Fish diseases and infections are very hard for the common pond owner to understand without prior research. There are more than 100 known fish diseases and parasites that can form because of microorganisms or environmental situations your fish are living in. However, many owners don't know STRESS can cause a healthy fish to be highly susceptible to disease and parasites. We'll discuss how stress contributes to common ways fish get diseases or parasites and how to prevent them from getting any infection.

Common Causes & Methods to Prevent Fish Diseases or Parasites

Pond fish can either get infectious diseases or noninfectious diseases. Infectious diseases are caused by microorganisms that challenge the fish’s defense mechanisms by invading, infecting, and disrupting the normal functions of the host. Noninfectious diseases are caused by factors such as environmental conditions, nutritional deficiencies, or toxins. Understanding the two classes of diseases will make it easier to access what needs to fixed.

You may think to yourself, "fish have no reason to be stressed." Below we'll have a list of problems fish can encounter that will mold your opinion on stress. Stress is natural for fish in the wild, it stimulates physical changes for fish to survive and overcome a natural situation. When fish are stuck in a confined pond, they are unable to escape the situation that is making them stressed. Understanding how fish may come across a situation with an uncertainty of survival can help you identify a potential stressor.

Some of the most common stressors caused by an artificial ecosystem are fish dealing with an ecosystem that has no natural way to filter itself, a lack of hiding places from predators, excess toxins or chemicals, overcrowding and lack of food or oxygen. If you find your fish has a parasite or disease, it is better to pinpoint the source of a stressor before treating the infection to avoid chronic infections down the road. Below we'll look more in depth about common stressor:

Artificial Ecosystem: As stated earlier artificial ecosystems usually have no way to filter themselves naturally, especially if they are badly designed. Nitrogen compounds such as Nitrite, Nitrate, and Ammonia are always present in ponds. Although, it is important to keep these levels as low as possible, proper filtration is what breaks down Nitrite and Ammonia, while small levels of Nitrate are absorbed by plants. Rapid change in water temperature also causes pond fish to become stressed. Small or shallow ponds are easier to see rapid change in temperature, adding enough surface coverage to the pond will make water temperature more stable. Introducing new fish to a pond will shock and cause stress to the fish if there is a sudden change in water temperature for them.

Insufficient Coverage: Introduce more plants into your pond. See our water garden restoration service for a good representation of what sufficient coverage is, without compromising aesthetics. Fish feel unsafe and anxious when they are exposed in an open pond with little coverage. In the wild, being exposed is a sure way of being lunch for a predator. Having no way to find coverage in an enclosed pond is a sure way to keep a fish anxious.

Toxins and Chemicals: There are numerous chemicals that are harmful to fish, such as excess chlorine, lawn fertilizer, and pesticides. Chlorine is commonly found in tap water, be aware of the chlorine balance when adding new water to your pond, it can severely harm and even kill your fish. This is a common mistake pond owners make whenever they notice their ponds water level has dropped. be very cautious of this mistake. Lawn fertilizer and pesticides are not purposefully added to your pond of course. Instead, they can unintentionally be washed into your pond by rainwater. It is important to check for any signs of toxins or chemicals after heavy rainfall.

Overcrowding: Having too many fish in an ecosystem that is unfit to sustain them will lead to the fish becoming stressed. Small ponds with overcrowding, experience a buildup of nitrogen compounds and low oxygen levels. Think of yourself in a small, overcrowded room with no ventilation, that's how a fish feels in an oxygen depleted pond. A lack of oxygen may also be caused by a sudden disappearance of algae in the pond since algae's main by-product is oxygen.

Hopefully you found some valueable information about your fish and ponds from this post. If you have any questions, concerns or ideas on topics we should cover, feel free to email us. We'd be happy to help out.

There are two common forms of algae that can occur in a koi pond, planktonic algae (green water algae) and filamentous algae (string algae). Best practices to control algae is to use a combination of chemical and natural methods to create a natural balance. There will be a quick bullet point summary at the end of the article to recap the information written below.

Planktonic algae, commonly known as green water algae, is a single cell microscopic algae which can engulf an entire pond very quickly. Turning the water into a thick green and sometimes brown color. This type of algae is very common in new ponds, ponds hit with constant sunlight and ponds with poor filtration.

New ponds can solve their green water algae problem by investing in aquatic plants. You should see clear water results with an appropriate amount of plants, enough to cover 20%-50% of your ponds surface, and a proper amount of time for your plants to grow. The plants will provide shade to the pond, resulting in less sunlight hitting the water. Since algae needs sunlight to grow, blocking off the light will make it easier to control. Poor filtration problems can also be fixed with the proper filters. Your filter should be large enough to handle the buildup of solid waste and be of sufficient size to grow a large colony of beneficial bacteria. Using a proper filter in combination with a UV light will give you the best result. Once you have established the natural methods to control algae, the chemical methods will be able to work efficiently. Algaecides are chemicals which kill or prevent all types of algae growth. These chemicals include chelated copper, simazine and potassium permanganate. It is important to understand how to use these chemical properly as too much can kill fish and plants, a proper way to use these chemicals will be posted on a later date.

Filamentous algae, commonly known as string algae, can grow in clear water. That’s because it competes with green water algae for nutrients in the water, thus it acts like a filter against green water algae. There are many causes for string algae, all mostly dealing with the bio-filter of the pond. The bio-filter may be too cold to function properly or too small, an inadequate cleaning cycle may cause a development of algae, thus the formation of string algae to compensate for the lack of filtration. Over application of antibiotics, parasite medicine or other chemicals commonly used in ponds may also contribute to the algae growth.

String algae does have some filtration and organic waste benefits. String algae acts as a filter by consuming the fishes waste. Also, removing all the string algae at once may be harmful to your fish, since oxygen levels will decrease. Before you decide to remove or kill all the string algae at once, think if they contribute to your pond in any way. With a proper plan in place to get the satisfactory filtration system installed, the string algae can be removed over the course of few weeks.

· Having shade will make algae easier to control

· All waste and nutrients settling on the pond's floor must be properly maintained

· Use a combination of natural filtration and algaecide methods

· Filtration must be on 24 hours a day

· String algae is healthy in proportion to the pond

Blog

How Stress Makes A Fish Vulnerable To Infections & How To Treat Them

Common Causes & Methods to Prevent Fish Diseases or Parasites

Common Algae Found In Ponds and Tips For Treatment