Parasites disaster tried P.P. and up to 5% salt

16 years ago

Several Koi were flashing and lethargic. So I pulled out a almost dead koi & took it in for microscope analysis. Detected these 3 parasites. Skin fluke Â Gyrodactyus,

Trichodina, Chilodonella, easy to spot under the microscope.

The pond is 6000 gallons - I could not catch the fish so I had to treat the whole system. And I was told that the bead filter would be hosting also. I treated the pond with Potassium Permanganate Â and the purple pond cleared the next day. Over 2 weeks I changed out all the water, reseeded the pump with Microblift SA and salted it to 5%. The water stayed at 5% for a week and then I reduced it over another week. I thought that would surely take care of the parasites. (Now I know what "sharp" water looks like. 5% salt will clean everything.)

Ultimately I lost 70 koi over 10 days, but not a single goldfish or Comet or Shumbikin. The PP treatment was not diluted enough going in and I think that is what killed so many Â not the parasites.

Now, my population is devastated down to 25 and IÂm seeing the same symptoms coming back again Â only a month later on the new koi that I dipped in salt bath before going into pond. These new fish are now going through the same symptoms and the old survivor koi are flashing again. Different symptoms on multiple fish. A small koi swims in speedy spirals, new large koi was flashing yesterday and today is not eating & sitting on bottom with clamped fins & hanging under the waterfalls.

Pond water (from well) parameters are perfect, huge waterfall so oxygen isnÂt low and backwashing bead filter with skimmer & bottom drain assures water turnover. I test full kit: Nitrates, Nitrites, Ammonia, Phosphorus, Salt Level. pH (always 8+) all test at 0ppm. water temp fluctuates between from 65-78 during 24 hours and now water is back to 1% salt.

Any suggestions 3% - 5% Salt didnÂt do the job. P.P. didnÂt do it. what should I try?

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Comments (6)

kalevi
16 years ago
Try a mixture of formalin (formaldehyde) with malachite green. This is sold under various trade names. Any shop that handles pond fish should carry it. It will get rid of flukes and most other parasites.
cindy_pond
16 years ago
I think you are right about the PP...it can kill if overdosed and it kills all the beneficial bacteria. I wouldn't add another thing without finding someone that specializes in koi. (and I don't mean the landscapers and aquascape people who know very little on how to treat fish diseases) Also, a waterfall is pretty good for aeration, but I would add some airstones to the pond, or fountain of some kind. with so many fish, it's a good idea to have an abundance of aeration...good luck
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horton
16 years ago
Interpet make a good parasite treatment that is simple to use.
The dosage used per day are easily measured out.
It is fairly expensive. I paid $50.00[Can] for one bottle, which is enough for treating 2000 gallons over one week.
I did manage to pick up another bottle which was on sale, for $30.00 which I'm going to use as a prophylactic treatment of the pond this Fall.

Sorry to read that you lost so many of your fish. Potassium Permanganate is a dangerous chemical to work with. And not advisable for anyone not fully aware of it's potential to use, it is not a forgiving treatment if overdosed, as you unfortunately found out.
Good luck with the treatment.
"Horton"
surfhead
16 years ago
what was the PP dose? How many grams did you put in? and are you certain of the 6000 gallons? a heavy PP dose should not be allowed to last for more then a hour. And you should never attempt a high dose of PP if you don't know the exact number of gallons and use a gram scale to make sure the dose is correct.

The salt and PP treatment is tough on the fish. Often when the fish are really far gone they will not survive the treatment.

but when you say the PP cleared the next day....you mean is was purple for a day and then went brown? Or the brown was gone the next day? How long was it actually purple?

Its odd that only the koi died and not the goldfish. The only thing I know that will selectively kill koi and not goldfish is KHV. any new additions recently?

for the parasites listed I would suggest Proform C and Prazi pond, not salt and PP. Salt and PP is what I use to get rid of costia because its a tough bug to kill.
isis_nebthet
16 years ago
I would add just one thing to what has already been said....make sure all the salt is out before you move on to formalin mixes. Salt and formalin combination can cause chemical burns.

Adrea
jalal
16 years ago
Sorry to hear about your fish loss. I read up on PP on koivet and dosages have to be exact and clean pond before starting. I had chilodonella and flukes last year on goldfish that I isolated in quarantine tank. Used praziquantal and the flukes went away but even with daily cylcing of the tank, heated tank and salt treatments never did get rid of the chilodonella. I eventually ethuanized the fish as it just wasn't getting any better probably too much damage before I even started treating. I think it's better to try only one medication rather than a cocktail esp as some mixtures can be more toxic to the fish than the original problem.

Parasites disaster tried P.P. and up to 5% salt

Comments (6)

kalevi

cindy_pond

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