Saving Sick Fish

01/14/2025

(Chorus)
Always start with water
And test all that at first,
Then think about a treatment,
Over-treating is the worst.

Yeah oh yeah
Over-treating is the worst,
Mmkay
Test your water first.

When your fish get sick
you have to test your water
The water is the culprit,
In many a fish slaughter.

Usually it's low pH.
But Ammonia could be building.
A nitrite test can help find out,
Or nitrate might be killing.

If the water tests out really good,
And is fresh-changed-fine and dandy,
Then see if new fish got added,
And have parasite treatments handy.

(Chorus)
Always start with water
And test all that at first,
Then think about a treatment,
Over-treating is the worst.

Yeah oh yeah
Over-treating is the worst,
Mmkay
Test your water first.

Adding fish without quarantine,
Is the second greatest cause
of FISH loss and diseases,
Quarantine's a crucial pause.

Formalin and malachite,
Salt or General Cure,
Are fairly good remedies,
They're worth a try for sure.

(Chorus)
Always start with water
And test all that at first,
Then think about a treatment,
Over-treating is the worst.

Yeah oh yeah
Over-treating is the worst,
Mmkay
Test your water first.

(Outro)
I've seen many cases over the years
Of people over medicating,
Unnecessary losses because
the water's deteriorating!

(Chorus)
Always start with water
And test all that at first,
Then think about a treatment,
Over-treating is the worst.

Yeah oh yeah
Over-treating is the worst,
Mmkay
Test your water first.

(Chorus)Always start with waterAnd test all that at first, Then think about a treatment,Over-treating is the worst.Yeah oh yeahOver-treating is the worst, Mm...

12/30/2024

This one picks up an issue around Lipidosis and the best ingredients to feed, also, balancing an amino acid profile. Sounds good.

Listen folks and listen wellTo a song about Koi feeding,It's not that hard as you will learn,Many health problems you'll be beating. (Chorus)Feed a mix of fo...

12/16/2024

Right now lots of folks are seeing fish laying over in their ponds.
Regardless of the cause, it’s a severe stress response.
There is a virus called CEVD (Carp Edema Virus) that causes identical symptoms for the same reason. (Severe stress)
A common reason this time of year is pond-waterfall-supercooling. It’s in the book and my websites.
But here’s everythjng and-then-some about CEVD.

https://drjohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/flipbook/1/book.html

10/09/2024

Which version is your favorite?
So I did a song (3 versions) out of sheer immaturity. Almost sixty years old. Did a song that laughs at words like 'p*e p*e' and 'w***y' but it's lilting, and has a bit you'll potentially laugh at. Catchy.
There are three versions.
https://drjohnson.com/p*e-p*e-w***y/

10/05/2024

This is a good Barbershop version of "Goldfish Lives are Short" carrying the message of partial water changes, sparing feeding, buffering pH and giving them enough space.

10/04/2024

Hahaha

Check out erikjohnsondvm’s video.

09/14/2024

Every once on a while you get a bit of information and think "More people should know this". What I'm talking about is "Streambed Ecosystem" and a thorough treatment of what EXACTLY 'renews' a streambed, in nature. Once upon a time I wasn't at all sophisticated and I made uneducated comments like "Gravel grows bad bacteria" as if that's all anyone had to understand. And it was like a child saying "The gym hurts my muscles when I go there." Gravel does a LOT more. And in the last 5 to 7 years, there has not been much I didn't know about streambed / gravel biology until I saw this video clip from "Ed" over at Aquascape. I know, some of ya''ll be like "Ugh Aquascape." and maybe 20 years ago, sure, okay. But these people have the money to learn this stuff, build to the strengths and design for it, AND THEY ARE. I do not work for them (anymore) and I don't get kickbacks, or financial consideration. But when they have something "everyone ought to understand" - then I say something. Ed digs deeper than I've ever been and includes an understandable touch on SOIL BIOLOGY and the ecological "magic" happening at the root system of plants in gravel - - involving roots, beneficial bacteria and rhizome/mycelia. "Shredders?" Who knew!!! Check it out.

Did you know there's a biology lesson behind the spring cleanout process? Ed delves into the ecological details that support our methods of maintenance and p...

