Treatment of Quarantined Koi and Goldfish
It’s
not enough to simply place your new koi and goldfish into a tank for a couple of
weeks to see if they come down with something. You must use this time wisely
and treat the new arrivals for whatever ails them.
It’s a
rarity to find a perfectly clean (meaning no parasites or diseases) koi or
goldfish on the market. As a retailer of koi and goldfish we know by experience
that they all come in with something - and that's mostly parasites. We also know that we were probably lone
wolves with our quarantine and treatment regimens. We are still getting
requests from customers to begin selling fish again because they all say they
can’t find clean fish anywhere.
We’ve
already covered how to set up a quarantine or hospital tank in another article.
(Click
HERE if you want to read it) Now we’ll share the methods we use to
clean up our koi and goldfish while they are in quarantine and give you helpful
information on the quarantine process, including a list of items you need to
have on hand.
Prepare the Quarantine Tank
Before
bringing your new koi or goldfish home you should have your tank all set up and
ready to go. Fill it with water, add Ultimate Water Conditioner and salt the
water with non-iodized pure salt at .3% (3 pounds per 100 gallons). Turn it on
and let it run.
Check
the temperature of the water. If it is less than 72 degrees turn on the heater
and keep the heater set at 74.
Arriving with the New Koi or Goldfish
I
always get a little special feeling when we get new fish. It’s fun to check
them out, their colors, their little personalities, their behavior… New fish
usually hide (or try to) for a couple of days so don’t worry if they aren’t
especially friendly during this time.
When
you get the new fellows home, float the bags for at least 15 minutes then let
them go. Begin the first treatment with either Quick Cure (if using
the parasite pak) or ProForm C. Follow the directions from the package.
If you suspect your fish have flukes you can start the
List of Supplies to Have on Hand
Doc’s
Pure Salt
Ultimate Water Conditioner
Water
Test Kits
Floating Thermometer
Doc’s
Prescription Triple Antibiotic Food
Doc’s
Prescription Parasite Pak or ProForm C and Prazi Pond
