reposted from www.rothteien.com

JOJG polled 16 leading koi experts and asked them the following question: “Who are the most reputable English-speaking koi dealers in the world?”  Joel Burkard and Zak Schmidt (right), of Pan Intercorp in Seattle, placed first out of more than 50 dealers.  Here are the top-10 results:

1. PAN INTERCORP Kenmore, WA, USA  owner: Joel Burkard

2. EASTERN NISHIKIGOI Westminster, CA, USA  owner: Ken Tran

3. NISHIKIGOI OF NIIGATA Midlothian, VA, USA   owner: Ray Able

4. KEIRIN KOI   Allentown, PA, USA   owner: Carl Forss

5. INFILTRATION   Cheshire, United Kingdom   owner: Peter Wadington

6. JAPAN KOI ONLINE   Menifee, CA, USA   owner: Taro Kodama

7. CALIFORNIA KOI FARMS   Fallbrook, CA, USA   owner: Takemi Adachi

8. QUALITY KOI Penns Grove, NJ, USA   owner: Joseph Zuritsky

9. GENKI NISHIKIGOI San Jose, CA, USA   owner: Kevin Pham

10. MEC KOI   Meckenheim, Germany   owner: Josef Bertram

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Buyer Beware

This article is intended to emphasize the importance of QUARANTINING any new fish.  It is NOT intended to offend any importer or fish grower.

There are good ones out there!

As a buyer of Japanese imported koi we have seen them all, from the pits to the best!   We feel we have found the two BEST importers of Japanese koi.  These two companies quarantine their fish for no less than 3 weeks before shipping to us.  They are Pan Intercorp (Joel Burkard) and Heartland Aquatics (Gary Cryer).  All our Japanese imports for the upcoming season (1999) will be coming from these 2 sources.

What do you need to beware of?

Any fish you purchase.

Why?

Unfortunately most all the fish shipped to the retailer from the breeder will be infested with parasites. Parasites bring on bacterial infection. Both are contagious in the pond. Imported koi, more so than domestic, are especially prone to breaking down with bacterial infections weeks after we receive them. This is partially due to disease problems overseas plus the horrendous stress involved in shipping them here. Importers and wholesalers do not have massive facilities to hold their fish. They deal with very large quantities and it’s basically fish in / fish out. One told me he holds his fish for a week and another told me that he has too much money tied up and can’t sit on them, needing to recover his investment right away. Some of their facilities are nice but some are less than desirable.

How does this affect you, the consumer?

Most all retailers receive their fish by air. They are then floated then released into tanks very much like you do in your pond. Some retailers, just like the wholesalers and importers, sell their fish immediately without a treatment or a quarantine period. Why do they do this? Economics. Besides the fact that most do not have the facilities to separate and quarantine the shipments, holding and treating the fish adds cost. These costs include water, chemicals, salt, etc. PLUS many fish die while undergoing the quarantine process. On the average, during quarantine, we lose 15% of our domestic goldfish and koi and 30% of our imported fish!

Our philosophy at The Pond Doc’s Water Garden Center is that we’d rather them die on us – not you. The fish you buy become “pets” and a pet is harder to lose than a “fish”. Our guarantee to you is that we quarantine all our new arrivals for a minimum of 3 weeks. During this period, these fish are treated for parasites and bacterial infection and held in 0.3% salted water.  By going to all this extra effort and expense we increase the odds tremendously that you are going to receive a healthy “pet” from us.

Does buying a fish (even from us) that has been through this quarantine and treatment period a substitute for quarantining your own fish before entering them into your healthy pond?

Absolutely NOT. Read on.

Quarantine – Quarantine – Quarantine! Prevention is the best cure – and the lease expensive – and the easiest!

The Atlanta Koi Show is almost here and there will be several koi vendors there selling beautiful, irresistible koi. Many of these vendors will be the importer or wholesaler selling direct (not a nice thing to do to your reseller, by the way). As I eluded to earlier, many of the koi for sale will not have been in the vendors’ possession for long. Some less than a week – some maybe longer. It is possible that his new arrivals could have parasites or some latent bacterial disease that has yet to rear its ugly head.

