Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Being Prepared for Spring
Here it is, the middle of winter when most hobbyists tend to allow their ponds to go dormant. Generally there is not a whole lot to do, except check to see if the water is still circulating. But before we know it, spring will arrive. It will be time to begin enjoying our ponding once again.
Just as sure as spring follows winter, I will begin to get frantic phone calls from customers or potential customers about a problem with their koi. And usually, the problem stems from some sort of parasitic infestation that was undetected or wasn't an issue in the fall. Many times people take a wait and see attitude and find themselves with a koi which is badly stressed from the parasitic condition, causing a compromised immune system. This makes it even harder to nurse the koi back to good health.
I highly recommend that koi keepers have a supply of medications on hand when spring arrives. The main items to have, just in case are:
Potassium Permanganate - for parasites, fungal or bacterial issues, oxidizes organic matter
Dechlorinator
Praziquantel - best for fluke eradication
Tricide Neo - for bacterial ulcer disease
Proform C - formalin and malachite green for disease caused by paasites and fungal issues
Koizyme - eliminates aeromonas and pseudomonas-enhances beneficial bacteria
Test kits (Ammonia, pH, Nitrate and Nitrite)
Plain, uniodized salt (enough to add 3# per 100 gallons of water)
Medicated Koi Food (such as Medikoi)
Koi Health & Diseases book by Dr Erik Johnson
Having these items on hand and ready to use can allow you to head problems of at the pass, thus allowing for a less stressful spring for both you and your koi!
Just as sure as spring follows winter, I will begin to get frantic phone calls from customers or potential customers about a problem with their koi. And usually, the problem stems from some sort of parasitic infestation that was undetected or wasn't an issue in the fall. Many times people take a wait and see attitude and find themselves with a koi which is badly stressed from the parasitic condition, causing a compromised immune system. This makes it even harder to nurse the koi back to good health.
I highly recommend that koi keepers have a supply of medications on hand when spring arrives. The main items to have, just in case are:
Having these items on hand and ready to use can allow you to head problems of at the pass, thus allowing for a less stressful spring for both you and your koi!
posted by PondRX News @ 2:09 PM
