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  1. #1
    Senior Member Rank = Mature Champion smartin's Avatar
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    black spot on Kohaku's

    Hi all,

    noticed around 3 weeks ago 1 small solitory dot at the end of the dorsal fin but actually on the back of the fish near to where the tail fin starts, today i have noticed 2 black spots on the dorsal fin itself of our other Kohaku, it looks like going on certain water map locators in the south east we have hard water and becuase of this our fish are susceptible to shimmies ? would be interested in what you think, is it correct what i have read and said? can i do anythign to stop this from happening? at the moment assuming its shimmies and not black spot disease!! I will try to post some pics but will be hard to capture, thanks in advance Steve.



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  3. #2
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Be interesting to hear what others say, but I have hard water and it's a bummer for shimmies.

    Especially with Shusui.... Don't even bother getting one, all the lovely blue eventually turns completely black.

    Sure I've heard some people remove them but I don't know the process or whether it's deemed cruel.

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  5. #3
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Found this, not read it yet....

    https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour..._ZEyqQRsh0IWRy

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  7. #4
    Senior Member Rank = Kyusai Sim's Avatar
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    Yes shimmies are a pain in hard water and as you say rs
    Forget sushi asahi and Goromo all seem to go to pot on hard water.
    If you sedate the koi you can scrap a shimmer and just put some tropical treatment over the top and it will colour back to the original colour.
    I don't bother but if I was showing koi I probably would.

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  9. #5
    Senior Member Rank = Mature Champion smartin's Avatar
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    Thanks RS and Sim, just another annoying issue that we have to poke up with...... such a shame as it will definately spoil our lovely fish and potentially others, not a lot i can do, i do not fancy picking it off or using a scalpel to remove, i would of thought there would be a way of softening the water though a little to help reduce the shimmy risk but as yet cannot find one, maybe you cannot ? thanks Steve.

  10. #6
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by smartin View Post
    Thanks RS and Sim, just another annoying issue that we have to poke up with...... such a shame as it will definately spoil our lovely fish and potentially others, not a lot i can do, i do not fancy picking it off or using a scalpel to remove, i would of thought there would be a way of softening the water though a little to help reduce the shimmy risk but as yet cannot find one, maybe you cannot ? thanks Steve.
    See my purifier thread.... I've managed to soften my water a little bit via an Ion exchange carbon cartridge.
    It replaces calcium ions with sodium ions so you get a tiny amount of salinity, but not enough to have any concern over, and it had reduced my GH by 3 or 4 dH.

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  12. #7
    Senior Member Rank = Kyusai Sim's Avatar
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    Yes you could try what RS is on about or just get an RO unit plugged.
    I was going to start using ro water just haven't got around to connecting it in yet.

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  14. #8
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Yonsai LouiseR's Avatar
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    If your fish is genetically predisposed to shimmies, harder water may encourage them to develop. The debate about the benefits of soft water v. hard water has gone on for years. For beginners and the average hobbyist the benefits of maintaining hard water outweigh the risks of maintaining, artificially or otherwise, soft water, viz, hard water assists with osmoregulation, helps the biomass in filters reproduce, locks in toxins particularly metals, and prevents pH fluctuations and crashes.

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  16. #9
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Yonsai LouiseR's Avatar
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    If you’re interested in running a soft water system, have a look at the articles written by Mike Snaden on his site Yume Koi - Suppliers Of High Quality Nishikigoi - he’s arguably the UK’s greatest advocate for soft water. Bear in mind that not everyone agrees with him, and even he doesn’t suggest that beginners and the average hobbyist should attempt to run a soft water system, they should instead run their ponds with ‘safety’ in mind.

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  18. #10
    Senior Member Rank = Mature Champion smartin's Avatar
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    Thanks Louise R appreciate your views and i will have a read ref Mike, i think i prefer for the moment a safer water that can help satisfy most of the required water perameters....... maybe later on if it becomes a major issue will i look to change my water condition.... kind regards Steve.

  19. #11
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Louise is right about the hard/soft water debate.

    And the arguments.... Some people say hard water is better, and the minerals and stuff it contains include stuff Koi need for health (can't remember exactly what).

    Regarding my point about the softening cartridge, my water is extremely hard with GH of 18dH so even softening this down to 14dH still leaves me with hard water that won't stop a Shusui getting ruined. I just wanted to find a way to reduce hardness just a little bit.

    My water is so hard that everything within a 1 metre radius of the air stone is caked in limescale, even the fence!

    By the way, you can find out all your supply water parameters from your water authority website.

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  21. #12
    Senior Member Rank = Mature Champion smartin's Avatar
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    Hi RS,

    My GH here is 7 or 8 usually 7 so still a lot lower than yours so i can see why you are trying to reduce, thats really high isn't it, not surprised you have limescale issues where abouts are you ? cheers Steve.

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  23. #13
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    North Kent, but it depends on which reservoir supplies you.

    Other than being very hard, my water is almost perfect in every other way and there's no Chloramine added to it.

    I know people who buy a new Kettle every 6 - 8 weeks and buy new taps / washing machines etc annually due to the limescale.

    I'm too tight and just put up with minging tea.... whilst the Koi get purified water lol!

    And on that point, I'm eating beans on toast whilst they're eating £5 a day worth of Saki Hikari

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  25. #14
    Senior Member Rank = Mature Champion smartin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RS2OOO View Post
    North Kent, but it depends on which reservoir supplies you.

    Other than being very hard, my water is almost perfect in every other way and there's no Chloramine added to it.

    I know people who buy a new Kettle every 6 - 8 weeks and buy new taps / washing machines etc annually due to the limescale.

    I'm too tight and just put up with minging tea.... whilst the Koi get purified water lol!

    And on that point, I'm eating beans on toast whilst they're eating £5 a day worth of Saki Hikari

    Blimey that sounds awful having to go through that and eating beans l hope you had some cheese at least lol. (your fish are very happy though !!) I am close to Eastbourne and water here is pretty good, issues out the tap are phosphate a strong 2, DPD4 tabs go pinkish quite quickly, nothing else to much to worry about...…move further down south mate

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  27. #15
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    I have actually run out of cheese, which is why I had beans on toast instead of cheese on toast.
    black spot on Kohaku's
    Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

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  29. #16
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion Ajm's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RS2OOO View Post
    I have actually run out of cheese, which is why I had beans on toast instead of cheese on toast.
    black spot on Kohaku's
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    Cheesy beans on toast go big or go home Haha. Bean toasties are the way to go like with the proper triangle toastie

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    Freddyboy the legend

    "we are water keepers first"

    Johnathan

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  31. #17
    Senior Member Rank = Mature Champion smartin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RS2OOO View Post
    I have actually run out of cheese, which is why I had beans on toast instead of cheese on toast.
    black spot on Kohaku's
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    Oh dear its getting worse RS - you cannot beat cheese on toast with some pickle or brown sauce - simply marvellous

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  33. #18
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Frimley Koi keeper's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RS2OOO View Post
    I have actually run out of cheese,black spot on Kohaku's
    What are you a man or a mouse

    My water is so hard it makes a pit bull look like a poodle

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  35. #19
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Frimley Koi keeper's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ajm View Post
    Cheesy beans on toast go big or go home Haha.
    What about cheesy peas?

    Brilliant !!!!!

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  37. #20
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion Ajm's Avatar
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    Cheese is like bread gos with every thing haha .

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    Freddyboy the legend

    "we are water keepers first"

    Johnathan

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