NEED ADVISE - Treating infections during winter

[erwinsan]

I need some advise regarding the treatment of infections during winter. I have a koi (Shusui) that has come down with a bacterial infection. A scale lifted and epidermis under the scale was clearly infected. It came down with the infection just before our weather cooled down a month ago. I gave it 2 shots of Baytril which seemed to help.

As our weather cooled, the infection under the scale subsided and the scale went back down, but the redness under the scale did not completely go away (it had a slight tint of pink). My water cooled down to +/- 54 degrees F. Because of the cooler water, I expected the infection to maybe go dormant and either go away by itself or I would do a second treatment when our water warmed up spring.

Unfortunatly, last weekend I noticed the infection has spread within the same fish and to another doitsu koi. To make things worse my water is now 48-51 degrees F.

Other than setting up a heated quarantine tank to treat the koi. Are there any effective treatments that can be done in cooler water?

[dick benbow]

To the best of my knowledge, a koi's ability to fight infection is tied to their immune system which is temperature related. My advice would be to obtain a q tank with high quality water, not something slapped together in haste with a so-so filter. I'm sorry you and your koi have to endure this stressful time. It will not
get better as is ,so you must act.



This is not anything but a suggestion to all readers the value of sustaining and having available at a moments notice an established q tank with active filter and resident company koi at your beck and call.

[JasonS]

You likely have some active parasites in the water as well.

I got flukes in early fall last year. Isolated to my Q (new fish) but they still ate a couple of fish noticeably. The one I noticed was brought in (heated) and given water water plus the flukes taken care of via Prazi. The other one ended up dieing in Spring. The outside Q was also treated with Prazi but the infection didn't clear on that fish.

No injections, just warm water.

[keokoi]

Erwinsan , you can borrow my Q tank and heaters if needed.

keo

[erwinsan]

Quote: Originally Posted by keokoi Erwinsan , you can borrow my Q tank and heaters if needed. keo

Thanks, I'll probably take you up on that offer. And thanks to Dick and Jason for their input. I appreciate it.

Erwin

[aquitori]

Anyone having problems with infections this winter...

[keokoi]

WOW this thread made it from the debts .. Erwinsan never picked up that show tank I had left at a neutral place for him to pick up. How is this fish doing anyhow?

Joe