Quarantine New Arrivals
We will never stop harping on the importance of quarantine. Each time you place a new fish in your pond without knowing that it’s okay you are playing Russian roulette with all your fishes life.

Don’t Be a Host to Parasites
If you have parasites in your pond, get rid of them. Otherwise the parasites will eventually kill your fish either directly or indirectly. Some common parasites are the Anchor Worm, Fish Lice and Flukes. These parasites create a break in the skin of the fish allowing bacteria to enter. Parasites can eat through the outer slime coat or epidermal layer exposing the dermis layer to the bacteria. As flukes attach themselves to the surface of the koi with their haptens, which resemble small fish hooks, they can actually inject the harmful bacteria into the koi.
More on Parasites Click Here

No More Junk Food
 Nutrition- Make sure your fish are receiving a good diet. Feeding should be adjusted for the correct seasons & temperatures. We do not want fat fish, we want fish like an athlete with lots of muscle tone. This is done by feeding your Koi protein, vitamins and minerals with a safe measure of grains. Click Here for more on  Feeding Koi.

Reduce Harmful Bacteria
There is a product called LymnoZyme or KoiZyme that radically reduces the amount of Aeromonas and Pseudomonas in the water. It is essential that you carry out a routine of putting this in your pond. Especially at spring startup until your biofilter kicks in and settles out.

Injury
A common reason infections start is if the fish has got injured. Treat it immediately.
Scratching against a sharp object such as a rock can break through the slime coat and expose the koi to the bacteria.

If It’s Too Late to Prevent, Is It Too Late to Treat?

Most of the time, once you’ve had the illness diagnosed as some sort of bacterial infection, your fish will have an excellent chance of full recovery. There are exceptions. By the time the symptoms of Dropsy appear there’s usually too much damage done to the fish. There is also a deadly strain of Bacterial Gill Disease that is almost impossible to diagnose and treat in time to save the fish.
 
 

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