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  • Results 1 to 5 of 5

    Thread: Koi floating

    1. #1
      Glarf is offline Member
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      Koi floating

      Hello,

      I have a koi that is spending much of the last two weeks floating on the surface, and I'm not sure what the problem may be. It seems to have no problem ducking back underwater, and when it wants can swim to the bottom around 6 feet deep so I don't suspect swim bladder. However the portion that sticks above water appears to be getting a bit discolored and white, and occassionally with some small red dots/blood. I'm not sure whether this is just sunburn or something else, and ultimately I'm not sure what is causing the underlying issue of causing the need to stay breeched for hours on end. Can it be caused by being gravid? Relief from a parasite? I'm at a loss. Other fish in the pond seem fine. Pics enclosed, I can try to net her later, and can scrape and scope if needed, and if I have an idea what to look for. Any advice appreciated!
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    2. #2
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      I would tend to believe that it is a swim bladder issue. I once had a similar problem, and ended up with the fish sunburning so badly it had to be put down. I went ahead and installed shade sails to prevent future sunburn, but the fish will not survive the winter chill with its back exposed.
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    3. #3
      Glarf is offline Member
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      Agreed it must be swim bladder, the issue persists. I tried feeding peas and have switched to fall food, it still floats on top. What next, a general antibiotic? Any recommendations and where to source it? Medicated food or injection? I'd like to get it taken care of this month before the weather starts getting much colder, but could also potentially take it indoors in a QT for the winter if I had to. Any ideas appreciated, and thanks for all the help!

    4. #4
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      I do not think it is swim bladder as Koi with swim bladder issues tend to spend most of their time on the bottom of the pond, will come up to feed, and then go back to the bottom of the pond. When they swim they tend to 'wiggle' more than they used to. Judging by the body shape I would guess that there is some other internal problem like a tumor or infection. I would also check the gills to see what condition they are in.
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    5. #5
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      I have some Goldfish(Comets & Tamasaba) that had/have the same symptoms.

      Basically I will always see their dorsals sticking out of the water like a shark, but if startled, they could swim back down to the bottom. However the moment they stop kicking, they float straight back to the surface and are unable to hover in mid-column.

      But the thing is mine are all swimming normally the next morning, including the one that has it really bad and literally lays on it's side like it's dead.
      Swim bladder, tumor, gases...whatever it is, when the food in the stomach has been digested they stop floating around.

      Try fasting the pond for a day or two and see how your Koi acts. If it's back to normal then the cause is most definitely the food, or it sucking in too much air when feeding. Try getting pellets that are meant for it's size(not too big not too small), or better yet switch to a sinking type.

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