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    Thread: Something is attacking my small koi!?

    1. #1
      SimonW's Avatar
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      Something is attacking my small koi!?

      Hello friends!

      Since about 10 days back I have been moving my best small koi out from the over-wintering tank to join the bigger koi in the out-door pond. The pond is sector-shaped, with a sloping bottom, the deepest is about 1 meter.

      I felt that the small koi have been disappearing since they moved into the pond, but I could not know due to cloudy water. Today the water is so clear that I can see the bottom, and to my horror I found this guy lying there, still alive but with heavy damage on its body. And I also found that 4 small koi are missing.

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      Video:
      https://youtu.be/2bt15me8TnY

      Can it still recover? It is one of my best small koi and I have had great hope on it!

      I am not aware that we have predators here that can take fish. Never seen any dangerous animals other than neighbors cats (cats never jump into water to catch fish as I know). Yes we have sea gulls, but I have never seen them in this area - No lake or water area nearby. No matter what this predator cannot be big, as none of the koi bigger than 35 cm have been touched. Must be a bird.

      Judging from its damage do you think that it still can be saved? What is the best way for it to recover? I had a koi with terrible mechanical damage that healed completely last winter, but it was still able to swim actively. This one appeared to have less damage, but is lying there without being able to swim. And in that case the water temperature was 20 centigrade, now the water temperature is 18 centigrade.

      As I said my priority here is to save it.

      Thanks a lot!
      Last edited by SimonW; 07-05-2020 at 02:37 PM.

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    2. #2
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      The wounds don't look exactly like those that I would expect from a heron, but the location of the front wound, near the spine is fairly common with heron attacks. Wounds by heron often cause paralysis which sound like what your fish is experiencing. If it is heron, then it would explain the other fish going missing and this fish is not likely to get better. Look for heron very early in the morning, first light is common. If heron, then it knows where there is a buffet, and will continue to show up for more until all that can be eaten are gone. Put nets above the pond making it impossible for them to strike through, or high enough to make it difficult for them to find a quick escape path.
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    3. #3
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      Thanks Richard again!

      I have not seen any heron this morning.

      Maybe it is water snake? I have seen Youtube videos showing water snake taking fish, and I have frequent visit of water snake every summer in my ponds. If it is water snake then I guess I will just let it take its fair share! Too much work to keep water snake out if possible.

      The koi is alive, but still cannot swim. It is lying on the bottom, and the only thing it can move is its breast fins. Yesterday I gave it new water with 0.3% NaCl, and today I put it in an other tube with new water and 0.3% NaCl. I will keep changing water daily until it can swim again or die.

    4. #4
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      Update:

      Still alive, but no improvement. Lying on the bottom, occasionally moving its breast fins, and that is all. I wonder if it has any chance to recover? If it has I will continue to try, but if the chance is slim I may terminate its live. Too much to do right now when I also have problem with parasites!

    5. #5
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      If it is paralysis from a heron strike, there is zero chance of it regaining its movement. Sorry.
      Zone 7 A/B
      Keep your words sweet. You never know when you may have to eat them.
      Richard

    6. #6
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      Thank you Richard!

      It is still alive, but just as you said no improvement at all. I will end its life today. Pity that it was one of my best small koi!

    7. #7
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      Update:

      I saw several seagulls flying around my pond yesterday, quietly. So I suspect now that it was seagull that took my small koi. Judging from the size of my disappeared small koi seagull is very likely the perpetrator, as my bigger koi are not touched.

      I just wonder if any friends here have got their koi taken or pinched by seagull? What do the wounds look like after seagull attack?

    8. #8
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      Here near Seattle we have a lot of Seagulls but they're more scavengers than diving birds. They'll steal a fish from another bird
      or might be able to catch one if he was floating on the pond and the fish came right up to him... but unless you saw the seagull
      on the pond surface, I don't they're the culprits.
      --Steve



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    9. #9
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      Quote Originally Posted by icu2 View Post
      Here near Seattle we have a lot of Seagulls but they're more scavengers than diving birds. They'll steal a fish another bird
      or might be able to catch one if he was floating on the pond and the fish came right up to him... but unless you saw the seagull
      on the pond surface, I don't they're the culprits.
      I thought that seagull must have some kind of fishing skill, and I can be wrong! Indeed I have only seen them scavenging, never fishing.

