Inherited a Koi Pond III
We are not going to talk about viruses at this point, you just inherited a pond you have plenty to worry about. But you should know that there is a virus that can kill all of your fish in under a week if you don’t prevent it with quarantine.
It’s called Koi Herpesvirus and there is a lot of information about it.
Just to plant a bug in your ear with regards to Koi herpes virus, you can break its cycle and save your fish with simple heat. Carefully done, take the fish to 83 to 85°F, and the disease process will stop. Fish that are not “too far gone“ will live. They are considered contagious after surviving Koi Herpes Virus however there are many elements of this that are not supported in work done in Israel on carp.
I can summarize the Koi KHV x Heat equation by telling you:
One of the first times that that deadly virus, Koi Herpesvirus, was seen in the United States was when infected fish were sold to buyers all over the country at a Koi Show. The fish were distributed to individuals ponds from New York to California and as far south as Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Shortly after those fish were sold and taken home from the event where they were sold, outbreaks of Koi Herpesvirus erupted everywhere the water was under 83°.
Yes, you heard me right.
Owners that bought the fish from that infected show, took their fish home to Arizona New Mexico, Texas, even parts of Florida, and experienced no illlness nor mortalities and I presume their fish are still out there today doing fantastically. Nobody thought to go through and test those fish, I guess they felt lucky, or the virus had somehow ‘overlooked’ the fish that went into the desert.
The collections in more temperate waters died.
What If My Koi Get Sick Without Getting New Fish?
If your fish gets sick, and it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with a new fish, you have to look at water quality. You have to understand what the nitrogen cycle is, how your filter is working, and how it is maintained, you need to notice if you have too many fish, that means: “more than 1 inch of fish per 10 gallons of water“
I put together a short course of 20 items to knock down if your fish get sick. Nobody ever gets to the end of it because typically they have figured out what’s wrong by the fifth video.
As a brand new pond inheritor or owner, if you have any questions please reach out!
