View Full Version : Sick Koi
chriswoburn
12-31-2006, 11:27 AM
A 5" Koi in a 72 gallon tank with 5 shebunkins he looks fine but only swims on the bottom he swims straight up to the top of the tank then floats down the other fish are fine
bettagurl
12-31-2006, 11:49 AM
koi need about 800-1000 gals each..him and the subunkins are really over stocking that tank.
have you tested youre water?
did you cycle the tank?
how long have they been in there?
wataugachicken
12-31-2006, 12:29 PM
temp? ammonia, nitrite, nitrates? swimming straight up to the top and then floating down isn't "looking fine". possibly not enough oxygen in the water so he gulps at the surface but too weak to do much else, hence the floating back down instead of swimming.
what you have in that tank is definitely a temporary situation. do you have a pond that you can put those fish in? all of them are going to get over 16", the koi up to 3 feet.
chriswoburn
12-31-2006, 3:34 PM
the fish are going into a pond that is ready for the spring. they are in for the winter.
temp:74
nitrate:0
ammonia:.5
pH:7.2
all the shubunkin are swimming fine it is just the koi that seems sick.
legendaryfrog
12-31-2006, 3:51 PM
the water is too hot, ammonia is too high, and you're overstocking.
chriswoburn
12-31-2006, 4:25 PM
how would u cool down the water it is at room temperature. I'm trying EVERYTHING for ammonia including:50% water changes, jungle lab's ammonia clear, and amquel+.
Corbin
12-31-2006, 5:45 PM
how would u cool down the water it is at room temperature. I'm trying EVERYTHING for ammonia including:50% water changes, jungle lab's ammonia clear, and amquel+.
ice cubes! or fans, make some kinda water cooling system. and if your having a problem with ammonia, its cuz the tank is way to small for a koi, nuff said.
wataugachicken
12-31-2006, 11:48 PM
the high temp and presence of ammonia are both taking away from available oxygen. add aeration to the tank with 2-3 bubblers. do MORE water changes.
legendaryfrog
02-05-2007, 9:20 AM
well the only way to get ammonia down permanently would be to get some better filtration.
the fish are going into a pond that is ready for the spring. they are in for the winter.
temp:74
nitrate:0
ammonia:.5
pH:7.2
all the shubunkin are swimming fine it is just the koi that seems sick.Don't worry about the temp, koi actually thrive in the 70's. A 15L or 20L air pump with a good sized airstone will help greatly in keeping the O2 up.
How long have the fish been in the aquarium?
If ammonia is 0.5 what is the nitrite level?
What kind of filter do you have on the tank?
The poor water Q is taking it's toll... gf are far more hardy when it comes to poor conditions than koi - but koi can take a lot of punishment.
The gulping at the surface and lathargic behavior could be an inidcation that the koi has gill fluke. Are it's fins clamped to the body? Do you see any redness in the fins or body?
Blueiz
02-05-2007, 1:46 PM
well the only way to get ammonia down permanently would be to get some better filtration.
Id have to disagree here.. The cycle has to complete before his ammonia will be to zero. Even if there was no filter on the tank, if the cycle was complete, there would be zero ammonia...
Add aereation to the water, if possible get the temp down, IMO 74 degrees is not to hot for the fish so long as there is aereation of the water to accomidate this increased temp ( surely the temp of an outdoor pons gets 74+ in the summer). As others have said, do water changes to get the ammonia down, and keep it down to at least .25 or below. Same goes for the inevitable nitrite spike that will follow. Change as much water as necessary. For next winter, you may want to see about getting something a bit larger to house these guys in. Or in the interim invest in a large rubbermade tub to seperate the fish. As your tank is OS, would be a good thing to do at least 50 prcent water changes twice a week after the cycle completes, and to feed very lightly over the course of the temp housing.
Blue
Reddog80p
02-05-2007, 3:40 PM
Next year you can actually leave the gf/koi in the pond outside. It's below 0 here and my gf's and koi are fine outside all you need is a floating heater to keep the ice open to alllow gas exchange and a bubbler about halfway down, so you don't distrub the warmer water on the bottom. As far as keeping them in a aquarium I totally agree with Blueiz's advice. Anytime you have pond fish do not feed when the water temp is under 50 degress, you could kill the fish they have trouble digesting food at that low of temperature, my fish have not eaten for 2 months +, and are all alive and swimming under 3 inches of ice.