We all love our Oklahoma pond fish and koi! They swim about together, greet you at the surface for some food, and swim gracefully creating a calm respite for us to relax. You may have experienced going out to your Oklahoma pond and seeing one of your pond fish or koi not hanging out with the others and just sitting by itself in a corner with its fins clamped to it’s side. It almost seems as though it’s in TIME OUT. If you have or do experience this, it’s a time to be a bit concerned for your finned friend.
What does it mean when a koi or pond fish is hanging out by itself?
You venture on out to your beautiful Oklahoma pond and you see one of your fish hanging out by itself. Many times this is not a good sign, as the fish is not feeling well and could progressively get worse. For some reason, I don’t know the scientific reason, our finned friends will find an area in the pond they are comfortable with and hang out by themselves when they are sick. A fish being sick could mean many things: A bacterial disease, parasite infection, burned gills, and numerous other ailments.
What should you do?
The next best food would be Probiotic Plus Food made by Blue Ridge Fish Hatchery. While this doesn’t contain antibiotics, its the next best thing we have in our tool box to help our fish. You can order it at Next Day Koi.
If your fish is eating or not eating the next best thing to do is contact your local pond professional or pond center for help and advice on the next steps to take to help you fish.
A great resource online to research for yourself is Pond Crisis and Koi Vet. These two sites are full of information and worth the trip to gain insight into koi health.
Is it a new fish that’s doing this?
You have just purchased some new fish or maybe someone gave you some to add to your Oklahoma pond. This new fish immediately goes off by itself or hides and you are worried there may be something wrong with it. Set your mind at ease, your new fish has just entered a new surrounding and is a bit stressed from the travels and the new pond. If your new fish is hanging out by himself, it’s ok for a little bit. If he or she is hiding, it’s ok don’t get discouraged this is normal. However, should the new fish be hanging out by himself as described above for more than 24-48 hours you’re going to want to get some help.
Sometimes new fish will hang out by themselves, but should eventually make some friends and begin hanging out with all the others.