Here’s the scoop. On most occasions, bacterial infections are precipitated by parasites and/or stress. A fish can stress from high ammonia levels, being shipped, netted, from handling, moving to a new environment, or simply from unhealthy water conditions. Dr. Erik Johnson tells us that whenever a fish is netted and bagged he loses his immunity system for 72 hours!

Here’s a case scenario: The vendor must bag his koi at his location to bring them to our show. The fish could stay in this bag from 4 to 24 hours. Results – Stress, ammonia build-up, loss of immunity system. The fish are then put into holding tanks that still are not the ideal situation for them to be in. Most tanks are over-crowded and the fish are constantly netted. Results – Stress, ammonia build-up, loss of immunity system. Then you purchase your fish and it is re-bagged for the trip home. For the koi, the duration of this event could be as long as 4 days. Results – Maximum Stress Level and an opportunity for infection to set in!

Parasites and bacterial infections are contagious! Before subjecting your existing fish population to the (great) chance of infection, the only logical thing to do is to quarantine. It is tough (and a hassle) to treat a large pond and relatively easy to treat a smaller quarantine tank.

What are the steps to quarantining your new fish? If you have the way to have a mucus scraping done, then have several done. You may be able to find a vet who can scrape them for you. This is the preferred method. The other method is called “shot-gunning”. This means taking for granted that the fish have parasites. If you have no way to do a scraping then, by all means, assume that your new fish have parasites and treat them accordingly. We make it easy with our Parasite Pak.  Don’t feed the fish for the first 2 days. Feeding is stressful. Monitor your water quality. Be aware of ammonia increases and buffer the water to guard against pH fluctuations. The quarantine period should be no less than 14 days. If you see no problems developing and you feel comfortable about the health of your new fish then feel free to introduce them to their new home.

by Cecil Ferguson

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Spring Viremia of Carp¹

Introduction

Spring viremia of carp (SVC) is a viral disease that can cause significant mortality of common carp (Cyprinus carpio). This species is raised as a food fish in many countries and has also been selectively bred for the ornamental fish industry, where it is known as koi. Historically, the disease has been a problem in Europe, the Middle East, and Russia. Recently, SVC has been reported in koi in the United States for the first time. This information sheet is intended to inform veterinarians, biologists, culturists, and hobbyists about SVC.

What is Spring Viremia of Carp?

Spring viremia of carp is caused by Rhabdovirus carpio, a bullet-shaped RNA virus. The disease has been reported in common carp (or koi) (Cyprinus carpio), grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis), silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), and Crucian carp (Carassius carassius), a close relative of the goldfish. Recent evidence suggests that common goldfish (C. auratus) are also susceptible.

The disease was initially diagnosed in Yugoslavia (Fijan et al. 1971). Since then, it has been identified in other European countries, Russia, and the Middle East. Mortality has reached 70% in yearling carp from European populations. Adult fish can also be affected but to a lesser degree.

What are the Signs of SVC?

Clinical signs of SVC are often non-specific and may include darkening of the skin, exophthalmia (pop-eye), ascites (dropsy), pale gills, hemorrhages in the gills, skin, and eye, and a protruding vent with a thick mucoid (white to yellowish) fecal cast.

Internally, edema (fluid build up in organs and in the body cavity), inflammation, and pinpoint hemorrhages in many organs, including the swim bladder, may be present.

The presence of pinpoint hemorrhages in the swim bladder is considered an important indicator of this disease. The intestine is often severely inflamed and may contain significant amounts of mucus. The spleen is often enlarged.

Concurrent infection with bacteria, particularly Aeromonas (A. salmonicida or A. hydrophila), may confuse the diagnosis as fish will show signs of systemic infection such as ascites and hemorrhages.

Behaviorally, infected fish may appear lethargic, exhibit decreased respiration rate, and loss of equilibrium. Moribund fish have been reported to lie on their sides, often on the bottom of the tank, and when startled swim up but then return to the bottom. Fish are also reported to congregate where there is slow water flow and near pond banks (Fijan 1999).

Transmission of SVC

The rhabdovirus that causes SVC enters the fish through the gills, replicating in gill epithelium (Ahne 1978; Baudouy et al. 1980). The virus is spread via feces in the mucoid casts. Blood-sucking parasites, including leeches and the fish louse Argulus, have been implicated in spreading the disease (Pfeil-Putzien 1977; Ahne 1985). Mechanical transmission by birds and equipment is suspected because of the longevity of the virus in water, mud, or following dessication (Ahne 1982a; Ahne 1982b).

