Youtube has provided me with an avenue to reach lots of people with valuable messages about fish health. Saving Koi, goldfish and tank / aquarium fish has been a "thing" for me for decades and I've made a name for myself that way. Which is a double-edged sword. (My Youtube Channel)
I like helping people? But not constantly. And folks need to learn on their own, a little, too.
So when people call the office asking what to do about a sick fish, I made some online resources for this.
The single, most important series of videos I've done is the "Twenty Steps of Fish Diseases Diagnosis and Treatment." which basically takes a struggling person with a sick fish, and talks them COMPREHENSIVELY through twenty assessments and along the way, they ALWAYS figure out what's wrong.
Twenty videos on fish health and diseases, symptoms and cure: "My fish is sick, what should I do?"
So the above is a great set of videos. Actually, even if there's no problem because in this, you will discover the twenty MOST IMPORTANT things affecting fish health.
Then, a successful hobbyist will know all about "The Cycle" also known as the Nitrogen Cycle (See video). That's the natural process where fish waste is converted through a series of bacterial processes to reduce it to plant food. If any step in the nitrogen cycle is defective or for some reason there's a build up of nitrogen (There's a test) the fish will be sick.
Here's the first compound in the cycle that hurts fish: Ammonia
The second water quality parameter of extreme import: Nitrite
Thirdly, accumulation of algae food "Nitrate" is eventually hazardous to Koi and fish.
Finally, the conditions of acidity / alkalinity in the water are critical for some species of fish. In particular, the "PH" of the water is crucial. It's common to see the PH collapse in the system, especially with too-infrequent water changes – dropping two or three points over night and kill most if not all the fish. How to support pH with carbonates is discussed in this video, as well. There's an easy test for pH that is well worth having.
For those of you trying to find test kits, foods, nets, medicines and other things recommended in my web sites and videos, please check out http://koivet.com/resources Some of the links there support my internet educational outreach. And it's appreciated.
There are more resources for you. But for this article, it's enough for now. Subscribe to the Newsletter of Fish and Koi Diseases Diagnostic Treatments and Cure. I'll update about once a month and will never send an advertisement.
Thanks
Doc Johnson
