Fewer problems this year

[Brockp]

I don't know if it was the weather we had this year during "the summer", my imagination or the fact that this site was down during the summer but there seem to have been less in the way of difficult to treat bacterial infections reported in the various forums.

One thing I have however picked up is my first (I am sure koi vets see it all the time ?? any vets out there) very resistance (equivalent to MRSA) organism. It was a pseudomonas and resistant to everything including the combinations I tried. A worrying trend but as yet an isolated case. I have put this on the public part of the forum because if there are any experts out there who have met the problem before I would like to hear about it.

Peter

[tomy2ponds]

Hi Peter I have seen a fair few bacterial infections this year (not on my Koi) no more or less than usual but have not seen any thing that has not responded to Cloromine T heat and salt in a qt,I had a discussion with Paula on this very subject and she said there was nothing in our ponds that Cloromine T wont kill depending on the dose rate,but if it is the body of the fish antibiotics may be needed.

[Brockp]

Hi Lee;

I agree that bugs can be cleared from the water with Chloramine T or dare I say it Virkon etc.

Unfortunately this bug was grown from a wound swab from an infected fish and the resistance I was referring to was to antibiotics. It was finding this very resistant bug earlier in the year that started my original thread on this site about the potential of using antibiotics in combination for fish with serious bacterial infections. As it happens it wouldn't have helped this fish as the pseudomonas was resistant to the usual combinations as well.

Peter

[tomy2ponds]

Could we be seeing antibiotic resistance due to the much discussed abuse of them ? more than likely yes I would have thought,perhaps rolling the clock back to antibiotics that have not been used for a while would do the trick

[Koi Man Dave]

I agree that bugs can be cleared from the water with Chloramine T or dare I say it Virkon etc.

Peter

Hi Peter

I'm glad you mentioned vircons you have made my day as I was a member of another forum last year and i got slatted for it.
I had a bacterial issue going on I had a guy come round injected the fish and he suggested vircons added to the pond one tablet per 1000 uk gallons.

This I done and had great success with it, a friend of mine had an issue this year same again fish were jabbed and vircons added to the pond water.

I was worried about filter bacteria being harmed but was advised it would knock it back by around 10 percent although after tests didn't notice any nitrite issues etc.

I do not understand why there is so much negative response to the use of vircons or why so many people were so quick to rip into me for using it.
I would use it again if I had too although I have heard prolonged use can make the fish sterile, I'm not sure if it can make them sterile so I wouldn't want any one to quote me on this.

[tomy2ponds]

Hi my only problem with virkon and treatments like this is when people use then permanently a bit like PP on a regular basis to reduce dock etc.As a treatment for a problem in the pond short term that's fine.I prefer CT but what ever works if it gets your Koi well again go for it.

[Koi Man Dave]

Hi Lee

Thanks for the response i must confess i generally use chemicals as a last resort i dont beleive throwing loads of chemicals in the pond is always the answer, i also know it is easy to fall into that trap lets face it most shops want to sell and promote it so they generally advise this chemical for this and that etc,
I try and stick with the good old fashion plenty of water changes little and often first before i rush to put treatments in there, i know this will not clear parasites etc so we all have to reach for the treatment box time to time.

PP you will laugh as most members will at reading this, i have always been frightened to use it in the pond not sure why i convince myself that its because it will destroy all the good bacteria in the filter but i know theres times when this cannot be avoided.
I know its good treatment without a doubt my dad used to use it when i was a kid to soak his feet in when he suffered from athletes foot and it done the trick.(if you do this and its not the thing to do please dont blame me)

[Gazza]

Hi Guys,

I am not sure if there has been less problems this year as i know there has been a few and people have had some problems getting on top of them for one reason or another.

I do know that unfortunately a big percentage of people will not post on a forum that they have had problems.