesions, peppy and even eats a bit. Flash is still lesion free 3 days after this episode began.
<<This is very much like what I experienced with my mother's pond fishes. We have ONE survivor from our awful bout two years ago, scarred on the side that suffered a really terrible lesion, but alive.>>
My question is how long should I leave Flash in the brine? Should I bring the saline solution to 3% or start dilution through water changes?
<<Take it up, definitely. I kept my fish "pickling" for weeks, till they were lesion-free. I advise the same for you.>>
And most important what about the "pond"? I'm ashamed to say it is only about 50 gal... my fish started at 2-3". It's a filtered and planted plastic tub. Is the water (tested fine 1 day before this began) contaminated with this darn bug or whatever it is?
<<Honestly, I would not be surprised if this organism (sorry, can't think of the genus at the moment.. it's on the tip of my brain!) is actually carried in the air. Leaving it fallow of fish during treatment should be enough. If it has plants, DON'T salt!>>
Should I do a complete water change, filter clean out and start fresh?
<<I would only worry about excess mulm/detritus on the bottom. A filter cleaning won't hurt, but care for your nitrifying bacteria, rinse in pond water only, not tap water.>>
What about the plants: Anacharis, frog-bit, and 1 lily and 1 floating-heart in pots? How can I decontaminate those?
<<I wouldn't worry about it.>>
Thank you for your help,
Robin Murray
<<Robin, here are some links to good sites on ponds and pond fishes. It doesn't matter how big (or not) your pond is, this is all applicable. Your Koi, however, are going to need bigger digs VERY soon. Spend the $5 at Wal-Mart and get the biggest kiddie pool you can, those are about 100 gallons. Cover it, the Koi can jump out easily.
http://www.ponddoc.com/WhatsUpDoc/FishHealth/SpringOutbreak.htm 
http://www.blueridgekoi.com/disease_issues.htm 
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/koidisfaqs.htm  (also search our goldfish disease FAQs). Here you have a start, the plants are not infected nor do I believe they can spread this infection. I wish you the very best of luck, I honestly HATE and LOATHE this disease. Marina>> 

Fungus on Koi... 8/6/05
Hello.  I have three Koi with an off-white fungus (I think, after trying to do some research on what it could be.)
<Actual fungal infections are exceedingly rare... almost all infectious pond disease is directly related to environmental cause/s>
  They do not show any other symptoms.  I just completed seven days of treatment with PimaFix in my 1700 gallon pond.
<Worthless "fixes">
  It looks like it may have improved slightly, but the fungus is still there... on their faces, gill area and fins.  Should I repeat another week of PimaFix or try something else?  Thanks for your help!
<Have someone come by and look at your system, fish... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/pdfshdisart.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Outside pond fish... possible Lernaeid  10/21/05
Hi, this is our first time on your web-site, and we have a question.
We have an outdoor fish pond with 4th generation goldfish!
Today I noticed something on one of the fish.
It is gold in color, protruding ( from under his skin)? or sticking out of   his skin, I can't really tell. It looks like a thick wire sticking out.
He doesn't look or act different, eating as normal. I didn't see anything   like this on the other five fish.  
Do you think this is some sort of parasite?
<Mmm, possibly... Lernaea... "Anchorworm"...>
What would you suggest we do?
<Mmm... place this/these terms on the WWM, general search engines... read... If this is the cause/parasite, removing the adults by tweezing, inspecting all fishes, using a organophosphate to kill intermediates is suggested. Bob Fenner>
Thanks
Donna

