Pond Fish Diseases | How To Prevent Pond Fish Ulcers And Ulcer Disease
How To Prevent Ulcer Disease In Fish...
The majority of ponds with excellent biological filtration and where good pond keeping practices such as sludge clearance is maintained rarely have pond fish diseases such as Ulcer Disease where pond fish ulcers are caused by a serious bacterial infection resulting in open sores or ulcers on the infected fish's body.
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Unfortunately those ponds which have a large build up of sludge, formed from silt and other matter such as fish food are much more susceptible to fish pond diseases.
Diseases in pond fish can be significantly reduced by keeping the bottom of a pond clean and by making sure the biofilter container is cleared of sludge build-ups before the start of spring.
By far one of the easiest and best ways to remove excess sludge and debris from the pond floor is to use a Pond Vacuum Cleaner, sometimes known as a Pond Vac.
The end of winter and beginning of spring is the most common time for fish pond diseases to strike. The reason for this is that in very cold climates the fish have essentially hibernated and have run down their immune systems, leaving them more vulnerable to attack from some of the common pond fish diseases.
This means as the pond water warms up and disease pathogens become more active then the chances of a fish becoming infected increase significantly.
As much as it's not advisable to feed koi and goldfish below about 50 degree F or 8 degrees C it is still important on those days when the water warms somewhat and the fish start moving to feed a small amount of highly digestible fish food.
Most people recommend wheat germ fish food but it's better to feed small amounts of an all-round good quality food with the vitamins and trace elements that aren't found in wheat germ.
The high quality Fish Foods reviewed on this site are designed to be easily digested and assimilated by your Koi and goldfish.
what
causes ulcers in pond fish
Garden pond fish diseases can be a real nuisance and a really unwelcome guest. A particularly serious disease that often strikes at the beginning of a new season is ulcer disease. This is a serious bacterial infection resulting in open sores or ulcers on the infected fish's body.
The offending bacteria (aeromonas and pseudomonas) bacteria are naturally present in all ponds. When these virulent bacteria get out of control and when this coincides with a fish perhaps damaging its skin tissue then pond fish ulcers become a real possibility.
Will pond fish survive ulcers?
Koi fish ulcers, particularly on large koi carp can sometimes be effectively treated by a vet in an out of pond situation using antibiotics however the disease is more often than not fatal and should be avoided at all costs.
The subject matter of pond fish diseases is discussed in more detail in the following articles relating to common Pond Fish Illnesses and cures including how to prevent ulcer disease in fish.
All sponges, brushes and other biomedia inside a pond filter should be removed and washed thoroughly in pond water (do not use tap water which contains chlorine residues which can impact upon the viability of the filter bacteria).
By doing these pond keeping chores now will ensure your pond gets off to a flying start as spring approaches and help to prevent fish pond disease from rearing its ugly head.
It's also a good idea at this time to remove the quartz tube from your UV Clarifier and make sure its completely transparent to allow maximum transmission of UV light.
If you had blanketweed also known as string algae last year it will have died down a great deal during the winter but will come back with a vengeance as the water warms and sunlight hours increase.
The most effective treatment I know of for blanketweed (and other forms of algae) is Viresco Aqua or Viresco Koi.
The best time to add Viresco is as the water begins to warm since this gives the Viresco bacteria time to become established and do the job of removing nitrates before the blanketweed makes its presence felt.
Viresco is a natural, and effective cure for algae and organic debris build up in ponds.