Koi ponds make up the majority of our veterinary practice, and in seeing so many cases, some common themes occur. Don’t make the same mistakes with your fish! Not Checking Your Koi Pond Daily – We know in the winter, when metabolisms are quiet, your fish are not very entertaining. However, even in the slower, …
The biggest hurdle for new fish owners is New Tank Syndrome. When you set up a new fish tank for the first time, there are a few things you can expect to happen that can severely impact your fish’s survival. With a brand new filter, your nitrogen cycle has not been established. It will take …
Have you ever been cleaning your pond, maybe pulling out dead plants, and smelled rotting eggs? This unfortunate smell is hydrogen sulfide, the product of anaerobic bacteria buried deep in the mud. Hydrogen sulfide is highly toxic to fish and can can death very quickly. Fish who are exposed suffer an increase in secondary infections …
Everyone always wants to know how to keep their fish system from becoming infested with some horrible disease that puts all their fish at risk. Well, it’s a lot simpler than you think! Checklist to Prevent Disease in Pet Fish Quarantine. Quarantine. Quarantine. This includes plants and ALL NEW FISH. The stress of handling and …
What are the pros and cons to having plants in fish tanks and ponds? As is the dilemma facing most freshwater tank and pond owners. Live plants can add beauty and filtration, but come with their own set of issues. If you are interested in pursing adding live plants to your system, be sure to …
Most fish kept as pets are maintained in artificial systems; tanks and ponds meant to replicate their “wild” environment, and require regular water changes to keep their environment healthy. In a “wild” environment, water flushes into and out of a system through streams, rivers, brooks, rain or the ocean. In an artificial tank or pond, …
One of the most important factors that comes into keeping fish in tanks or ponds is how many fish you can get away with keeping in one system. The tried and true rule of how many fish per gallon is: 1″ of fish per gallon of water. Well, that’s great and all, but have you …
** This post contains affiliate links that give us a small percentage of your purchase for our recomendations. ** If you have any experience with keeping koi in large outdoor ponds, you’ve had some experience with algae. Controlling it is not always an easy task. Throughout your struggles, you’ve probably heard something about barley for …
Want to learn the secrets to a healthy fish tank? Proper fish tank or pond maintenance takes patience to learn but is easy to master. Once you find a routine that works for you, your water will always be perfect and your fish will thank you for it. Not to mention all the money you’ll …
In every veterinarian’s career, there will come cases that try us mentally, physically and emotionally. For us here at Aquatic Veterinary Services, we have been tested by a case that we battled for almost 6 months. What started as a simple lesion steamrolled into a serious bacteria problem for multiple large koi. Princess, a 28″ …
What is Old Tank Syndrome? This occurs in fish tanks and ponds with the following water quality parameters: pH: <6.0 Alkalinity (kH): <50 mg/L, usually 0 mg/L Ammonia: >1.5 mg/L Nitrite: >0 mg/L Nitrate: >40 mg/L The loss of buffers (alkalinity) can lead to pH swings and a pH crash. The low pH actually protects …
Are you a realtor? Do you think it’s extra hard to sell a home with a pre-existing koi pond? Well, never fear! We’ve written the complete guide to selling a home with a koi pond: highlighting their many attributes while finding solutions to perceived challenges. Click HERE to download your copy or read on! The Realtor’s …
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Putting in a new pond comes with lots of challenges. You built it perfectly with great filtration and put in the most amazing fish, but your ammonia is off the charts and you can’t get your filter to start cycling. (Cycling is the process wherein good bacteria convert toxic ammonia to toxic nitrite to safe …
Quarantine. It is one word that all fish owners hate to hear. Quarantine defined is isolation in order to prevent the spread of disease. In the fish world, this applies to any new fish being added to an existing population of fish, or a sick one who needs treatment. When you have a tank of …