| Hi, I'm JR. Please send Joel my regards.
You really have a two part problem/issue here.
The first one is about abrupt change. Koi are gifted by their ancestors, the wild carp, to be highly adaptable.. But koi are also different and quite inbred so they donlt have the survival range and adaptability of the wild carp. So carp can swim from salty conditions to pure rain runoff and flooded plains in Spring and not suffer too much. Koi will also adapt but the stress of change will , for a time, put demands on the metabolic system. This often can mean that the skin and the color cells will suffer from high levels of hormones/steroids. I suspect that is what you are seeing. And once the color cells are destroyed they typically do not come back in some colors. The chagoi and other 'self colored' fish will come back as these color cells are more natural and enduring.
The second issue, is one of range of optimal water conditions. This is within the survival range but in a narrow band within the survival range. It is accepted that the Japanese water parameters are the water parameters that koi are generated in and look best in by virtue of the fact that the world's best Grand Champions come from this water. It is of neutral to slightly alkaline pH and is soft to moderately hard in nature.
The other detail of this issue is the fact that koi are kept in closed systems. Ammonia at these levels is highly stressful and potentially damaging so a good filter system and good maintenance is mandatory.
You will need a reliable method to keep water in the 7.4 to 8.0 range. I use a neutralizer that gives a constant 7.4 but I am raising my pH. You will need another resin. I'm sure you can find a competent water treatment company that can sell you a neutralizer to adjust pH downward on a constant basis. It will likely remove calcium so you need to keep and eye on that. I would also get an analysis of your water done to see what minerals are in your water source. You might find that your water's pH is driven by just one or two suspects. They would be easier to remove if known. Before doing any of this, do aerate your water for a while and then test it. You might get lucky and the pH will drop after contact with air. You can also try a polyfilter pad to see if it turns blue with mineral content. Blue is the indicator so if the polyfilter pad turns blue you have some excess mineral/metal.
The alternative is to live with your water, but high quality specimens would be a waste so you will be forced to keep pond fish as a hobby. It lessens the depth of the hobby but can still make a colorful display. JR |