Fish Health - Carp Pox

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Carp Pox

Carp pox
Carp pox

Carp pox
Carp pox

Carp pox
Carp pox

Body pox
Body pox

Body pox
Body pox

Carp Pox
pox will not always show on the fins

Also known as Fish Pox. Most koi carry this gene, the herpes virus - not to be mix up with the virus that causes K.H.V. or S.V.C.

There is a lot written about this complaint, and most of it is rubbish. It mainly shows itself on the fish's fins as a white blob, which resembles soft whitish candle wax, very smooth to the touch.

Some fish have many spots, some only have the odd one. The majority do not show any. Sometimes it's around the head region.

Most fish override this problem when they reach 16" or so.

One thing you can try is to gently rub the spots - sometimes the pox then goes - why I've no idea, but it only works on a few fish.

There is another form of the disease which is red, and this is lethal to the fish. However, I've only seen it 5 times in 40 years, and not at all since 1982.

If you try to remove it, which some idiots do as they want to show the fish, then bacterial infections develop very quickly and most fish are lost just.

Leave it well alone! In fact, some dealers sell pox treatment - its called empty your wallet in here! There's no such treatment.

There is a third form of the disease which shows its self as a thin membrane over the scales and sometimes around the mouth area. It's the same colour as the spots but more translucent and looks like a smear of white jelly. This is the same herpes as the spots, and the only way this problem can harm the fish is when it's diagnosed as white spot and formalin and malacite green is poured into the pond. Then the fish die from toxemia not fish or carp pox.

Do not confuse these breeding tubercles with fish pox, which is always on main pectoral fin rays and as white spots on gill covers.

breeding tubercules

breeding tubercules