crazy helicopter swimming when you approach pond only?

[kyari]

Hey guys, I have been meaning to ask you about the spastic type swimming, on of the previous owners' Koi did shortly before I found him laying on his side. This was the event that triggered me to scope the fish and I did find parasites. I have been meaning to ask you, if it is only done when you approach, and there was one of his fish that got picked off (Heron). Was is the predator and it was spooked? This pick off of the other prompted me to put a shade sail over the pond and I now net it from dusk until dawn. No more pick offs, and no more crazy swimming. I have been reading as much as I can, I am not sure if this is that cork screw swimming the Koi vets talks about or not. This fish did this months ago, long before I ever treated for anything. So I doubt is was an organ-phosphate poisoning. There is no major run off.
It seems like just with behavior, got seriously spooked, maybe it almost got it too, it would only do it when approached. And it never layed over until about a week, after swimming like that when approached. I almost think it was thinking I was a predator too. That's how it behaved. The swimming i can describe the most as an out of control helicopter, getting ready to crash. Is this the corkscrew, or is that more of a steady spiral? This almost looked jerky, like it was almost, having seizures while swimming. Thank goodness, no other fish have done that.
What made me think about it and that I forgot to ask, was I found what looked like Heron's prints around the pond this AM, it was netted, and it took no one, thank goodness! I remembered that swimming, and the fact that I never quite found out why this happened. Was I mis taken for a predator? These two fish did not know me that well. We had bought the home and I was only caring for them a little bit, maybe because they belonged to the other owner of the home and all I did get mis-taken. Just curious, I hope I never see that again, but I fear just as anything else, things happen, and it might occur again. At least this time I will know.
Thanks again,
Carrie

[MikeM]

I would need to see it it before venturing a guess. the 'corkscrew' or 'helicopter' swimming movement people mention is a health symptom that does not generally change because of a net.

Congrats on deterring the heron!

[kyari]

Thanks Mike,
I just wanted to ask. Just a coincidence. Those shade sails work great, I net also, today was the first day I saw any prints in months. One went MIA months ago, and I am sure it was a Heron too, no mess, no body, just gone. To be sure, I did the flour deal around the pond, and every morning I saw Heron prints in the flour around the pond. After I put the sail up and net I stopped putting flour, and I did not see prints. They were in the red clay by the pond today, I have one spot, that will not grow in the grass over the red clay in the back. And that GA. red clay gets on everything and stains, but it offered me up prints this AM.
Thanks,
Carrie
I am sure that fish swam because of the parasites, it did have some. Maybe when you approach it alerted it more, or just did it too, when I was not looking. Although it would just seem to come up and spin, Maybe it was in spells, and that was why. Maybe I would walk up between "spells". Poor fishy, I buried him in my garden. Kids cried and all, it was sad, but that did give me info. on the parasites I had, as I scoped him when he was laying over days later, but was not dead yet, so he told 5 tales. Both flukes, Costia, Trichodina, and Chimodella.

As I read more on the cork screw it indicates more poisoning than the parasites. I wonder if the seller's two fish had suffered chlorine poisoning, I do know for a fact he did not de-chlor. I think the parasites were sheer neglect. When we bought the home the water was so turbid, and murky, the fish were always, if you could see them, at the bottom, clamped fins that was the parasites, from what I am gathering. At least, the pond is cured and CLEAN and water is good quality, clear, and no ammonia. None of my fish have been effected since I PP'd it. The only good thing that was done was the Nitrification cycle was established. To the seller's benefit, he was transient living in another state when he sold to us. The neglect, I hope, as I love animals, was probably not intentional.