How many of you QT your fish from Japan instead of the your dealer doing it?

[bekko]

I think you have to QT at home irregardless of what happened at the dealer's. Because fish are coming from different sources, the dealer's premises may pose a larger threat than the breeder's. Those compiler and trans-shipper guys may be the largest threat of all.

It would be better to take possession at the airport instead of subjecting the fish to two quarantines. That would be two new environments to get used two, two new water sources, two new micro organism communities to get used to, two new food sources, etc.

-s teveho

[aquitori]

Me personally I would have my dealer(s) QT the fish. If the fish dies at their place of business I say replace it or refund my money, most dealers are cool about it. Do I want the headache of personally finding out a fish that I QT straight from Japan has KHV...Hell NO!!! Who do you point the finger at if this happens? The finger will point back at you.

For most of us here we buy fish from not just one dealer and the risk is even higher for those who do. I bought one fish from Japan and that fish is going to go throught the full QT process at the dealers place before I get it and it will go through a rest period in my own QT, before the main pond. JMHO...

Tony

[dick benbow]

Constant turmoil of shipping fish from Japan to a dealers' and then on to you
is much too hard on the koi. I think the 6 weeks or so in their QT is about enough time to get them back on track before coming home. Then your QT should be really designed to provide the best of water quality,companionship,
and room to stretch out. Too often I have seen QT tanks thrown together and the results are to drag the already at risk, down even farther.

You HAVE to take responsibility for your koi. YOU are where the buck stops.

[karipeters]

Quote: Originally Posted by Russell Peters We always insist that our customers QT their Koi after we do.

...but I doubt that everyone does...all we can do is recommend it.

[Nancy M.]

When we buy fish, we usually buy in Japan, they always go to the dealers (Enkoi) and go through QT there, we usually leave our fish from our October or November trip at Eastern till February or March, depends on if we are going to show them. I will probably get ridiculed for saying this, but I am very comfortable with putting our fish directly into our pond. I know exactly what QT procedures they have gone through and that they have been tested for KHV, we always have our fish tested at the same time as Ken does his testing. ( I would NEVER tell anyone NOT to do there own QT, I repeat I would NEVER tell anyone not to do there own QT). Do we QT our fish at home no. But that is our choice, we only have fish from one dealer, so our chances are better of not getting KHV, and we always test each of our fish before they ever come home. Again No one should follow our example.. Everyone should always QT there new fish, and make sure the dealer does KHV testing, ask to see there KHV results, the results will have the date on it and the breeders name's. Make sure it is a current KHV TEST... I have seen dealers leave old test results posted so people assume that they are testing every shipment, when in fact they have not been testing at all, they did it one time, and now take the chance, and pass that chance on to us.

QT ALL FISH, MAKE SURE KHV TEST IS DONE, SCOPE ALL FISH.. TREAT ACCORDINGLY

[aquitori]

That's what I dont understand why people would QT their fish from Japan and not let the dealer do it for them. Why would you want a headache when someone else could have it for you.

[Nancy M.]

Quote: Originally Posted by aquitori That's what I dont understand why people would QT their fish from Japan and not let the dealer do it for them. Why would you want a headache when someone else could have it for you.

Well there are always different cases, sometimes dealers take hobbiest to japan with them, with the understanding that the fish will be directly shipped to them, once they have cleared, APHIS, Fish & Game, Customs...

But if a dealer gave you the option that they would Qt your fish, I would let them do it, if there was the understanding that if something happened during QT or KHV testing that the dealer would compinsate.

With so many hobbiest going to japan these days, some dealers may not offer any compinsation, if the fish did not survive through Qt. So if that was the case you might as well take them home at least you could keep a close eye on them and treat accordingly, and as long as you have access to KHV test them.

I know some hobbiest will do the heat treatment regiment, for me personally that is just not enough, I still want the test done.

Some dealers don't even know how to properly QT fish, I have seen this way to many times. Fish come in fish go out, no testing, no scraping, no parasite treatments nothing nada.

[bekko]

KHV is not the only threat. Your home fish probably carry background levels of flukes, ick, various bacteria and other parasites. They have developed an immunity to their particular strain of flukes, ick, bacteria and other parasites and the fish can live long healthy lives despite their presence.

Bring in a strange fish and everything changes. The new fish has little immunity to the parasites in your system because the stranger has not been exposed to that strain (it is naive) and its immune system has been ravaged by the stress of shipping and handling. Likewise, the stranger is bringing in parasite strains which your home fish have never been exposed to. Someone may get sick.

There is also the dose response phenomenon. Fish which are normally immune to parasites occurring in small numbers can become sick when the number of parasites in their environment suddenly escalates. If one fish gets sick, then they may all get sick. The escalating dose comes from the stranger with its weakened and naive immune system. In this way, a stranger which is relatively parasite free when it arrives at your house can cause established fish to become sick.

Best to QT the stranger. As it's immune system recovers, start adding water from the main pond and watch as it becomes adjusted to the new microbes.

Your QT system should be as good or better than your main pond.

-steveho p

[Erns]

I've found that if I have a low dose of Virkon in my pond when I introduce new koi to the existing community I have minimal problems, infact, fingers crossed I'm yet to have a problem and I've just added a new batch. Off course I have a relative low density of fish and a very high turn over to help things.

I've also been told that if you keep your koi for a week in a 0.6% salt QT pond it should rid them from most bacteria and parasites before adding them to your main pond. Any truth to this?

Also, would a constant low dose of Virkon or even Ozone not keep the back ground parasites, ick etc. at a level where it does not hold a threat to new koi introduced to the system?

[MikeM]

Erns: Salt at 0.6% for a couple of weeks does well in eliminating Ich. It will set back some other parasites, but will not eliminate them. Sudden immersion in salted water can cause a shock to the parasites sufficient to cause them to drop off the host, and the sudden change can kill parasites that would acclimate to salt applied more gradually. Many people believe the koi should be gradually acclimated to salt lels as high as 0.6%. My experience has been that the koi do fine as long as the concentration does not exceed that level. You may have read or seen the technique of placing a koi in water that is extremely saline for about 10 seconds, just enough time for the koi to begin to 'faint' from the high salinity, and then immediately move the fish to salt-free water. It clears many parasites quickly, but is dangerous to the fish unless done by experienced hands.


Being in Florida, with imports coming into the country elsewhere, I would always want the dealer to rest and quarantine the fish. I'm working and not able to focus on the fish during the day. The dealers I know are very busy, but always taking time to walk by their tanks and quick to observe anything out of the ordinary. I would not want to ever take direct possession of an import. QT upon delivery to me is a different subject.