I have to agree with several of the posters:
1) It could be Flexibacter columnaris, which is a type of myxobacteria.
These pathogens form stacks of bacteria on the fish that look, to the naked
eye, like fungus, but they are not!
2) F. columnaris causes what is commonly known as "fin, tail, and mouth rot"
as these are the primary locations it affects.
3) It is a gram negative bacteria that enjoys higher pHs, harder water, and
bottom debris. In fact in the absence of debris and mulm on the bottom of
the pond, you almost never, ever see it in your fish (unless you have a new
acquisition)
4) If one of your fish dies, check the gills immediately, and instead of
being red if they look bleached white, that is another indicator of this
disease.
5) It acts quickly in warm water, but has a cousin that acts just as quickly
in cold water.
6) Treatment can be many commonly used aquatic antibiotics, with
tetracycline being the cheapest. ONCE YOU ARE SURE OF WHAT YOU ARE TREATING!
7) The first step, is to test your water parameters (at the very least pH,
ammonia, nitrite, alkalinity (kH), dissolved oxygen, and of course
temperature)
8) Next step is to remove fish, if possible/practical to holding/isolation
tank/kiddy pool, etc.
9) Then clean out pond thoroughly, vacuuming up muc on bottom.
10) Treat the isolated fish, once cause has been identified.
11) You can't sterilize your pond, more than for a brief time. The aim is to
improve your water quality, to improve fish resistance to disease. Treating
the fish in a known, accurate volume of water in a tank/pool is the way to
go, esp, if you are using antibiotics/PP, etc..
Good luck,
Greg


"Lee Brouillet" wrote in message
...
I wish I could remember where I heard this, but it's incredibly accurate:
"Learn to keep water; the water will keep the fish." In other words, if
you
can't keep their home clean and proper, the poor fish will never be more
than marginal. Fix the problem with the fish first, then fix the problem
with the water for a "permanent" cure.

Lee


"~ jan JJsPond.us" wrote in message
...
At this point (having read the recommendations and treatments) please
check
your water quality and keep an eye on it. Lymnozyme works good on ulcers
along with salt and Romet B food, but nothing can cure poor water
quality
except the pond owner. ;o) Always a good idea to keep the sick pond/fish
form handy, either in stored memory or hard copy. ~ jan

On Mon, 02 Jun 2003 18:10:00 -0400, Jo Bohannon-Grant MD
wrote:

HELP! I just got home from work and found 3 fish with roundish ulcers
on their sides!!
I"ve never had any sick fish before!
6,000 gal pond; just shubunkin and comets and a few koi, all less than
5
inches!
No overcrowding. It's been raining for 2 weeks.

HEEEEEELP!!
Give me best sick fish web sites- WHAT DO I DO???? I LOVE MY FISH!

Jo in Richmond, Va


See my ponds and filter design:
http://users.owt.com/jjspond/

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
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