Koi Welfare and the Internet by Dr Paula Reynolds LFH Laboratories Concern for Koi wellbeing is a completely natural reaction when there is something wrong in the pond. However, when a problem is urgent, anxiety can so easily send any Koi-keeper in the wrong direction when reliable information and guidance is vitally needed. Experimenting I recently examined a Koi with a skin lesion that had been treated with a formula the owner found on the Internet. I was shown a photograph of the original lesion, then only a minor abrasion and now a large area of severe inflammation around a deep open cavity. The damage to the dermis left little opportunity for the scale pockets to heal or the scales to regenerate, and scarring was inevitable, if the Koi even survived. The fish was struggling to balance body fluids while the immune system was failing to fight the infection triggered by the open skin. The owner explained that he mixed the exact quantity of each substance into a paste as suggested before applying it to the abrasion. His motives are not in question, he wanted to promote healing not the damage that resulted. Many of his fish had been treated and the reaction had been similar to the Koi under examination. Successful healing does not always depend on what is applied to the skin. The nature of the lesion, what proteins are present, the condition of the scales and skin around the lesion, the water temperature, and if the Koi is eating, can all influence the outcome. As a research scientist working every day with Koi in order to prevent disease, save Koi lives, and support the hobby, I have to question why so many Koi keepers experiment with potions on the Internet, when there are tried and tested products on sale that are both legal and safe for Koi. Hard to believe The power of advertising has created the concept that bleach has the potential to kill 99% of all known germs and this has encouraged its application undiluted to skin lesions in Koi in several cases. In some instances, a sealer was applied over the bleach to prolong skin contact with even more devastating results. Ponds have also been treated with tragic consequences and it is not just bleach that is experimented with, disinfectants are used in equally inappropriate ways. Koi keepers are shocked at the horrific injuries that result and therefore it cannot be obvious that bleach and disinfectant are labelled for domestic use only. The products used to sterilise baby feeding bottles target the bacterial species in milk not ponds yet such products are thought safe by a few Koi keepers for bathing their fish. It is astonishing how many dangerous substances are used to treat much-loved Koi. Unlucky hobbyists have used water enhancement products only to lose their Koi when it transpires they are intended to clean water features not fish ponds. Supaverm is a sheep dip and is illegal for the treatment of fish. However, this does not stop its use as an inexpensive skin or gill fluke treatment in Koi ponds. I am aware that bad reactions do not always occur and to some this reduces the risk.  However, this does not make the product fish safe and no one should overlook the fact that the manufacturers of Supaverm do not want their product used in fish treatment for valid reasons. Mercurochrome, once a popular fish treatment, if used in a deep wound could be liver toxic. Whilst the sale of mercurochrome and other outdated products is illegal, the Internet keeps the supply chain in business and prevents Koi keepers progressing to look for and use safer products. The safest substance to apply to a skin lesion whether due to injury or disease is povidone iodine, available from Koi dealers under various brands names I cannot advertise in an article. Treating bacterial disease Much has been written on forums regarding skin lesions and what is overlooked is that their causes vary, therefore treatment is not always successful, and confusion then arises as to what a bactericidal product does. Bactericides reduce cross infection between Koi in pond water. I cannot advertise brand names but Chloramine T and Acriflavine are generic materials I can mention. When used early in a bacterial disease outbreak such products can be effective. However, when a disease becomes advanced, a bactericide is less likely to work and then the disease progresses to a more serious stage. When the nature of a health problem is undiagnosed, a bactericide cannot be expected to be effective in all cases. Potassium permanganate is yet another generic chemical that is frequently recommended as it has bactericidal properties. However, it makes the skin in Koi far more vulnerable and it should not be used to treat Koi with any form of bacterial disease. One Koi can appear to be suffering from an infection that could spread to other fish although the health problem may be specific to that fish alone. In other cases, one Koi with an ulcer can be the first fish to indicate a disease is in progress that might infect others. It can be hard to judge but when several Koi all develop red marks or ulcers that is likely to be disease rather than the injuries that are often suspected. Whether a lesion is due to