Koi Herpes Virus (KHV) is a DNA virus that causes a highly contagious acute disease exclusively in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and its ornamental variety, koi carp. KHV has never been associated with disease in any other species.

There is no zoonotic concern with KHV. The herpesvirus responsible for causing KHV disease in fish will not cause disease in humans.

There is no treatment for KHV. Antiviral drugs are not available to treat KHV or any other viral diseases of cultured fish. Studies have shown that koi may survive an outbreak of KHV if water temperatures are increased to 86°F (30°C) during the outbreak (Ronen et al. 2003).

It is caused by a virus known as Cyprinid Herpesvirus-1. It is a common disease of common carp, but can affect all varieties of carp. It may affect other cyprinids such as barbel, bream, crucian carp and rudd.

Add salt at the rate of 3 ounces per gallon of water and mix well. Insert an air stone into the water. Carefully place the Koi into the saline solution and leave in the dip for between 10 to 20 minutes, depending upon how the fish copes with the treatment.

Higher salt concentrations can be tolerated by fish than aquatic plants, so it’s important not to use too much salt in your koi pond if you have both. For ponds with lilies and other aquatic plants living with the fish in your water garden, we recommend using 1¼ cups of salt per 100 gallons of water.

Water quality, pH levels, or oxygen levels changing can be the cause of your koi fish always hiding. This is especially true for the summer when water holds less dissolved oxygen. Without the right levels of dissolved oxygen, your fish can start having health problems. You can easily add artificial aeration if needed.

More Koi Hand Feeding Tips:

1. Be patient.
2. Don’t rush it.
3. Use treats like shrimp, lettuce or watermelon as extra incentive.
4. Koi are grazers meaning they nibble most of the time.
5. Offer food by hand only.
6. Use a hoola-hoop as a feeding ring.
7. Try not to be startled when a fish brushes against your hand underwater.

Strikingly like us, koi are equipped with a long-term memory and they also have the same senses that humans do. Not only are Koi great at remembering faces but they can even recognize their own names – try it at home!

Small and baby koi prefer flake fish food, the smallest form. Pellets are good for the average-size koi while larger koi prefer bars of fish food. Most have plenty of proteins, a small number of fats, and essential vitamins & nutrients.

Cheerios are low residue and low nitrogen, making them great healthy koi treats. Regardless, they’re a healthy koi snack to serve in the summer. Thawed, chopped, frozen sardines are from saltwater which means they’re less likely to carry parasites applicable to koi. Feed sardines to your koi in moderation.

Another option is to research plants koi won’t eat. Suggestions include the floating-plant water lettuce, the large-leaved lotus plant, the yellow-flowered water poppy, and the eye-catching umbrella plant. Koi tend to ignore these plants in favor of more palatable choices.

It’s very easy to overfeed your koi, because it’s often the most interaction you’ll have with them. If you do, they’ll start looking a little bit tadpoles, with big bodies and whispy tail. Never feed them more than three times a day, and then for only five minutes.

once per day

During late spring through late summer/early fall, when water temperatures are 86 degrees F or above, you’ll feed your koi twice a day (up to 4 times a day for smaller koi). Between 68 and 86 degrees F is the most active time for your koi.

Once the snow has disappeared, the ice melted in your pond, and the temperatures have been consistently above 40°F for a week or more, it’s time to open up your pond and garden pond water features for the spring.

Koi are cold-water fish but thrive in water temperatures between 59-77 degrees Fahrenheit. Because their metabolism reacts to the temperature of the water that they live in, you’ll want to be sure your pond has both shallow areas as well as spaces that are deep enough so it does not freeze to the bottom.