Experimental transmission has been accomplished by co-habitation, intracranial and intraperitoneal injection, intubation of the virus into the intestine, and by immersion. However, direct application of the virus to scarified skin has been unsuccessful. (Fijan 1972; Fijan et al. 1971; Hill 1977).

The presence of virus in ovarian fluids suggests that vertical transmission (female parent to offspring) may be possible (Fijan 1999).

Effect of Water Temperature

Although other factors, such as age, can determine how severely the disease will affect a population, the temperature at which fish become infected, temperature fluctuations during the infective period, and the ability of the fish to mount a timely immune response seem to be the most important components for SVC.

In natural outbreaks, mortalities were confirmed in spring of 1969 and 1970 in Yugoslavia when water temperatures ranged from 12°C to 22°C (54°F to 72°F).The optimum temperature for viral replication in vitro is 20-22°C (68-72°F), however, this is also an optimum temperature range for immune function of susceptible species (Fijan 1999). Clinical and experimental data indicate that maximum mortality can be expected at water temperatures below 18°C (64°F) (Fijan 1999; McAllister 1993).

These findings have led experts (Wolf 1988; Ahne 1980; Fijan 1999) to suggest that outbreaks of SVC can be prevented or stopped in mature fish by raising water temperatures above 20°C (68°F); however, the results of such attempts have not been well documented. Because of the potential severity of the disease, depopulation is recommended.

How is SVC diagnosed?

Diagnosis of SVC can be accomplished by several methods. Direct methods include virus isolation and identification using fathead minnow (FHM), epithelioma papillosum of carp (EPC), and primary carp ovary cells (COC) cell lines. Indirect tests for SVC include ELISA, virus neutralization and immunofluorescence of suspect tissue.

Laboratories approved by the USDA to test fish for SVC are listed in Appendix A.

How is SVC treated?

Antiviral drugs are not available to treat SVC or other viral diseases of cultured fish. Temperature manipulation is probably the most practical means of preventing or controlling mortality once an epizootic is in progress. Maintaining water temperature above 20°C (68°F) may prevent a potential outbreak.

In active outbreaks, efforts are directed at depopulating infected stock, and disinfecting all areas where infected fish were held. However, in some circumstances, this may be difficult. The virus can be infective in mud and water for up to 42 days (Plumb 1999).

The virus can be inactivated by formalin, ozone, sodium hypochlorite (chlorine at 500 ppm for ten minutes), organic iodophors, gamma and ultraviolet irradiation, pH extremes of < 4.0 or greater than 10.0, and heating at 60°C (140°F) for 15 minutes (Smail and Munro 1989; Fijan 1999). All equipment and tanks, raceways, and ponds should be disinfected.

Fish that are exposed to physiological stressors such as crowding, handling, poor water quality, malnutrition, and sudden temperature changes are most susceptible, because of resulting immune system suppression.

Vaccine development has been attempted in the Czech Republic (Macura et al. 1983) with promising results but further studies are necessary. The development of genetically resistant strains should also be pursued (Fijan 1999).

How can SVC be prevented?

In the face of infection, maintaining a water temperature of 20°C (68°F) or higher will increase the chances for infected fish to develop an immunity to SVC, reducing mortalities. It is unknown at this time whether fish that have been exposed to SVC, and subsequently become immune, will serve as a source of virus to unexposed fish.

New fish should be purchased from SVC-free suppliers and farms.

Regulatory Considerations

Spring viremia of carp is listed as a notifiable disease, by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE), in the International Aquatic Animal Health Code (OIE 1997a). The OIE has published a diagnostic manual that includes protocols required to confirm a diagnosis of SVC (OIE 1997b). It also lists criteria for “SVC-free” status for aquaculture facilities and geographic regions.

In the United States, suspect cases should be sent to one of the three USDA-approved labs listed in Appendix A for confirmation. SVC is considered a notifiable disease in the United States, therefore prompt notification of the State Veterinarian’s office and appropriate USDA-APHIS Veterinary Services officials is mandatory.

