Koi Disease: How To Protect Your Pets From Koi Herpes Virus

« « Breeding Koi: Purchasing The Pets For Your Pond | Koi Water: Tips On How To Prevent Overpopulation » »

Koi Disease: How To Protect Your Pets From Koi Herpes Virus

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed

As you take care of your Koi, you should always protect them from deadly viruses such as the KHV (or the Koi Herpes Virus). You should know that your fish is very susceptible to this virus. So how do you protect them from this disease? The only way to protect your pets is to never get them exposed to it. If you have the necessary information about this kind of virus, you can better protect your Koi from it.
The Facts About KHV:

So what is KHV? Since its first outbreak, a little has only been learned about the virus. Knowing the important facts is an essential thing for the protection and survival of your own fish. The KHV is a deadly disease which has just recently popped up in the industry. In the late 1998 and early 1999, the first outbreak has been reported and confirmed in Israel, then in the following years has been confirmed in places like Europe, Asia and the United States.

The virus is known to infect the victim throughout their full lifespan. Even the fish who don't show any signs of the virus, they will be carriers if exposed to it. The rate in terms of mortality for the exposed ones is about 60 to 80 percent.

There is no cure for this virus. Even if proper treatment has been given to your pet, never again will they be able to go to a new home, and this is because if you put them in a healthy population, because if they are mixed in your healthy Koi population, they will spread the virus to the others, which could cause a higher mortality rate. The virus can spread through various means: like the fish coming into contact with the infected ones, if the fish swam in the water where the infected ones swam, the tools used to handle the infected fish, and many more.

Stress can increase the mortality rate of the fish, even though it doesn't directly cause the virus itself. Temperatures at 74 degrees Fahrenheit can be utilized to track the virus, allowing the necessary testing and quarantining of your Koi to observe if they have been exposed or not.

Preventative Measures That Can Be Taken

Depopulation is a great way to prevent the disease, which is where you eliminate your entire pet population. As harsh as this may seem, with this you can really ensure that you don't infect the other fish in your pond. Another method is quarantining. If you buy a new fish, make it a point that you quarantine it before mixing it with your current population (for a period of no less than 15 days).

Quarantining your Koi means that they should be totally isolated from anything else. Separate the water, tools and food you use for the quarantined Koi. Ensure as well that the tools being used for them won't leave the spot where they should be used. Proper procedures in handwashing should be followed when handling your fish and other important items. Following these effective preventative measures will serve as a protection for your fish from the virus.

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.