Argulus (food, pondfish culture, disease control)
Dear D. Fenner Robert,
I am a veterinarian working in State Bank of India biggest Bank financing agricultural and Aquacultural schemes in India.
2.Fish farmers raise Major Indian Carps (Catla catla, Labeo rohita etc.,)
in big freshwater ponds with an extent of 10 acres to 100 acres Water
spread area. The culture period is 8 - 10 months
-Weight 1-2 Kg each.
To minimize the feed cost and cost of production, our fish farmers are using heavy doses of dried poultry droppings organic manure) to fertilize the pond waters and for production of Phyto & Zoo plankton. The demerits of this practice is too much infection with Argulus (sea lice). As a result, farmers are using pesticides
Viz., Deltamethrin (Butox), Dichlorovos (Nuvon) which are retarding the growth of the fish. Please enlighten me on the
following two points:
a. whether any effective biological control against Argulus is available?
<None that is practical as fast as I'm aware... most practices are as yours, involving economic poisons in the class of organophosphates (acetylcholinesterase inhibitors)... as these crustacean parasites metabolisms are similar to arthropod pests>
b. whether Diflubenzuron/lufenuron (Dimilin) can be mixed with the above chemicals to decrease the dosage and frequency of chemical application?
<Yes, once again, as far as I'm aware. Dimilin supplanted the use of DTHP (Neguvon, Dylox...): http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pndparasitcont.htm in ornamental pond use (on cyprinids like Cyprinus carpio (Koi carp, nishikigoi) and Carassium goeblio (goldfish) in the U.S. some years ago. Should be miscible.>
Please send technical information on the life cycle and control methods in big fish ponds.
<I don't have ready access to such, don't even know if this is part of the literature... would have to search as you are>
3.Please help me in the upliftment of fish farmers.
<I will gladly assist you in what ways I can. Understand that though my academic background is in fisheries, I have spent the last decades in ornamental aquatics... not production. Bob Fenner>
Thanking you.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. A. Purna Chandra Rao,
Chief Manager Technical),Region-4,Zonal Office, State
Bank of India,VIJAYAWADA-520 010,A.P; INDIA
e-Mail: ap_purna@yahoo.com ap_purna@rediffmail.com

Ick \ whitespot in large pond.
I am looking for dosage amounts for the use of Penicillin to cure the ick cycle I have in my pond.
<Penicillin and ich? This antibiotic won't kill the protozoan...>
in the past I have quarantined the fish, and treated the pond with multicure. My pond is 15 foot long, 4 foot wide, 3 foot deep and houses 30 fish (inc Koi, comets, and fantails) cant seem to find dose amounts, I have access to multiple antibiotics, please help. also do you have recommendations for the process etc many thanks in advance, Dale Brown. Australia
<Please read through the Pond Disease sections on our site starting here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/KoiDisArt.htm
following the links, FAQs where they lead you. There is a Google search tool there as well. Bob Fenner>

"Saddle bags" on  goldfish
Dear Robert:
Diagnosis SVP? I have a farm pond ( actually a reservoir) some 300 feet by perhaps another 300 feet with mosquito fish (uncountable) and over 100 goldfish. All have been in the pond for over 7 years. Every once in awhile a gold fish shows up with what I call "saddle bags" on both sides of the body. The "saddle bags" are very symmetrical, oblong, do not look like tumors, and don't resemble photos of fish with dropsy.
<Interesting>
Over the years I may have had one or two fish each season with "saddle bags". Only one of them died, as far as I can tell; unless a bobcat has fished for the others. Is this something to worry about? And if so, what is it, what can be done in such a large water hole?
<May be something of concern. Have you had any of the "saddle bag" fish opened, looked at internally?>
I have planted some water-iris in pots and lotus here and there around reservoir perimeter; most of the fish like to cavort around a wooden staircase I use to get into the water myself to swim with them.
<I would have the fish checked out>
Any help gratefully awaited, from the Shingle Mill Pond residents
<Bob Fenner>

Leeches!
Help! I've just moved into a house with a fairly derelict pond, it has about 3 inches of water in it and is stagnant.. lots of weed. Someone told me that the nasty black slug like things in it are leeches... is that possible in Milton Keynes?
<Possibly>
And if it is.. how on earth do I get rid of them... I was just going to take as much out as possible with a bucket and then clean it up but now I'm scared to go near it. Sorry if this sounds girlie and pathetic.. but your advice would be appreciated.
<Do move what seems like water to a "kiddee wading pool" with a cover (just mesh) and an airstone/airpump... scoop, pump out the muck, refill, treat for chloramine... and move all back in a week or so... w/o feeding livestock in the meanwhile. Bob Fenner>
Thanks, Terry Howard

