[Worldwide Koi Club] I Think I Need Advice
Dear Lorraine and Kim,
Lorraine, I got your e-mail yesterday evening and was just about to reply today when Kim’s came through, so I’ll respond to both of you at once.
To begin with, the missing information about the filter: it’s a Fluval FX5. Second, the medication Malcolm picked up at a local pet/fish supply store: Melafix antibacterial fish remedy, 1/4 cup every day for 7 days and then a 25% - 30% water change, then run the meds another 7 days. I’m at the end of the second 7-day run.
I believe (although it’s hard to be certain) that Tubby is looking somewhat better. However, I did tell Malcolm that everyone on the site had agreed that a dirty filter was to blame, and I feel no guilt for exaggerating because he never listens to a thing I say anyway, but let someone else suggest the same course of action and it’s like the word of God. Oh, the gravel has been in the tank since I set it up two winters ago. It’s big, not really gravel at all, but more like 1 & 1/4-inch river stones. They (the fish, not the gravel) are fed once a day and clean up their dinner well within five minutes. Malcolm said they only need to eat once every two days but they were almost jumping out of the tank whenever I went downstairs when I tried that schedule. Plus, the water is above 60 degrees Fahrenheit which means they are still metabolizing their food. It never really gets that cold in the basement, whereas outside the pond proper is a skating rink.
Now Kim, to add to what I’ve just said, I do have kosher salt in the water, and I make sure to take a new reading every time I do a water change to make sure it’s at the right level for the fish. I’m very careful about testing anyway because I am very fond of my fish. That’s why they all have names. (hee hee) The plants aren’t in their winter tank. Instead, I winter those upstairs in the solarium. They’d just spend the winter uprooting the foliage anyway, they’re such great landscapers. And herbivores.
Tap in if you have any other ideas. In the meantime, thank you for taking the time to try to help me with this problem. I felt bad enough losing two small koi to ammonia poisoning, and to lose Tubby would simply break my heart.
Sincerely, Brenda
On 24-Mar-08, at 6:27 PM, Lorraine wrote:
> —– Original Message —– > From: Brenda Rose > To: worldwidekoiclub@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Sunday, March 23, 2008 10:43 PM > Subject: Re: [Worldwide Koi Club] I Think I Need Advice > > > n 21-Mar-08, at 6:18 PM, guppytrain wrote: > >> Hi Brenda. I might be able to help. Here’s a few questions for you. >> >> How long have you had the fish? > This is Tubby’s second indoor winter, and he (?) will have been with > us > three years come May. >> How many gallons are in the tank? > I have calculated approx. 220 Canadian gallons. >> Are there any other fish in the tank? > There are 16 in all. There were 18 but one week I was overbooked and > didn’t do the partial water change and, well, it was all my fault. > Two > succumbed to what I suspect was ammonia poisoning. > > I’ve been there myself. :0) > >> How often do you make water changes? > I change from 1/4 to 1/3 every week, especially now that I know the > result of missing a change. >> Do you remove the water from the bottom of the tank? > Yes, the siphon takes the water from the bottom. >> Do you have gravel in the tank? > Yes, large pea gravel. > > How long has the gravel been in this tank? > >> What type of filtration are you using? > It’s the largest Fluval - I forget the number, but it’s more than > sufficient for the tank. > > Can you give me the approximate dimensions in size of the fluval? > It’s quite possible that this system is not large enough. I used to > have a 25 gallon filter on my 150 gallon tank because it was heavily > overstocked and it worked out well to keep the fish healthy and the > water clear and free of toxins. > >> How often do you clean this filter? > Malcolm only did this once, at the beginning of the winter season. > > With the filters we use, the mechanical part is at the top where all > debris from the tank/pond is removed > by window screening and cleaned any time it becomes dirty. This > means that the plastic scrubbies I use for bio-media never get dirty > and if I have to remove the scrubbies to get rid of the dirty water, I > just pump it out and use it in the garden during the summer. In the > winter, the dirty water goes down the drain. If they do get dirty you > know that the filter isn’t working properly. We used to use upflow > filters but they were so much work to keep clean. That’s another > story. 
> >> How long has the tank been running? > This is its second winter. We turned the filter off and drained the > tank in late July, once we had incubated our new acquisitions, but it > really isn’t used for anything from May, when the fish are returned > to > the outdoor pond, until October - November, when they are captured > and > brought inside (except for the five Houdinis that wouldn’t allow > themselved to be caught and are still in the pond, although under the > ice. > > LOL I know exactly what you mean. Some of those little stinkers > find really good hiding places. > >> How often do you feed your fish? > Daily. They’re RAVENOUS. > > If you feed them once a day, don’t feed them any more than they can > eat in five minutes. If you feed them twice daily, only what they can > eat in five minutes. It’s important to remember that they’re not > getting the exercise they normally would in the big pond so feeding > less inside the 220 is very important. > > > It’s also important to remember that if the fish is sick and/or has > a bruise, it is possible the water conditions might be the culprit and > using medications will not help the fish until the water conditions > improve. > I’ve had fish with cloudy eyes and sores due to filtration. Once I > improved the water conditions with extra filtration and more water > changes, the fish tended to heal on their own. > > I have to admit that the bruising stumped me a bit because I don’t > know if it’s the starting of an ulcer, but it might be in the early > stages and if it is an ulcer the scales will start to fall off and > you’ll see the infected area. > I do hope that this helps. > > Hugs, Lorraine > > I hope this helps. We did get some medication from a local pet > emporium and I’ve been using it in the water as directed - 1/4 c a > day > for seven days and then a 25% water change - and although Tubby’s > bruised area is still pretty nasty looking, it isn’t any worse, and > Malcolm says that to him it looks somewhat better. But to me he still > looks like someone clubbed him with a mallet. > > I’ll be looking forward to hearing your take on this. > > Sincerely, > Brenda > >> >> Yours Koily, Lorraine >> —– Original Message —– >> From: Brenda Rose >> To: worldwidekoiclub@yahoogroups.com >> Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 8:32 PM >> Subject: [Worldwide Koi Club] I Think I Need Advice >> >> >> Hi all. Happy late winter (insert loud guffaw here) to all of you >> affected by last weekend’s ‘Winter Blowout’, and here’s hoping for a >> speedy end to our endless snowstorms. >> >> It seems a problem has cropped up in our indoor basin, the one where >> my >> finned wonders spend the coldest months of the year dreaming of their >> outdoor pond. I was away last week and Malcolm was left to man the >> school, so to speak, when he noticed a very large reddish welt on the >> white section of Tubby, our precious submarine koi (so named for his >> size). Anyway, I got in late last night so I didn’t go down to see >> the >> guys, but this morning I had a good look and I swear, it looks like >> he’s gone three rounds in the ring with a heavyweight. It’s almost >> like a giant bruise, and if he were a human I’d swear he’d walked >> into >> a swinging door. It’s right over his right eye area too. >> >> I looked on the ‘net and, as luck would have it, there are no koi >> vets >> in the greater Montreal area, so it’s advice I’m seeking here. I’ll >> try to get a picture of his discolouration tomorrow after work, but >> anything you may have to suggest in the meantime will be gratefully >> appreciated. I just can’t bear the thought of losing him, but this >> bruise or whatever it is is really ugly. >> >> Sincerely, >> Brenda >> >> >> >> >> >> >> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >> >> >> ———————————— >> >> Yahoo! Groups Links >> >> >> > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > ———————————— > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > >
Category: Philippines Internet Koi Society
