Treatment 8

Symptoms

Within 6-8 hours of the fish becoming infected the respiratory rate rises very steeply from the normal 60-90 GB/min. to as high as 200-300 GB/min. If not treated quickly at this stage, tiny greyish-fawn cysts (difficult to spot with naked eye unless fish can be maneuvered into a head on position with light behind it) appear in enormous numbers on body and finnage. Can never be confused with "white-spot" disease since - a) the spots are much smaller, and b) "white-spot" disease doesn't cause an increase in respiratory rate until several untreated days have passed and the fish is dying. Some species occasionally seen to flick and twitch pelvic / dorsal fins and even close down the worst-infected gill chamber if disease progress untreated.

Disease

OODINIASIS (="OODINIUM" = "VELVET" DISEASE) - caused by protozoan dinoflagellates (Oodinium Limneticum:- F/W and Oodinium ocellatum:- S/W). Almost always caused by exposing fishes to high levels of ammonia / nitrite poisons, e.g. during intercontinental shipment, unmatured filtration systems etc.

Koi Ponds & Garden Ponds

Flush pond through (for safe method see above) and treat as soon as possible with ALGIZIN P. Stop all feeding until symptoms disappear.

Alternative treatment: Treat pond water with Malacite and Formalin - use manufacturers recommneded dosage... be careful ...

Prevention

Never permit the nitrite reading to show higher than 0.125ppm (=1/8 mg/litre). This means using an efficient filter 24hrs. a day. Never permit nitrate reading to climb higher than minimum permissible level indicated on the test kit literature. Never overfeed.. Never use seafoods, Daphnia, Tubifex, bloodworms etc., which are not gamma irradiated. Use TROPIFLORA (f/w) or SEAGREEN (s/w) to promote vigorous, harvestable plant growth, or - conscientiously use partial water changes to control nitrate build up. This disease is extremely virulent and must be treated as soon as possible. The casual pathogens in both s/w and f/w are essentially gill parasites - hence the sudden and dramatic increase in respiratory rate.

Please note:

If symptoms persist it may be necessary to contact a veterinarian for a prescription treatment.