Possible anchor worms and CopperSafe
First, I'd like to tell you that your site is fantastic, the best fish site I've come across, and I've looked at a few.
I think I'm having a problem with anchor worm. 
<Sometimes difficult to eradicate once established.>
I have three tanks-one 20 gallon with four (used to be six) very large ex-feeder goldfish which is always cloudy, yet the ammonia and nitrites/ates are nil and the pH is 6.5 or so. One tank is 55gallons with two big Koi, three channel cats (two big), and seven goldfish of varying size (two of which came from the 20 g tank). The other tank is 15 gallons with three very small fancy goldfish (the ones with the big bellies and the forked tail fin) and a Pleco which also came from the 20 g tank. Two days ago, I noticed a goldfish in the 55g had a bump on his skin with a white wormy thing sticking out.
<Does sound like a Lernaeid...>
Then I saw that a goldfish in the 20g tank had two red raised spots with white stuff on him (the scales were missing from the spots) and one with a veiltail has red near the ends of his tail fin. The Pleco in the 15g has had his fins clamped and won't eat very much, and I think I saw some white stuff on his mouth. He doesn't come out much, it's hard to see what's going on. These tanks are all well established and have the same water chem, i.e. no ammonia, no nitrates, and 6.5 or so pH. The water in the 55g is crystal clear, and a little bit cloudy in the 15g. They're well established, I do water changes every week, and I don't understand why they should all of a sudden all get sick. The transferred fish have been in their new tanks for at least 2 1/2 weeks. I started using CopperSafe, and it made all these little red worms come out in the 20g tank, and white worms in the other 2.
<The copper won't "get" the intermediate stages... you'll poison the fish stock before the treatment can be completed...>
No noticed improvement in the fishes' conditions. How long does this stuff take to work? What can I expect? Do I have to treat for secondary bacterial infection?
<Good questions. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/contrpdparasit.htm
You need to seek out a source of this pesticide, follow the directions that come with it, or the ones posted here>
I apologize for the length, but I really don't want my fish to die and you really seem to know what you're doing.
Thanks in advance.
Pati 
<No worries. Do contact me if this is unclear, incomplete. This is an easy problem to fix, given the active ingredient... and cautious use. Bob Fenner>

Re: HELP!!!  Comets Sick & Dying!
Hi... I have a very active ornamental pond in our back yard.  We had a gruesome winter and we over wintered about 16 comets.  The pond is about 600 gallons.  We used a heater to allow gases to escape.  We had a few days of really warm weather a few weeks ago and then cold at night and then snow and now warm again...
<Geez… sounds like the winter we’ve had here!>
I have lost 4 fish during this time and have 4 more that are sick...They are developing a white fuzzy ring around their tail where it meets their body - eventually they stay near the top and then bye-bye. I have changed 25% of the water and used something for fungus that a pond store gave me (small bottle of yellow powder) and have now done the second treatment...
<Hmm… it does indeed sound like a fungus of some sort. Check out http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwfshparasites.htm and also http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/pdfshdisart.htm and the related FAQ’s. You should be able to find more info there.>
I do not think I am doing the right stuff...Any ideas would be really helpful! Thanks, Ellen Shepard
<You're welcome! Ronni>

Bumps on Fish
Hello,
<Hi>
We have a fan tailed goldfish that has for the last month been producing large, pimple like balls (coming from under the scales) on its eye, side and around its anal fin.  Each time these bumps appear, about a day later they seem to somehow be pushed out or fall off? The fish does not seem unhealthy in behavior and all the other fish seem normal.  Could you tell us what this is and what to do about it? Is there a cure or concern, it is on
about its 6th bump? Thanks, Charles and Tricia
<Check out http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwfshparasites.htm to see if any of the descriptions fit what your fish has. Treat according to the recommendations given there. Ronni>

Leeches
Dear Sirs:
<Just PF will do for me, calling me sir still makes me feel old. >
We have a one acre pond in upstate New York.  It was formerly a cattle pond, which was half the size when we purchased the property.  When we enlarged the pond, we had it dredged and scraped, and it refilled naturally from small springs and rainwater.  We had a problem with algae, and treated it successfully with copper sulfate for several years, but then that became ineffective.  We then stocked the pond with neutered carp, and luckily, the pond has been algae free since then.  However, a new problem has developed.  We now have leeches, which certainly discourages our grandchildren from swimming in the pond.  We've read that copper sulphate is the only way to rid the pond of these pests.  
Do you know of any other antidote to leeches, and if not, do you know where we can buy copper sulfate?  It is no longer available in New York State.  
Thank you for your attention.
Yours truly,
A. Pearlman
<First off, yikes! Can't get that picture from the African Queen out of my head. Reading over the FAQs, I saw Bob mentioned using Chloramine to treat for leeches. That was for a much smaller pond though, and I don't know dosages, nor how long it would linger in the environment, let alone if it's legal or not to use (same thing with copper sulfate). Here's the page on pond parasites, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/contrpdparasit.htm .
Have you tried contacting the fish and game department, or the biology department of any local colleges or universities? They might have ideas. I'm not sure about biological controls, since I'm not that familiar with leeches and what might eat them. Giving it some thought, the common bream or sunfish might eat them. As for locating copper sulfate, I would recommend doing a Google search (http://www.google.com )and looking for a supplier that way. Best of luck, and I hope you find a solution soon, PF>