injury or disease treating it stops bacteria, fungi, viruses, and pond water entering the body and blood and vital fluids leaving it. By neutralising the earliest stage of a wound or ulcer with an iodine-based product and using a bactericide in the water, antibiotics can be avoided and that is far safer for the Koi. Antibiotics and Koi Antibiotics should be obtained from a veterinary surgeon yet they are for sale illegally on the Internet and that does nothing to help the current antibiotic resistance issues. Koi keepers often share antibiotics believing that all bacterial diseases are cured by one antibiotic and this creates the illusion that the disease is cured, only for it to reoccur. Those Koi keepers who keep an antibiotic in stock are more likely to have an ongoing infection they cannot cure and do not realise the problems that may await their Koi. Aeromonas is the most common bacterium causing disease in Koi and within the Aeromonas complex are various strains. This means an antibiotic that cures one disease outbreak fails in another. It is unsafe to subject Koi to numerous antibiotics to see which one works as suggested on several Internet sites and combining certain antibiotics is unsafe as conflicts can occur. Over use damages the major organs, and leads to mortalities often long after the antibiotic treatment is over. Antibiotic resistance is a major issue and soon we may be unable to cure Aeromonas or any bacterial disease in Koi, and this means prevention has to be seen as the solution. Temperature and disease The use of heat in the health of Koi is confusing as there are benefits as well as disadvantages. One particular website suggests that Koi should be housed at a water temperature of 30°C irrespective of disease or injury and this could have disastrous consequences. I suspect this suggestion was based on the fact that heat raises the immune response in Koi. However, the site fails to explain that if bacterial disease is in progress the infection will worsen when heat is applied, unless the fish is undergoing the right course of treatment for the nature of the disease. Minor abrasions can heal without intervention, as nature’s own repair kit is stored in the skin and healing takes place all year round not just in summer as is so often suggested. Biomarkers are used to assess the processes that take place internally in Koi to keep them healthy. By comparing normal biology with the health status of fish during various types of disease and injury, we can confirm why water temperature and pond conditions are so highly influential in their well-being and this is a fact that is misunderstood. Hikkue or hi There is speculation in Koi circles as to whether certain skin lesions are Hikkue or not. Such discussions really depend on what everyone accepts Hikkue is in the first place, and loosely translated the word simply means red gone. The loss of red colouration due to genetic weaknesses in Koi was the original use of the word Hikkue. A Hi - eating worm was also rumoured to be the cause for several years although thankfully that myth no longer circulates. My laboratory has treated many cases of skin cancer that began within the red pigment cells and the term Hikkue is also used to describe such lesions. In recent years, I have investigated cases in which Koi were suffering from a variety of unrelated diseases and conditions that happen to create skin lesions and Hikkue was once again the term Koi keepers used. Hikkue has gradually become a catch all term applied to several diseases that present with skin lesions rather than to one specific condition. If one Koi develops a skin lesion in red-pigmented skin, and that fish is eating and behaving normally, the cause will differ to those cases in which several Koi have skin lesions and are all obviously unwell and losses are occurring. The Guessing Game Diagnosing health problems by photograph is a common practice on the Internet and this results in many cases of inappropriate treatment and unnecessary euthanasia. On one particular website, after a payment is made an email attaching a photograph of a sick fish receives a reply naming the disease, its cure, and a price for supplying all the products the hobbyist needs. A Koi keeper who knew such a service was impossible submitted a picture of a Koi with a large patch of excess mucus. Within a few minutes, he was told his Koi would not survive without a certain product and when he refused to purchase, he was told the disease will spread to the other Koi and he should euthanase the fish. Ending the life of a fish that is obviously ill when nothing can be done to help is humane. However, euthanasing any Koi based on guesswork without even suggesting a mucus smear was taken is not merely a disservice to the Koi keeper but a money making scam. So often, fish with ailments that will not harm other fish are euthanased simply because the health problem is wrongly diagnosed. Whilst more experienced Koi keepers spot a scam, there are plenty that are taken in particularly those new to the hobby. Such sites damage Koi-keeping, diminish the standards that should exist in Fish Medicine, and cause groundless concern