How can I arrange a scrape? Swim bladder problem?

Water Quality, Treatment Advice
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ambercat
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2012 10:54 am

How can I arrange a scrape? Swim bladder problem?

Post by ambercat »

I have had fish for three years. I bought 5 fish originally and then added to them but have not done so for over a year. I have 7 koi, 7 goldfish, none particularly big, my biggest koi is probably about 6". I bought four new koi, about 3" long. I now know I should have quarantined them but I didn't. One fish dropped onto a ledge and stayed there the others swam off. The next day it was still on the ledge and had moved only slightly, its fins were clamped to its side, its tail raggy which I had not noticed when I bought it, and it died the next day. One of the other fish seemed unwell, raggy tail which again I am sure it didn't have when I bought it, swimmng head right down tail up and crooked holding it like a scorpion tail. It's almost completely vertical when it stops swimming. Its tail seemed to be in thirds and then a week later it seemed to be one tail but with frayed bits at the end and a kink, it doesn't look right. The centre I bought them from said it was stress not fin rot. The other two fish seem okay. A week after introducing the fish one of my original koi died. I couldn't see anything on it but it had pink coming out of one gill and it had been 'flashing' the night before, as had one of my goldfish which kept skimming on its side along the bottom of the pond. My pond is 9ft wide circular, it has a ledge all the way around 9" deep and about 18" wide and the pond then goes into a cone shape 6ft deep at the middle. I have a pump and filter. I was told to put in 45 ml FMG and take the UV bulb out and I did that 5 days ago. I had the water tested when the fish died and it was fine but I had it tested again today and was told the nitrates were too high and to stop feeding for 3 days, take out 10% water, add dechlorination to fresh water, wait about 15 mins and put it in which I did. I am not sure when to repeat FMG (it was 5 days ago), I saw two of my fish flashing this a.m. I didn't put the UV bulb back and am not sure when to do this. The sick fish is still swimming head down and looked as if it had beached itself on the pebbles in the end of my pond a few days ago and I thought it was dead and when I went to net it, it swam off. It did this again morning but it swam off again. It seems to be swimming straighter and for the last two days has been with the others swimming around rather than just hanging in the pond, and it was actively eating today, but when it stops swimming it goes head down, almost head over tail. My fish had been acting oddly all gathering in the centre and just bobbing there, though they were very lively and normal this morning. The sick fish is swimming almost normally but his fins are going ten to the dozen as his tail still doesn't seem to work effectively and he swims slightly zig zag. Not sure what to do next and read that I should not have medicated until I took a scrape and I wouldn't know how to do this. Any help appreciated!
pollygog
Posts: 617
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:26 pm

Re: How can I arrange a scrape? Swim bladder problem?

Post by pollygog »

Did anybody contact you about your problem ? only just spotted it today.
We have all been there starting off keeping fish and lost them through ignorance or lack of knowledge.
The secret is not to be put off by these initial blunders and become determined to find out more about the fishes needs and wants, thats when you become a fish keeper and not just a pond owner and it only gets better!.
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