Bloody, shredded tails on pond fish
>I have a 1200 gal. pond with approx 15 goldfish and Shubunkins. Six of these are from 6" to 8", the rest are from 2" to 4" long. About five days ago I noticed my largest fish had blood in his tail. Some of the other large ones had shredded tails, one looked like he had a cotton ball on the tip of his tail. The smaller ones seemed okay. I ran a garden hose in the pond and let it overflow for a couple of hours. This should have changed at least 25% of the water. I have treated with Melafix for four days. I have also been feeding Tetra medicated food for bacterial and fungal disease. The fish do not look any better. Some of the smaller ones have now started to develop the problem. They all have good appetites still. An ammonia test was okay.
>>Please accept my apologies for being so late, I've been battling some computer issues.  This sounds like a bacterial infection to me, commonly experienced in overcrowded or polluted conditions.  Please see this link --> http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwfshparasites.htm for treatment.  When I can restore some of my medication charts on this box I will try to get them posted, in the meantime, I believe Furazone or similar would be a better way to go.  It will DESTROY all nitrifying bacteria, so ammonia poisoning must be addressed with frequent, large water changes.
>About one month ago my pump quit (probably for 12 hours). We had to pull the filter out in order to fix the pump. It sat out of the water for about an hour.
>>This, on its own, should *not* have created a problem unless your system was "on the edge".
>The water was clear before this happened, but is now green.
>>A release of excess nutrients, plus a die-off of nitrifying bacteria most likely.
>It is not so bad that you can't see into the pond. The pond has a good amount of bog and submersible plants and some trapdoor snails. I have had this same setup for several years without any problems.
>>Then I take back the overcrowding comment, unless your fish have been doing what mine have and spawning like crazy.  We just had a large die-off of most of the fry from this year--to be expected, though, especially with little in the way of maintenance being performed.
>The pond is drained down every fall in order to catch the fish to bring them in for the winter. It is drained again and cleaned in the spring about one month before the fish go back out.
>>Aahh.. the joys of living in Southern California (sorry, can't recollect our zone!).
>They have been out since the middle of May and were quite healthy until now.  What else can I do to correct this problem?
>>Do read the link, and also try searching our site's goldfish FAQ's, as I may have missed something.  More water changes might be in order as well, just in case.  You may need to thin out the herd, so to speak, though in my opinion having good plantings helps tremendously.  Do hope this helps, and again, accept my apologies for being so late to respond.  Marina

Goldfish with black patches
Hi, my name is Wynand
<Hi Wynand, this is Sabrina>
I have a pond with 10 goldfish in it, have had the goldfish for about 8 months. All was going well till last week when simultaneously all of them started to get what looks like black patches all over their bodies, and it seems to be under the scales. I have already contacted 5 pet shops and none of them have a clue as to what the problem is or how therefore, to treat it. The pond has a small waterfall; the water is changed once every 6 weeks; the fish are fed once a day with goldfish pellets; there is no sand in the pond only a few rocks. The fish are not acting abnormally.
<This sounds to me like fish pox (also often referred to as goldfish pox, carp pox, and Koi pox).  This viral disease usually affects goldfish and Koi in ponds (can be seen on other fish from time to time as well).  Usually it will start out as white to pinkish lumps, that look rather like melted wax.  As it progresses, the lumps turn darker.  Please do take a look here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshdisfaqs.htm - very near the bottom, you'll find a picture of a red and white fantail goldfish with this ailment to compare with what you're seeing on your fish.>
Have you got any idea as to what this is and how I can easily treat it? ( I come from Zimbabwe and we don't have much of the fancy fish medication available to us).
<Well, unfortunately, there is no remedy for this.  However, it can be rather easily controlled, sometimes eliminated, with maintaining excellent water quality.  Please test your pond water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH - you'll probably end up needing to do water changes more often to keep this illness controlled.  Hope all goes well.  -Sabrina>
Please help  Thanks!

