Water Quality is most important for your Koi fish pond. Please read our Water Quality section under Info.
Stressed Koi? Flashing Koi? Sores and Ulcers? Diseased Koi? Koi dying!!? First thing, CHECK YOUR WATER! Bad water quality is the most common reason a fish could be in despair. A simple water quality test kit can save you a lot of money and heartbreak. If the water test in the acceptable ranges then the next thing to do is look for parasites. Parasites can lead to bacterial infections, so keeping the parasite load to a minimum is important. A good microscope is an invaluable tool to tell you what is going on with your Koi. Most people do not have one but if you have a friend or know anyone who does it can pinpoint a possible parasite outbreak, there is no worse feeling then when your koi are in stress. I added some helpful videos of parasites that might be the cause. MinnFinn Max is our treatment of choice! It’s fast and effective.
I do stress MinnFinn a lot as a cure all for parasites. Why? Because it’s so fast at destroying them, no water changes needed and with only a couple treatments your Koi will be Parasite free! Typically less than a week.
Gill Flukes on Koi fish
If using a microscope these can be seen pretty easily at 4x and 10x.
Now these little evil faced critters will tear up your Koi fish gills making it hard for them to breath, leading to infections and even death. They are the same as regular Flukes but are located on and in the gills of your Koi fish. Can be HIGHLY salt resistant so when we notice any form of Flukes we will reach for Prazi or MinnFinn. Follow the directions on either product to make sure they die.
Flukes on Koi fish
If using a microscope these can be seen pretty easily at 4x and 10x.
I hate these guys. You can even see this little evil face on them when they stretch out! They will latch onto the side of a Koi fish while slowely eating them. HIGHLY salt resistant so using a good quality product like Prazi or MinnFinn is a must. If not they will multiple rapidly and soon you will be left with ulsers or damaged dead Koi in your pond.
Chilodinella on Koi fish
If using a microscope these can be seen pretty easily at 4x and 10x.
I have found that using salt can limit the quanity of these on your Koi FIsh. Now that being said, you will have to have a high level of salt into your pond because these guys have beome more resistant over the years. So be careful because to much salt can hurt your Koi fish. If you want a good cure to these pest use something strong and fast such as MinnFinn.
Ich on Koi fish
If using a microscope these can be seen pretty easily at 4x and 10x.
ONE OF THE WORST. Be fast if you spot Ich on your Koi fish. They will tear up your Koi. On Koi you do not typically see them with the naked eye as you would on other fish. They are easily visible on a slide at 4x. They are Highly salt resistant to the point that salt will not kill them up to a 0.7 salinity. Anytime we encounter Ich its strait to MinnFinn. Three treatments at least with scrapes in between each treatment.
Costia on Koi fish
If using a microscope these can be seen at 100x
Costia is the WORST parasite I have encountered to date for Koi fish. They are so destructive on Koi that you will one day notice ulsers and the next you can have dead animals. Super salt resistant up to 0.9 salinity. They have to be eliminated with something powerful such as MinnFinn. At least three treatments. Do not mess around with these!
Trichodina on Koi fish
If using a microscope these can be seen at 10x
Trichodina is not as bad as most parasites but it will irritate your Koi fish leading to ulcers, infections and other parasites. I have found that getting the water up to a 0.3 salinity and having your water at its proper levels for a while eliminate these little pest. If that does not work that a treatment or two of MinnFinn will for sure get rid of them.