    10. #10
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      I see all kinds of gulls diving for fish around here ... also this:
      https://www.koiphen.com/forums/showt...ll-killing-Koi

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    11. #11
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      Quote Originally Posted by GoldieGirl View Post
      I see all kinds of gulls diving for fish around here ... also this:
      Amazing... thanks Ci. Maybe we have different kinds of gulls? I've lived here all my life and never seen one
      dive into the water. They mostly walk around on the beach and look for crabs, clams, or other food that's laying
      on the beach. I do remember when my son was young a gull got caught in his kite string and I ran out to try and
      untangle it.... the dang thing bit the crap out of my hands so they do have some serious biting power for sure!
      Btw... I save the little retch even after my hands were bleeding everywhere.
      Most here refer to them as flying rats.
      --Steve



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      Quote Originally Posted by icu2 View Post
      Amazing... thanks Ci. Maybe we have different kinds of gulls? I've lived here all my life and never seen one
      dive into the water. They mostly walk around on the beach and look for crabs, clams, or other food that's laying
      on the beach. I do remember when my son was young a gull got caught in his kite string and I ran out to try and
      untangle it.... the dang thing bit the crap out of my hands so they do have some serious biting power for sure!
      Btw... I save the little retch even after my hands were bleeding everywhere.
      Most here refer to them as flying rats.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsUC-et3bWY

    13. #13
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      Thank you all!

      I am finally convinced that the seagull is the guilty one!

      I have earlier only some fish lines over the pond that will scare off the bigger fishing eagles, but since I saw the seagulls I have drawn several more. I hope that I dont need to cover the pond with net.

    14. #14
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      Maybe Seattle gulls are too well fed. There are thousands of them that hang out all day at Ivar's fish and chips
      and wait for people to throw french fries.
      --Steve



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      Quote Originally Posted by icu2 View Post
      Maybe Seattle gulls are too well fed. There are thousands of them that hang out all day at Ivar's fish and chips
      and wait for people to throw french fries.
      When I used to go too Hawaii for vacations. There would be birds at the open restaurants. People would throw them bread and fries. As the birds walked around the tables. This resulted in seeing many birds with deformed feet. Never feed birds bread or fries or anything else for that matter.

    17. #17
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      By the way I have not lost one single small koi during the summers 2017, 2018 and 2019 due to predation (totally only lost 1 small koi because it entangled into a plastic plant), nor have I noticed attack on them. Now I realize that then I had green water so that the predators could not see them, no matter whether it is seagull or water snake.

      In the future green water for small koi and clear water for big koi!
      Last edited by SimonW; 07-22-2020 at 07:30 PM.

    18. #18
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      By the way, I wonder if anyone has observed crow catching small koi?

      Some 10 days ago I put 5 small koi in a 200-liter barrel, and today I found that only 3 are left. I remember that the first day some crows were around the barrel, two were even standing on the edge of the barrel looking into the water.

      The water is green so I could not tell if the crows got those 2 already then.

      So I now suspect that crow is the guilty one. They are so intelligent that they may have "thought" out a way to catch the fish.
      Last edited by SimonW; 09-13-2020 at 04:49 PM.

    19. #19
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      Just my two bits on Herons or at least Ohio Herons. They run on a schedule meaning if you see a Heron at your pond at 10 AM it is very, very likely he will be there at the same time when next visits.

    20. #20
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      To be honest I have never seen a heron in my area, and I have lived here for 10 years now.

      As a matter pf fact it is very unusual to see heron in this part of Sweden I am living in. I have lived here for >20 years and have never seen one, though I have not looked for them either.

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