Large Koi sudden problem. help!
My husband is out-of-town on business and I have been entrusted with the care of his three Koi. They reside in a 280 gallon insulated pool on a deck 20 feet in the air. They are well protected from elements and predators. The largest two Koi have suddenly begun behaving strangely and I have been unable to locate a reference to their exact behavior on-line. Odie is about 19-20 inches and four years old, Laz is about 14 inches long and as old. The baby is only 5 inches and has only joined them about a month ago. I have tested, ammonia, Ph and salt. All are great. The nitrites were a little high about a week ago so over the last week I did a ¼ water exchange several days apart adding appropriate salt and stress coat each time... then tested salt and nitrites again. They are suddenly changing swim direction and flashing their bellies as they do. Odie is also floating vertically with his mouth about an inch below the water surface. He is not gasping or breaking surface. Dorsal fins are clenched on both fish. Biofilter system. Intact at bottom of pool opposite end of water return. They have thrived in their environment until recently. The only thing I changed prior to this problem was to add two new water plants this month... and the new addition of the little guy. He is doing great. Can you advise me of what to check next. Should I test nitrates as well as nitrites? I don't want to loose my husband's huge fish... help.
< Service the filter and make sure everything is working. Then look at the fish closely for little white dots on the fins. If you see some then the ich parasite is attacking the skin of the fish as well as the gills. They need to be treated. I recommend Rid-ich by Kordon as per the recommendations on the bottle. I suspect the new guy brought it in with him. Even though he may not show signs of the disease he can still be a carrier. -Chuck>

All my pond fish have open sores
Hello,
I have a 95 gallon in-ground pond that has been running for the second year.
All of my fish, seven 4" comets and one 7" calico goldfish have developed a severe case of open sores.
<This is very bad...>
  Reading some disease facts on your site, I believe they have Furunculosis.
<Me too... or some extreme environmental insult>
These are the same fish I had last year with no problems.  I have been told by my LFS to use Pond Melafix to treat the pond.
<Ehhh... what?>
After 4 days of usage I have not seen any improvement in the sores.  I am at a loss of what to do next.  My questions are if I should do any of the following: Should I continue this treatment, try some other med, do a large water change, add salt?
<Please review the article on Furunculosis... if all fishes are affected I would encourage you to commence a regimen of antibiotic laced food/s>
I would appreciate any help you could give me as the situation looks severe.
Background
Early this year, I added a bio filter to the existing bubbler pump to help filtration and a trickling flagstone rock waterfall.  The water has been clear, which I contribute to the filtering abilities of the thriving water hyacinth, lettuce, and a water Lily.  I have not been in the practice, however, of testing the water as I did not for the first year which was very successful.  The same has held true for this year except for the open sores in the fish.  I perform a 15 gallon water change about every month.
Feeding is once a day without overfeeding where the fish are always eager and active to eat.  Circulation and oxygenation is very adequate.  I have used the Micro Lift product two times, once in the early spring, and once about 1 month later.  Temperatures, as of first noticing the disease, have been low in the upper 50's to high in the mid 70s.
Thanks,
Glenn Koenig
<Do you have a sophisticated store where you might take some of your fish for their inspection? Are the sores emarginated? That is, do they have an obvious reddish zone about the openings? Bob Fenner>

Koi Problems
Hello, I am hoping someone could help me. I am a new tank owner. It was passed down so I am not very knowledgeable about all this. I have a mini Koi and it has a small white dot on the fin it almost looks like a pimple and it has a red dot and a vein around that. I have been on the web trying to figure out what it is and also how to get rid of it... In the past I have captured the fish and rubbed it off but then a few days later the fish has another one in a different spot. Do I need to quarantine the fish?? Also I just recently started to put salt in the water, could this be it?? I am so confused about this?? Where did it come from?? I hope that you can help me.
Thank you and my fish thanks you too.
Jodi
<Hi Jodi, Don here. You are describing two different problems. The white spot is Ick, a parasite. Salt is the very best treatment, so it's OK that you added it. Please read here for the proper use of salt to treat ick. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=32 The red streak is bacterial hemorrhagic septicemia. Usually caused by poor water conditions. Do several water changes a week to get things cleaned up. Use a gravel vac to remove uneaten food and poop. If he gets worse treat with Oxytetracycline. Do not treat until the water is pristine. Good luck>

Pondfish, ich, temperature
Robert,
<Michael>
I have a 650 gallon pond with mechanical and biological filtration system.  My two 14" Koi and several fan tail goldfish have ICH parasite.
What do you recommend using to eradicate the parasite?  Pond temp. is 60 degrees.  Thanks
Michael R. Graham
<Mmm, if they are in otherwise good health, a simple solution of Malachite Green... made by quite a few companies... and labeled variously. Note to others, I would NOT do this if the temperature were lower, but instead wait till the weather warmed OR I could bring these fish "indoors" to conditions where both temperature AND water chemistry could be monitored. Re this last, do be careful to monitor ammonia concentration, lest the treatment suspend or destroy your nitrifying bacteria. Bob Fenner>

