BEFORE INTRODUCING NEW FISH - Quarantine !!!

Unlike flees on a dog, fish parasites are not visible to the naked eye. We purchase a beautifully patterned or solid colored Koi with great expectations of good health. The colors are brilliant with no blemishes, sores or lesions of any kind. It looks healthy so, therefore, it must be healthy. Well, that determination may be true or it may not be true. Remember, because you suspect a newly purchased Koi may have parasites is not the only reason that you would quarantine it. The healthy fish living in your pond may also be the culprits. Good husbandry of your pond is practiced in order to keep your fish healthy and your water in good quality. This does not necessarily rid your healthy fish of parasites. However, because the fish in your pond are in a stress free environment, they have built up natural immunity to disease and parasites.

That beautiful Koi that you just purchased (or won) has been without food for several days, transported in a bag with several other fish and put on display for the consumer. To say that a newly purchased fish is stressed is to put it mildly. This is a good reason to quarantine a newly purchased fish. The quarantine period allows the fish to relax, eat and re-acclimate to life. As the new owner of living jewel, it affords you the opportunity to observe the fish for any erratic behavior or the development of sores or blemishes. If, after at least thirty (30) days, your new fish appears to be healthy and stress free, you can place it into your pond. Your new fish will become accustomed better to any disease or parasites that may be present in your pond because you have allowed it to re-build its immune system.

An ideal quarantine system is one with circulating water through a filter. However, if you do not have this setup, contact a Koi club near you. Most Koi clubs have large tanks that they loan to their members and graciously welcome all new members Water quality is essential for quarantining new fish. For more information on quarantine, contact an expert or visit one of the many websites.

General Guidelines:

4 to 8 weeks at 70ºF to 76º F (MINIMUM 4 WEEKS!)

quickly diagnose / treat

evaluate health

detect problem / intervene

PLAN:

Anything to hold water that is fish safe and appropriately sized. Round is better than square – 55-gallon drum, kiddiie pool, show tank, trash container, preformed pond, etc. Recommended minimum size is around 250 to 500 gallons.

Pick a location out of the sun and avoiding temperature extremes; pick a place where the tank will be easy to fill and easy to drain. DO NOT pick a place close to the existing pond. Water changes may be needed often.

A real must is a working bio-filter. You can use bio-media from the existing pond system, or plan ahead with mature filter set-up.

Temperature should be between 60ºF and 80ºF; check the water temperature often. Plan on having a water heater of some kind if you expect very cold weather.

Float the newly arrived fish in their bag until the temperature in the bag is within 2ºF of the pond water, usually 20 to 30 minutes.

Transfer fish to tank. DO NOT transfer any water – or as little water as possible.

Cover the tank for safety and to calm the new arrivals. New fish will jump, so plan for it. Styrofoam floats can be used to provide a hiding location. Don’t make these floats so large that a fish could "beach" itself on top.

Once the fish have had a few hours to rest, try to examine them closely.

After the first day, add 2 pounds of salt per 100 gallons of water. Morton water softening salt in the blue bag is recommended.

On the third day, scrape and/or clip for parasite evaluation. Treat if needed.

On the third day begin feeding very lightly. Watch the water quality. 10% water changes daily are recommended.

After two to three weeks, place one or two of your own fish into the quarantine tank and watch closely for one to two more weeks.

Watch for new parasites every other day for the first week. During the second week, watch for new parasites every third day.

Keep a close watch on the water quality for the duration of the quarantine period.

ALL FISH should be quarantined for the FULL PERIOD.

After the quarantine period, transfer fish to pond using the bag transfer method described above.

These are very general guidelines, but a good place to start. A great reference and sample quarantine set-ups can be found in KOI USA May/June 2003 (vol. 27, issue 7)