Koi Acting Weird...

I have two Koi...they are about 8" long. Less than two years old. They have moved from a 40 gallon tank to a 120 gallon tank about a month ago. For the first week they stayed toward the bottom on the left side of the tank. Then they used all the tank. Now for the past week or so they have stayed on the right side of the tank. One will follow the other toward the middle - then they will both dart back to the bottom right and hang around that area. Will not even go get food on the left side now.
Any ideas?? Water is good - Fluval Fx6 working great.

 

do you have plants and other hiding areas?

on both of my goldfish tanks, they like to hide around the left side of the tank the most. I have fake plants and some pvc pipes for them to hide in.

 

Yes, will send a pic tomorrow - Thanks!

 

Are the koi eating?

 

Yes they are eating unless the food floats to the left side of tank...they will not go on that side to get it....so strange....usually eat like pigs as soon as it hits the water.

 

Are you able to get pictures?

 

Hi,

exact water parameters in numbers would be more helpful. Koi require 500 gallons each because they are fast growers that have the potential to reach 3' long. By 2 years they should be bigger than 8".

 

I had a 3" fish and by the end of summer it grew too 9"

 

Here is the photo of 120 gallon aquarium...eating well as long as food is on the right 1/3 of the tank...will NOT go past the rock in the middle....
can't figure out what is spooking them to turn and dart back to the right...
Just started doing this a week ago...

 

Turn thre lights off. Then start removing the plants and rocks one by one. Wait before removing another item. Then remove some of thre substrate if needed

 

Turn thre lights off. Then start removing the plants and rocks one by one. Wait before removing another item. Then remove some of thre substrate if needed

Thanks!! I am going to try that! Appreciate the feedback!

 

Hi,

exact water parameters in numbers would be more helpful. Koi require 500 gallons each because they are fast growers that have the potential to reach 3' long. By 2 years they should be bigger than 8".

So - a bit of a correction...they are 18 months old...but yes, still a bit small. One is 10" and the other is 8"...By the time they are 18" they will be living in a pond of at least 1000 gallons. Water Parameters: Ammonia 0.25PPM but due for water change tomorrow. Nitrite 0. Nitrate 10PPM. PH 7.4. Fluval FX6 keeps tank very clean. I am doing about 25% Water Change weekly - using Prime. Also use Ammonia Lock just in case every 2-3 days.

 

Ok, but I would move them to the pond now. In your tank, they are unlikley to even hit 18"

 

Ok, but I would move them to the pond now. In your tank, they are unlikley to even hit 18"

Great idea but pond does not exist yet! And the good news is they have zero percent chance of being eaten by the big birds here in Louisiana! The Boy Scouts have an indoor pond that may be available to me soon.

 

Just curious if the ammonia level 0.25 ppm is constant all the time? How long has the FX 6 been running? It may be due to new tank syndrome and the filter is not fully matured. Have you ever do any water test since the new tank has been set up? What water test kit are u using? How often do you do water change and filter cleaning? Do you clean your filter with tape water directly or using water from tank?
Here is some suggestion:-
1. do ammonia test on your original source of water (tape water?)
2. do another test on ammonia, nitrite and nitrate level
Post up your result and see if it can give some hints.
Koi normally eats quite a lot and I would suggest to remove all the bedding and decoration from the tank making it a clean tank. This would give the koi more room to swim around. Also, it would be way easier for the filter to suck up poop from the tank thus improving your water quality. FX 6 should be a pretty good filter for your current fish load but do clean the filter at least once a week.

 

You are correct - I am finding out that the filter is not matured - ammonia was up today (4.0PPM!) after water change of 25% yesterday. I am using Prime with water changes and API Ammonia Lock. I am using API Master Test Kit. Checked TAP Water and it was 0.50PPM...which is unusual - usually very little if any from TAP. Nitrite is zero. Nitrate 20PPM. I wash the filter in aquarium water - but have not cleaned it in 2 weeks. Will clean it tomorrow. I think the biggest issue here is new tank syndrome (again)...have a bit of a "bloom" going as we speak!