Gill Flukes and the Like
Hi, I have an 8ft Dia by approx 30" deep pond and its approx 2 years old.
the question is that every year I have had problems with the fish flicking and scraping on the bottom of the pond (where there is some gravel from the lily's) I have been told this is probably gill flukes
<Maybe... a likely possibility>
and treated in year 1 with an antibacterial solution
<Mmm, flukes are trematodes... a type of flatworm... not bacteria>
over several days treating on days 1,3,5,8 and 10. Due to the cold weather (below 10c)I had to continue this for 3 weeks to eliminate the flukes at all stages of the life cycle. But it seemed to work.
<Likely they just "cycled out" on their own... to return next season...>
This year the flukes arrived later in Nov04 and I treated them the same but only for a week...no good came back in Dec04...Treated at a slightly higher dosage for another week before Christmas (when I went away for a few days)... when I came back the fish looked fine. although the temp had dropped. and show no signs of flicking...do you think this infection will return on the temp rising ?? can I stop this repeat infection every Oct/Nov ??
<Likely yes>
I have 9 fish 2 x Koi, 2 x Ghost Koi, 2 x Goldfish and 2 Shubunkins...the Koi are now about 12-14" long and one was once scooped out by a fox cub left on the side of the pond but I managed to save him and he recovered well after a few hours in the hospital tank...
<Neat!>
I don't want to lose any of them to disease and hate to see them suffer...they give me so much pleasure in the summer months...Thx...Richard
<Richard, there are some simple, relatively non-toxic means to stop these infestations once and for all. They involve the use of "economic poisons" whose designated use is for ridding terrestrial arthropods... Dimilin and Masoten (occur under many other generic names) are either of what you want to secure/use. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/contrpdparasit.htm
and the linked files above, in blue. Bob Fenner>

Spring is in the Air - Watch Your Pond Fish
>Hi Crew
>>Hello.
>I have a small garden pond with six goldfish. I have recently cleared it out after the winter and there were a lot of rotten leaves on the bottom. Five of the goldfish were very healthy but the sixth appeared with most of its head eaten away with fluffy strands coming from the opening.
>>This is the beginning of the Furunculosis season, and the ulcers can allow fungal infections to set as well. You need to watch all your fish closely now, and be ready with salt and Nitrofurazone. Also, search our site on these issues.
>It was in a dreadful state and had to be put down. 
>>Indeed, I am all too familiar with this awful condition.
>Can you tell me what it was and will it spread to the other fish.
>>Furunculosis (ulcerations) is VERY contagious, and very difficult to treat. If you have pond plants you will not be able to treat the fish in situ (I wouldn't recommend it anyway). Kiddie pools work well in these instances. Again, do search our site, as well as general Google, search for pond societies/websites, etc., as they're geared towards handling these troubles quite specifically.
>The pond is well aerated with a small waterfall and I have removed all the leaf debris from the bottom now.
>>Take care when doing this, as you can open up any anaerobic areas which will quickly suffocate the fish. 
>Many thanks, Terry
>>Marina 

Tumor-like growth on pond goldfish
I have a beautiful fan-tailed goldfish in my small pond that has had a strange elongated tumor-like growth on its side for a year or more. It keeps growing as the fish has. The fish appears to be healthy and vigorous in every other way, none of the other fish have this and the pond is healthy and balanced. What might this be and is there any treatment for it?
Carol Payne
<Not much that can be done with such growths... some folks have tried, or had Vets do surgeries to remove... sometimes, as with human virally mediated growths these just spontaneously remit... Bob Fenner> 

Bubble type bumps on goldfish in a pond
I have an out side pond with Gold Fish and when I opened the pond after a winters spell, I noticed some bubble type bumps mostly on the Gold Fish heads.  They seem to be in great shape other than this problem.  I have had them for 4 years now and are very large.
I also have some Koi in with them as well as a large Catfish.  But they do not have anything wrong with them.
Can you tell me what these bubble type bumps are.  On one fish there is a string of bubble bumps.
<Mmm, may be that these bumps are "pre-nuptial tubercles"... natural growths that occur on male goldfish during spawning season... if they don't seem to be mal-affecting them, I would not be concerned, and just continue with your post-winter Spring clean-up and maintenance routine. Bob Fenner>