Pink gills on Koi
Question:
I have a 3500 gallon pond with 20 KOI…average size of KOI 2.5 lbs. I recently lost 7 fish. When check gills they were light pink with white edges. The water tested 0 for chlorine and ok on all other tests. Any ideas? Also, food was settled in bottom
Answer:
Pink gills is usually an indication of stress. Before your koi fish died did you notice any strange behavior and did you notice anything different about their appearance?
How did the white on the edge of the gills look? Was it fluffy like cotton? Did the white look like sand? Every detail helps determine what might have killed your fish.
Was anything added to your pond? New fish? Rocks? Chemicals? etc. Is there a chance that any kind of run off could have possibly gotten into the pond?
It is also important to check the expiration dates =”https://www.pondmarket.com/catalog/index.cfm/category/14/pond-water-treatments.cfm”>pond treatments and all of your test kits. Another thing you might want to check the expiration date on is your fish food. Pond fish are like humans in many ways. When we eat bad food it makes us sick and the same goes for your pond fish.
When feeding your pond fish you should also be aware of the temperature of the water in the pond. If the pond water temperature is below 50 degrees fahrenheit you don’t want to be feeding your pond fish at all. Use a pond thermometer to help you to determine what and when to feed your pond fish.
Keep a close eye on the rest of your koi. Look for changes in behavior or appearance in hopes of catching what ever might be ailing your pond fish.