References and Recommended Reading

Ahne, W. 1978. Uptake and multiplication of spring viremia of carp virus in carp, Cyprinus carpio, L. Journal of Fish Diseases 1:265-268

Ahne, W. 1980. Rhabdovirus carpio – Infektion beim karpfen (Cyprinus carpio): Untersuchungen über reaktionen des wirtsorganismus. Fortschritte in der Veterinärmedizin 30:180-183.

Ahne, W. 1982a. Vergleichende untersuchungen über die stabilität von vier fischpathogenen viren (VHSV, PFR, SVCV, IPNV). Zentralblatt fur Veterinärmedizin (B)29:457-476.

Ahne, W. 1982b. Untersuchungen zur tenazität der fischviren. Fortschritte in der Veterinärmedizin 35:305-309.

Ahne, W. 1985. Argulus foliaceus L. and Philometra geometra L. as mechanical vectors of spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV). Journal of Fish Diseases 8:241-242.

Baudouy, A.M., Danton, M. and Merle, G. 1980. Virémie printanière de la carpe: résultants de contaminations expérimentales effectuées au printemps. Annales de Recherches Veterinaires 11:245-249.

Fijan, N. 1972. Infectious dropsy in carp: a disease complex. Symposium of the Zoological Society of London 30:39-51.

Fijan, N. 1999. Spring viremia of carp and other diseases and agents of warm-water fish. In: Woo, P.T.K. and Bruno, D.W. (eds.), Fish Diseases and Disorders, Volume 3, Viral, Bacterial and Fungal Infections, CABI Publishing, Oxon, UK, pp 177-244.

Fijan, N., Petrinec, Z., Sulimanovic, D., Zwillenberg, L. 1971. Isolation of the viral causative agent from the acute form of infectious dropsy of carp, Veterinarski Arhiv 41:125-138.

Hill, B. 1977. Studies of spring viremia of carp virulence and immunization. Bulletin de L’Office International des Epizooties 87:455-456.

McAllister, P.E., 1993, Goldfish, koi, and carp viruses. In: Stoskopf, M.K. (ed). Fish Medicine, W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, PA, pp 478-486.

Macura, B., Tesarcik, J., and Rehulka, J. 1983. Survey of methods of specific immunoprophylaxis of carp spring viremia in Czechoslovakia. Práce VÚRH (Vyzkumny ústav rybársky a hydrobiologicky) Vodnany (English = Papers of RIFH [Research Institute of Fishery and Hydrobiology] Vodnany) 12:50-56.

Office International des Epizooties. 1997a. International Aquatic Animal Health Code, Second edition. Office International des Epizootis, Paris, France. 192 pp.

Office International des Epizooties. 1997b. Diagnostic Manual for Aquatic Animal Diseases, Second edition. Office International des Epizooties, Paris, France. 251 pp.

Pfeil-Putzien, C. 1977. New results in the diagnosis of spring viremia of carp caused by experimental transmission of Rhabdovirus carpio with carp louse (Argulus foliaceus). Bulletin de L’Office International des Epizooties 87:457.

Plumb, J.A. 1999. Health maintainence and principal microbial diseases of cultured fish. Iowa State University Press, Ames, IA, pp 77-90.

Smail, D.M. and Munro, L.S. 1989. The virology of teleosts. In: Roberts, R.J. (ed), Fish Pathology, Second edition. Balliere-Tindall, London, UK, pp 173-241.

Wolf, K. 1988. Fish viruses and fish viral diseases. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, pp 191-216.

Appendix A

USDA approved diagnostic laboratories capable of testing for Spring Viremia of Carp

1. University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Cooperative Extension Program

PO Box 4912 OR 1200 University Drive

Pine Bluff, AR 71611

Phone: (870) 543-8537

2. Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System

State Veterinary Laboratory

2305 North Cameron Street

Harrisburg, PA 17110

Phone: (717) 787-8808

3. Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory

College of Veterinary Medicine

Washington State University

PO Box 647034

Pullman, WA 99164-7034

Phone: (509) 335-9696

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The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Millie Ferrer, Interim Dean.

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Welcome to the PondNKoi Blog!  When it comes to having fun with water gardens this will be a great place to share ideas & post articles.

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