First off, I know almost nothing on treating Koi diseases, etc and my only other attempt at treating a sick fish (last year) resulted in a dead fish.

That said, this year I had another Koi that developed a couple of fuzzy whitish patches and lost some scales.  I found recommendations for  Aqua MedZyme natural bacteria treatment on the internet and used it to treat the entire pond (I have no association with Aqua Med products).   All fish recovered to full health. Great!  Much easier to treat the entire pond rather than try and catch the bugger and put him in a quarantine tank.  That process last year seemed to result in more trauma to the fish than the disease did.  He did not want to be caught.

The package recommends preventative treatment in the spring and fall and when a new Koi is added to the pond, and based on the ease of use and my recent success, I think that I am going to add it to my regular preventative maintenance routine.

If anyone else sees a reason that this should NOT be used as a preventative treatment, please comment below.

Thanks!
Matt

It was 1 degree Fahrenheit this past weekend.  The pond pump continues to run under the ice and keeps the bog flowing freely and thereby (I hope) allow the fish to continue to get enough oxygen.   The pond heater that I am using froze over, so it is either dead already, or unable to keep up with the extreme cold.  Either way, as long as the pump keeps flowing, I don’t think that it is critical.  If any of you know otherwise, please let me know.

Just a quick post about the use of UV lights for algae control for pond keepers.

I installed UV sterilization lights into my pond’s Savio skimmer filter box earlier this summer to try to control fine floating algae in the pond without resorting to chemicals.  This is the kind of algae that causes pond water to become cloudy or milky and have a greenish cast.

I am VERY pleased with the results.  Installed two Emperor Aquatics UV sterilization light units into the filter as a retro-fit, and within three days the water was crystal clear and has stayed crystal clear ever since.  Amazing.   The water almost has a “polished” cast to it that is hard to describe.  I can easily see to the full depth of my pond now, even at its deepest point.

Click here for a full description of how this works from Emperor’s website.

They aren’t cheap, but these things really work without chemicals.   In fact, they worked so well and my water became so clear that the “string algae” that grows up from the bottom of the pond in long, attached strings has actually gotten worse….so, one problem solved and a new one is created.  It was worth it though.   I am currently experimenting with barley grass as a string algae control solution.  I’ll post on that some other time.   That is not working quite as well yet.

The following link is to the exact UV unit that I have installed, http://www.emperoraquatics-pond.com/advanced_uv_sterilizer.php, pictured below.

Soon after our pond was built, the wildlife moved in.

Almost immediately, Mr. Toad began living pond-side.

Soon, the kids discovered Mr. Toad.

Then the  kids helped Mr. Toad find a boat….looks relaxed, doesn’t he?

Mr. Toad took a 1/2 hour ride in the boat.  Since escaping the boat, he has never been seen again.  Do you blame him?