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Potasium Permanganate and Dr. Johnson's Fish Loss Dr. Johnson is a controversial figure in koi circles. Some see him as a guru of koi health and others disagree with his views. The NFKC takes no position either way. What follows is presented for its information and as a causionary tale about mixing chemicals and koi. Koivet's Update List - http://www.koivet.com Tonight I overdosed my koi on potassium by ten fold. I used four pounds in twenty two thousand gallons....I knew something was wrong within ten minutes but there was no way to undo the mistake... If you've ever wished me some evil, today is your lucky day because I am a ruined man. I lost 'Oro', 'Stormy', and everyone dear to me, and a host of new, smaller fish I'd been picking up this spring to stock my 22,000 "pool to pond" experiment. I did the math in my head, converting grams to pounds, and somehow figured 22,000 gallons was 2200 grams and 4.4 pounds of potassium. There was not enough peroxide to reverse it. Just about everyone has died. I am stopping the "pool to pond experiment". I learned you should never keep your beloved fish in so much water that you cannot catch them for biopsy, thereby avoiding "shotgun" therapies. You should be able to dump your whole pond in an hour and do a massive water change when necessary. You should always have ample dechlor on hand.... I learned you should always do your 'dosing-math' on paper and run it by at least two or three math "noodlers". It's funny, just before I added the potassium I thought, 'I wonder if I should call "Roark" in California and see if he agrees with this dose. 4.4 pounds in 22,000 gallons.....' Tonight I shall have nightmares....of fish swirling around upside-down in the emergency triage, gasping, dying before my eyes. Betty is gone, Inky is dead, Jerry is dead, my new goldwing is gone. Tequiza, "the bastard", the bronze, I never even found my goromo to move him to quarantine. The reason I am sending this message is to let you know a few of the things I have suddenly learned....After all, isn't that why I *always* write to you? First: Never do dosing math in your head. Especially if you SUCK at math, like I do. Second: I got a priorities-reality-check: I humbly thank God nothing is wrong with my *real* children. They are all so healthy and adorable, I hold them tonight at an emergency slumber party....I move their mattresses into my room so I can enjoy their stupid "farty" jokes and noises, while my fish expire in the triage... I imagine, God said to me, "Erik, your priorities are not right. Perhaps you are becoming vain about your collection. You are over-confident. You are materialistic." Thirdly: The *most* important thing I learned is this: It's not WHAT you have in a collection...(The fancy Kujakus and leather platinums...) It's really about the *WHO* you have....Your personal friends, your "Oros", your "Stormies"...Your "Blancos"...your "Inkies"... For those of you who *ever* lost a fish, or *will* lose a fish, I have become a better fish vet. I will better understand when you tell me that the loss of a particular fish broke your heart. I've been there, got the tee-shirt. I most probably will *not* give up treating fish...I will not give up finding out better ways to care for them or to treat them. I will not stop sharing experiences if they may help someone somewhere, eventually....Even my screw-ups. I *will* stop collecting fish....I cannot replace the "WHOS" in my collection even though the *whats* might be replaced easily.... I cannot be forgiven for killing my pets of so many years. Please do not do this to your fish. Make sure your *math* is right every single time you use a medicine like potassium, or formalin, or chloramine. Anything where an overdose could be deadly. Don't get cocky like me and do it in your head and dose it like it was candy. There are people who will read this and shake their heads without understanding. God bless you. There are people who have felt this same way at the loss of their fish. God bless you. There are people who have expected me to be "perfect" in the treatment of fish. This is not true...God bless you. I recall the story of David H., a dear person to me, who lost all his fish one winter when his pond was pumped dry under the ice. I never really could understand a complete, or "total" loss. I recall the horror of his story to this day, frantically moving his few survivors to triage, etc....but nothing like that had ever happened to me before... God has given me everything money cannot buy. My health, my family, my kids, and my career....but sometimes, he doesn't think twice about shaking up your priorities when they get skewed does he? Funny I just put six hundred bucks on my credit card for some fish I just "had to have"....I even promised Cecil I'd keep them alive.... If only I had.... Best wishes, Doc Johnson |
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