to hobbyists. No professionally qualified person working in any branch of the aquatic sciences would guess about the health status of Koi or the water they live in without a proper investigation. Buying Koi on the Internet Purchasing Koi by mail order is gaining popularity and, if the supplier is an experienced Koi specialist, there should not be any problem. All Koi have to travel to their new pond and the risk of having fish delivered by a carrier is only slightly higher than travelling by car as the purchaser is bound to be more cautious. However, it is better for both dealers and purchasers if the Koi are collected so they can be examined. Consider what happened to several hobbyists who purchased some very expensive Koi on line from the same dealer. When the fish were delivered, the transport box had a package of medications inside to treat the health problems in their new fish! The customers were justifiably outraged and it is unbelievable that customers or Koi would be treated in this way as it seriously lets down all the reliable Koi dealers we have in the UK. Treating health issues in quarantine is part of preparing their Koi for sale and better dealers would never sell any fish until this process has been completed. From the legal perspective, the Sale of Goods Act means Koi must be healthy at the point of sale or the buyer has a case to discuss with the seller. If a customer actually purchases a fish, knowing it has a health problem there are risks. Firstly, it may not improve despite assurances it will and secondly the infection could spread to existing healthy Koi in the purchaser’s pond.  Even those who favour mail order purchases should visit a dealer at least once before buying on line so that the condition of the Koi offered for sale and the fact they are fully quarantined is confirmed. On line Koi sales and auctions, could include Koi from unknown sources or worse, diseased ponds. There are advertisements for Koi that are known to be carriers of Koi Herpesvirus and other serious diseases. The unknown Internet trader never has to face a customer so caution is needed unless dealing with a reputable and experienced Koi dealer on line. Where do healthy Koi live? Healthy Koi live in a well-designed and properly managed pond. However, what constitutes a good aquatic system is not obvious to those new to Koi keeping when planning their pond. There is mathematics involved that is easily overlooked without the right input and a design flaw can prevent the pond being adequate in the long term when the Koi are larger mature fish. The safety of construction materials, the capacity of the pump, and whether the filter is adequate to cope with the water volume and the anticipated stocking level must all be factored in. Many new hobbyists are unaware of such facts and have not heard of the nitrogen cycle or the need for water testing. The novice gains experience although few hobbyists fully understand the pond and filter biologically, or the importance of filter hygiene. In addition, the vital role of dissolved oxygen in Koi health is one of the most seriously underrated requirements. Hobbyists who take the wrong advice can give up the hobby when all they need is a proper pond care regime. The design and construction of a Koi pond is a science in its own right and the novice needs guidance through the early days in the hobby. A specialist Koi dealer or club can help more than Internet forums as comments are not always based on experience.  If health issues arise, a pond side consultant or dealer can help.  Most health issues are due to pond conditions and it is important to eliminate basic possibilities such as water quality issues and parasitic infection before taking action.  Treating the pond successively on guesswork for unknown problems can make matters worse. Most Koi keepers will never need laboratory services, as serious diseases are rare. The sad reality Most much-loved pet Koi live in well-managed ponds fed on a luxury diet, and some ponds are heated giving Koi keepers the companionship of their fish all year. However, even in such ponds where no expense is spared, health issues  are not always dealt with safely in order to save money. Obviously, no Koi enthusiast knowingly takes an action that is not in the best interests of their Koi, however, in subtle ways the Internet is changing how Koi are cared for. Through over reliance on unreliable websites, forums and unsafe products, Koi welfare and health standards are slowly being eroded. The Internet is a great tool for communication but it is unregulated and websites claim expertise and offer cure-all remedies when in reality, many such products are illegal and the advice unscientific. I have been involved in cases in which much Koi have been subjected to what is no less than a form of neglect when poor advice has been followed, or unsafe products used. Homemade potions and illegal chemical treatments put Koi at risk while the standards manufacturers adhere to ensures their products are legal and safe and this will make them more expensive but surely Koi are worth it. Koi keepers are welcome to contact me if they have any comments on this topic.