 

You are correct - I am finding out that the filter is not matured - ammonia was up today (4.0PPM!) after water change of 25% yesterday. I am using Prime with water changes and API Ammonia Lock. I am using API Master Test Kit. Checked TAP Water and it was 0.50PPM...which is unusual - usually very little if any from TAP. Nitrite is zero. Nitrate 20PPM. I wash the filter in aquarium water - but have not cleaned it in 2 weeks. Will clean it tomorrow. I think the biggest issue here is new tank syndrome (again)...have a bit of a "bloom" going as we speak!

That's exactly what I believe. With the current situation, I would suggest the following:-
1. Stop feeding anything before your filter is fully mature. They won't die even not feeding them for more than a month. You are just trying to kill them quicker if u keep feeding them.
2. A lot of people will do large water change to dilute ammonia but actually it is not much use. The ammonia level will come back up again probably within an hour. Regular add in of Ammonia Lock is crucial to protect your fish during this period. Do suggest that u call the manufacturer directly to confirm if the product can function in that ammonia level. Not all product can protect your fish in that high concentration. Ammonia Lock is a binder and you should still be able to track down the ammonia level. Do not use ammonia remover as it will take away the food source for the first layer of bacteria to grow.
3. Continue dosing beneficial bacteria as per instruction to help speed up the filter to mature.
4. Add and keep salt level at around 3% to help protecting your fish until the filter is mature.
5. Do not do water change as the binder should be able to cover up ur fish. If you keep on doing large water change, it would just slow down the maturation of your filter.
5. Continue doing ammonia & nitrite test daily and keep track of the record until you find ammonia is back to 0 and nitrite is spiking up. You can drop out nitrate test at the beginning until you see ammonia is significantly lowered before you start doing nitrate test.
6. Once you see ammonia and nitrite are all back down to 0 and nitrate spike up, your filter should be matured. Do water change once the nitrate is close to or above 40 ppm.
7. If your filter is not that dirty, just don't clean it for now.
On top, you should figure out why your water source is having 0.5 ppm of ammonia. That can be enough to kill your koi. Also, I would still suggest to remove all the bedding and decoration after your filter is matured. That would give much less trouble down the road.

 

That's exactly what I believe. With the current situation, I would suggest the following:-
1. Stop feeding anything before your filter is fully mature. They won't die even not feeding them for more than a month. You are just trying to kill them quicker if u keep feeding them.
2. A lot of people will do large water change to dilute ammonia but actually it is not much use. The ammonia level will come back up again probably within an hour. Regular add in of Ammonia Lock is crucial to protect your fish during this period. Do suggest that u call the manufacturer directly to confirm if the product can function in that ammonia level. Not all product can protect your fish in that high concentration. Ammonia Lock is a binder and you should still be able to track down the ammonia level. Do not use ammonia remover as it will take away the food source for the first layer of bacteria to grow.
3. Continue dosing beneficial bacteria as per instruction to help speed up the filter to mature.
4. Add and keep salt level at around 3% to help protecting your fish until the filter is mature.
5. Do not do water change as the binder should be able to cover up ur fish. If you keep on doing large water change, it would just slow down the maturation of your filter.
5. Continue doing ammonia & nitrite test daily and keep track of the record until you find ammonia is back to 0 and nitrite is spiking up. You can drop out nitrate test at the beginning until you see ammonia is significantly lowered before you start doing nitrate test.
6. Once you see ammonia and nitrite are all back down to 0 and nitrate spike up, your filter should be matured. Do water change once the nitrate is close to or above 40 ppm.
7. If your filter is not that dirty, just don't clean it for now.
On top, you should figure out why your water source is having 0.5 ppm of ammonia. That can be enough to kill your koi. Also, I would still suggest to remove all the bedding and decoration after your filter is matured. That would give much less trouble down the road.

I sure do appreciate your feedback!! I am on it now!
Will report back success!
THANK YOU!