08/28/2024

I need your photos of:
Koi and fish with diseases, Goldfish, Goldfish with Diseases, Healthy Koi and pond fish, you ponds, More Goldfish, Your Show Goldfish, Your Favorite Goldfish, You favorite Koi, your favorite Koi picture (like your favorite Koi or goldfish with your dog or kid...)
Send to " [email protected] " with your attribution. (Name and all that) If I use the image(s) I will inform you. Attribution will be on the image in the book and at the end in a thank you section. If the image isn't perfect that's okay, I can touch it up or use a specific element. I'd love to have your help.
I need your TOP questions about Koi, koi health, ponds and pond fish.
What are the top ten questions you've ever asked, or BEEN asked? I wanna answer them in this, my next and last book. When you send these questions they aren't for answering. It's not a 'get help' email you're sending. It's ' [email protected] ' and posterity and thank you!
Here's what's up:
I'm going to start my last remake of my original "Koi Health and Disease" book. More than a "third edition" it is going to include an entire section on Goldfish specifically, and then include most of "Saving Sick Fish" in some format as a "mini book" inside the Big Book. I'm broadening the scope to Koi. Not just Koi diseases and treatments. It'll be full color. It will be expensive (probably close to a hundred bucks). Hahahaha but I am hoping I can wrap it up in a year, (By 'disease season 2025) and under 300 pages in full-color, soft copy. Probably sell a whopping ten of them hahahaha but who cares. I know nothing compares to ninety-plus-absolutely-free wild-'guesses' on fish problems like you can get on Facebook but at least I'll have the satisfaction knowing there's really solid info out there all in one place.

[email protected]

06/12/2024

A nice guy asked me to recommend a quarantine to set up for some replacement 8-12" Koi he plans to buy after some mortalities. I said "I'll link you everything I normally use and explain what you're doing."
This is a 300 gallon quarantine that would be okay for most fish up to 12-14" and a NET IS IMPERATIVE!

Quarantine Posted on January 30, 2023 Quarantine The ability to isolate new fish is PRICELESS and comes eventually to all hobbyists sooner, or later. The ability to treat ANY fish in a separate, smaller and more peaceful aquarium is PRICELESS and will save fish. As you kind of figured-out from the b...

06/07/2024

I sat down and burned off some of my ADHD energy and put together a half dozen different things about acid rain, and they're uploaded with author's credit. And I did a ten point summary, sort of a TL;DR for you.

Acid Rain, United States Rain Precipitation, Fish Kills from Acid Rain? Maybe Not. Posted on June 7, 2024 The TL;DR of Acid Rain. If you’re in the North Eastern United States, acid rain COULD just possibly be a “thing”. The active ingredients in Acid Rain are Sulfuric Acid and Nitric Oxides / ...

06/07/2024

Parker Johnson got to service this gem! Niiiiiiice

05/28/2024

It seems like the "Number One Question" being asked on the beginner boards, Koi and pond groups is "My water is green what should I do?" And I had a choice to answer with the whole, comprehensive "Here's all the ways they fix that" from Barley Bales to Ultraviolet Sterilizers and I decided instead to tell you how I cleared my worst aquarium, and my little backyard 300g babykoi/goldfish Shenanigan.
It's a relatively simple process that MOST people could do, because the chemical I prefer is available in big containers for not that much money. And in anything over 68dF water, Wisteria, Water Sprite, Frogbit and Hyacinths are all decent Nitrate users but that's all explained in this e-Book that's free. I don't even ask for your email to read it. Frankly it's so that I don't have to mess with that question anymore, I can just cut-and-paste the link and let 'em figure it out. The "thing" is (as you know) people want the pill. They don't wanna mess with improving the environment or reading a lot of words. They'll read Facebook guesses until someone says something that sounds "one step easy" and try that. And continue to have green water until, frankly, the chlorella uses up the excess nitrates and the pond'll clear on it's own. This document addresses aquariums and ponds.

