help

DrErikJohnson

Help

You’re here because you called my office and they sent you to “koivet.com/help”

I am sure you had a question and sometimes those are simple. You’re invited to fax a question (not a whole case) to 770 973 0301

Watch this video (made Nov 2019) that tells you how to help the fish and get help: (Click)

There’s a series of twenty videos that talk you through everything. I directed a caller to the Video Series below, and LITERALLY five minutes later she called back and said “Those videos are useless, can’t I just talk to the doctor?”

Sorry I’m so salty.

Too many folks just want to know what “pill or fluid to apply”. And they typically will not:

  1. Fill out a long form that certainly doesn’t matter because the problem is obviously the ‘bug’ they perceive is eating their fish. (But the last ones I did was a crashed pH, and the other one was a nutritional defect and no bugs at all.)

If it’s just a basic question faxed to me, I don’t charge because half the time these type questions form the basis for a quick, educational “article” on my web sites or Facebook page.

ALL THAT SAID —>> I made a series of videos that take you STEP BY STEP through the assessments of a fish / pond health problem.

Literally. You can fill out the consult questionnaire or you can see these videos and cover all the Biggies.

  1. Video 1 –> Have the fish been handled recently? Why that matters
  2. Video 2 –> Is it winter? Summer? Why that matters
  3. Video 3 –> Feeding and Underfeeding. Why that matters.
  4. Video 4 –> Ammonia and it’s super common, why it matters and what it looks like.
  5. Video 5 –> Nitrites and what THAT looks like, why it matters and what to do about it.
  6. Video 6 –> NitrAtes –  especially common fish killer / weakener in established pond.
  7. Video 7 –> pH is the most common deadly water quality parameter to check. Crash discussed.
  8. Video 8 –> Oxygen levels. Why it might sag, impact of heat and plants, what to do about it.
  9. Video 9 –> Crowding. How many is too many. What does that do to fish?
  10. Video 10 –> Water movement and turnover. Common. Stale, still water. Fish weakener.
  11. Video 11 –> Temperature; it’s influence, it’s pitfalls, the ideals for fish recovery
  12. Video 12 –> Cuts and bruises. Is that an ulcer, or a gash? How can you tell. When and if you treat.
  13. Video 13 –> Cleanliness – Is the pond clean? Properly maintained? Can fish recover in unclean ponds?
  14. Video 14 –> Bacterial infections – a usually unnecessary video because 90% of people have figured out the source of a disease is in their water quality and husbandry. Injections, treatments, etc all discussed.
  15. Video 15 –> Fungal infections, you’d be surprised the cause, and the treatment (or lack thereof)
  16. Video 16 –> The parasites, this is pretty common. What you need to know about them, and their treatment.
  17. Video 17 –> Viral diseases, like Koi Herpes virus and some of the skin-viruses that cause warts.
  18. Video 18 –> No video 18 lol
  19. Video 19 –-> Quarantine. If you did it, then the list gets shorter. If you didn’t do it, (and how to do it) the field remains very wide.
  20. Video 20 –> Resources for more help, diagnostics, fish vets who still do it.

So here are some documents of some value.

Here’s a document that explains how and why fish disease outbreaks are handled the way they are, and outline exactly what to check first. FISH DISEASE ASSESSMENT STEP BY STEP

Quickie question you can fax to my office with your email address and I’ll try and get back with you asap.  QUICKIE FAX QUESTION FORM

To assess your situation and not miss anything in your assessment, here’s a biological assessment with all the “important” stuff called out.  ASSESSMENT FORM