Sleeping sickness

[Kanundra]

So, yeah, the title says it all really.

Had one hell of a week so far. We had around 150 tosai in our 800g qt tank bred in 2011. We decided we had to halve them so the best would have more room to grow.

Things didn't seem right from taking the polly tunnel off and catching them 2 weeks ago. The ones we put back sulked big time, but the temp had been 22-26d and with no polly tunnel for a week while we sold some, it dropped to 16.

My bad, I also introduced two jap tosai from a very trusted source, last sat, we'd slight ammonia and nitrite readings which I just put down to having disturbed the whole pond eco system in draining 2/3rds to catch all the fish.

I kept a close eye on it, but the koi just didn't seem right at all.

Monday monrning and I fed them, all seemed okay, but by monday evening. All bar the jap koi were head hanging and gasping for air.

I initially thought parasites. Scraped and scoped three, one which I took out the water, looked so poorly when I took the scrape his skin pinked right up.

There was nothing on any of the samples I took.

Tuesday morning and they looked even worse for wear. A couple were floating and I thought I was going to lose the lot.

I spoke to my local guy who knew me and my koi and knew right away from his own experience that it was more than likely sleeping sickness. He described the symptoms and although I didn't think some applied to my koi he insisted that by the time I got home that they'd be more gone and prob wouldn't save any.

Initial treatment (thankfully the other half was at home) was to dissolve salt in bucket and put it in. Which he did. The next step was to get the temp up as high and as reasonably quick as we could. With the sun that say it was back to 20d. So I raised it when I got home.

I have never, ever seen koi look so sick. They looked exactly like my local guy said they would.

Head hanging, skin flaking off. Looking like they were literally falling apart, with sunken eyes, and fat bodies.

Wed and things were still no better, the rest of the salt went in. Yet wed night the koi were gasping on the surface, even with the extra O2 we put in.

We got the salt up to the right level by Thursday and the temp to 30d by the evening.

We lost two koi Friday morning, and one I decided needed to be put to sleep. Four yesterday as result of a temp drop I think overnight.

Today, the only loss was again another I thought was just too far gone.

The only way I can describe the affect is some really do look like they're falling apart. Like they've been deep fried. I am sure it isn't just the SS it is the fact with the high level of salt that the water quality has suffered even more. I have ammonia and nitrite reading in the next zone up.

All I can do is hope and pray that we can save some out of the 70 left. The jap koi the kohaku and the assagi are prob a little stressed as the fish around them are, but theyr'e loving the hotter temp.

What if any are your experience with this killer... research shows that the Japanese do introduce it as young koi before they're shipped over here.

But what about breeders in the UK.

It isn't something I thought would happen to me, but others need to be aware that it really can wipe out a whole batch.

This has been a tough week. I've another one ahead of me, but my koi need the best I can give them. What can I do to ease their pain with secondary infections etc.

Thanks for any advice offered.

Dawn

[greg]

Dawn,

No experience of sleeping sickness - my advice would be to speak to one of the two major UK koi breeders for advice as to what to do Maurice Cox @ Koi UK or Mark Davis @ Cuttlebrook. Sure they will both know how to act.

[Gazza]

Hi Dawn,

This is something that many breeders go through and from memory i think they use heat at high 20c to 30c and salt at a high dose rate added at 0.3% per day till you get to 0.9% and then just wait and hope for them to come out of it.

Best of luck and please let us know how it goes.

[eds]

Heat and salt is the treatment as the others have said. Just in case, did any fish show any symptoms before you added the Japanese fish and does that dealer heat ramp and/or blood test fish?

[Kanundra]

Yes, they're Qt well, not so sure about the blood test.

However, yes, I think there were symptoms before, I unfortunately just put it down to the stress of being caught over the period of a week to think them out. In hindsight, no it wasn't, and they were already on death row.

I have spoken to some top guys and they've all just said as you have, and what I am doing, just was hoping for well anything else. lol....

This is the first time, a couple have actually taken notice of me this morning though and come up looking for food as I opened the qt door. So envouraging, although some look so ill.

Will post any updates, thanks

Dawn

[Kanundra]

Hi there,

update, is we lost 13.

But after yesterdays' 4 I scooped one that was on its last legs and took a scope, just didn't sit right that they were now dying off. Result. Costia. Never diagnosed anything myself before, but there was nothing else the little blighters could be. Hundreds on the one slide. So, then I panicked, tried calling Maurice, but no answer, bless him he must be so busy at this time of year.

There was only one other person I knew might be around and is a friend of a friend Dennis at Shirley Aquatics, Top Guy met him a few times. I spoke to him and with there being salt in the water from the treatment of SS we decided the best option was to pp. It was touch and go, salt meter was ordered but hadn't turned up. The Qt vat was only half full from a water change, trying to get rid of the ammonia and nitrite which have been hanging about. So it really was just pure guess work, I aimed for 2g per tonn. Dissolved it well and distributed it over an hour. There were no real bad reactions although some of them didn't like it and swam about a bit frantic. But 60 mins after the last bit was added and they were struggling to get enough 02, I made the decision to Hp and neutralise it.

I lost two while treating, they were just too far gone and the pp pushed them over the edge I did wonder if I might lose more.

Today, all looks much better, topped the tank back up so it is now full, so in essence a 40% water change, done over the period of several hours not to shock them with the temp diff. Tank is sitting at 27, nitrite and ammonia are 0.

Fish pretty lethargic still, no hangers underneath the backi shower, but there were a few settled in one corner layered on top of one another.

I believe I will need to redose them thursday, due to the fact Costia will live on anything that dries out. So the sides of the tank would prob still have them on. I did dip the nets etc, but will do everything once again when I do redose.

Thanks for the support, fingers crossed that they will get better now, Ss kicked their tiny butts, but I was not expecting Costia to come in to finish them off.

A microscope is the best bit of kit you can have, that is for sure.

Will keep you posted.

[kimr]

Hi Kanundra

Well done for sticking with it, I know when you buy a young Koi from Maurice he always supplies a left about sleeping sickness, which luckily I have never suffered. The salt will of protected the Koi from the nitrite and it shouldn't of affected the filter as the bacteria in the filter isn't affected by salt. Because the Koi were so stressed Costia took hold, but the salt should of kept them in check. So to suffer with everything all at once must be a nightmare. I wish you all the very best and hope things improve for you soon

[Kanundra]

Thanks so much for that Kim,

I never heard of SS or expected it to hit so sudden. One minute they were like rabid dogs for food, the next sulking on the bottom and head hanging. Not nice.

I do agree costia took hold because they were weakened. But it shouldn't have been there in the first place. My tank was 100% clean, and in one sense it is my own fault. I introduced the koi which delivered the SS.

Qt, Qt, Qt, all the way, but when you have a Qt full of baby fish... you get sidetracked.

We live and learn, the flipping hard way.

Fingers crossed they're on their way upward.