You can get twenty different

05/28/2024

It seems like the "Number One Question" being asked on the beginner boards, Koi and pond groups is "My water is green what should I do?" And I had a choice to answer with the whole, comprehensive "Here's all the ways they fix that" from Barley Bales to Ultraviolet Sterilizers and I decided instead to tell you how I cleared my worst aquarium, and my little backyard 300g babykoi/goldfish Shenanigan.
It's a relatively simple process that MOST people could do, because the chemical I prefer is available in big containers for not that much money. And in anything over 68dF water, Wisteria, Water Sprite, Frogbit and Hyacinths are all decent Nitrate users but that's all explained in this e-Book that's free. I don't even ask for your email to read it. Frankly it's so that I don't have to mess with that question anymore, I can just cut-and-paste the link and let 'em figure it out. The "thing" is (as you know) people want the pill. They don't wanna mess with improving the environment or reading a lot of words. They'll read Facebook guesses until someone says something that sounds "one step easy" and try that. And continue to have green water until, frankly, the chlorella uses up the excess nitrates and the pond'll clear on it's own. This document addresses aquariums and ponds.
https://savingsickfish.org/Greenwater/

05/20/2024

Borrowed from my stepmom.

05/20/2024

I did something yesterday that I criticize other people for: I entered a hobby without reading ANYTHING about it first. I basically bought fifteen pounds of wax, 20 yards of wick, heated that wax and poured it onto the wick which was properly situated in a big candle mold. And I failed in a large way. And then; like practically ALL fish hobbyists, I was like "What did I do wrong? Isn't it supposed to be simple?" and THEN I read some stuff.
I mention this, because I am critical of people who buy fish and tanks, or build ponds and throw fish in - - WITHOUT the slightest preparation and end up losing everything to super-easy stuff like pH and nitrogen issues.
In this short note, I confess. It's just a "thing people do". Including me, notably. I will be slower to judge.

05/16/2024

pH Crash is a relatively "simple" event that ends a LOT of fish lives. KOi Herpes Virus is also quite simple while an effort to make it complicated has been in the works for a long time. Funny thing is that pH Crash looks IDENTICAL to Koi Herpes Virus in the initial phases. But there's so much more to the history of the syndromes. Let's look deeper.

https://www.savingsickfish.org/khv-and-ph-crash-horror/

05/15/2024

You might ask "What Kind of salt am I supposed to use with my fish?".
Well the answer is not simple. There are many kinds of salt out there and you'll be glad to know that a LOT of salts work.
You can use cooking or table salt.
Iodized table salt is fine.
If you can find a "rock salt" that is 99% pure salt, sodium chloride, without trace minerals, that works too.
"Solar Salt", which is used to recharge Zeolite water purifiers, is also "okay" if you make sure it's 99% pure sodium chloride without other chemicals or impurities.
Regular "Aquarium Salt" from the pet shop is just fine. Expensive. But just fine.

For the average hobbyists trying to save their sick fish, here are the few things you should really know.
Salt is bad for live plants. If you value your live plants you should not use salt.
Salt is bad for snails, and it's also bad for some super rare South American, wild-caught fish. But, if you're keeping rare, South American wild-caught fish, you're probably advanced enough not to need salt!
Salt leaves "crust" around the top of the tank and anyplace the aquarium water "dries out" so, it's kind of messy.

Besides that, salt is safe and effective.

You might ask, is it effective for ALL parasites?
The answer is: "No".

Salt controls one particular parasite VERY well and is the "drug of choice" for the control of "White Spot" disease, or "ICK".
The reason salt is so good for White Spot disease is because the salt stays in the water "at all times" and doesn't subside.
And *THIS* matters because the White Spot organism isn't swimming at all times. In fact, the White Spot organism is only in the water a few times a day. And your medicine has to be there, *IN FORCE* when the White Spot is swimming.
So it's a "resident" fish treatment that works well for Ick, also known as White Spot.

Salt is effective against several other, important parasites, in addition to White Spot Disease. Killodinella, Trickodeena, and Eppistylus are all vulnerable to salting. And all you need is zero point three percent.
I'll tell you how to dose that, in a minute.

Salt may not be effective for Costia.
And it may not eliminate all Flukes.
But there are alternatives to treat those parasites. (API General Cure)

Some people use salt when their fish have wounds, or abrasions because salt can help the skin produce more protective mucus, or slime.
This "thicker slime layer" aids the fish in water-balance and also makes attack by bacteria and parasites a little less likely.

Be careful of your answers out there. You'll be shocked to learn that some people have no experience or are guessing.

05/13/2024

I was on ThePondDigger's podcast last week and we gifted five books and those are going out today! They're 'full on' books that include the consultation, library, private group and meds-access pieces. Joe B– Denise C– Richard J- Steve W-Kelvin D-