Most enthusiasts, hobbyists and Nishikigoi lovers can attest to the stress and angst that comes with having a sick koi. Is it just one koi? Has it spread? How do I get rid of it? How do I even know what it is? Starting off with healthy fish shouldn’t be a bonus, it should be a given.
Koi suppliers have a responsibility to provide the best and healthiest koi possible to their customers. Even a single unhealthy or ill fish can devastate the population of an entire pond.
Not that dealers would ever do it wittingly, but they still bear the responsibility to do as much as possible to ensure that the koi they sell are as healthy as possible. And this means choosing their suppliers carefully and diligently.
Fortunately—along with koi quality—a dealer’s reputation is of the utmost importance, so a reputable and trustworthy dealer will take great pains to ensure that their suppliers maintain the highest standards against possible exposure to serious disease. This is where biosecure suppliers, like Hazorea Aquatics, become highly prized.
What is Biosecurity?
According to Koi Organization International:
Biosecurity consists of the practices and procedures used to prevent the introduction, emergence, spread, and persistence of infectious agents and disease within and around a Koi habitat.
Biosecurity is a guarantee that the fish you or your supplier are receiving are disease- and/or illness-free.
With the virulence and deadliness of KHV (Koiherpes Virus), this virus remains the main concern for biosecurity. By creating a closed-system, secure facility, it eliminates any chance of it ever making it into a farm.
In an attempt to immunize against KHV, some Israeli farms actively vaccinate for KHV by stimulating an anti-KHV antibody response in their stock in a controlled environment. The concern remains, though, that these survivors could be carriers of the virus and can infect a healthy, non-immunized population.
What Makes a Facility Biosecure?
- They adopt stringent methods of self-containment that include a brood stock which is grown in the same tank from the beginning of its life until the time it dies.
- Any fry from that brood stock is born into the same environment and remain in it until they are shipped out.
- Anything that goes out, is not allowed back in. Once it has left the facility is it gone for good.
- Temperature control. Many koi illnesses manifest themselves within a certain water temperature range, so the optimal conditions for symptoms to show are maintained at all times.
- Oftentimes, even the water that is circulated into the facility remains in a self-contained loop. The water filtration efforts have to be remarkably stringent, too, in an enclosed system to limit the possibility of any pathogen or disease-causing agent entering into the mix. (Read about how Blue Ridge Fish Hatchery—one of the US’s top domestic koi providers—does it).
Biosecurity facilities don’t spawn super koi. The measures adopted are to prevent exposure to deadly viruses—mainly KHV. The immune system still has to be “seasoned” against the usual suspects that it will encounter in the waters outside the biosecure facility, so the koi still encounter the garden variety bacteria and parasites that they are likely to come into contact with during the course of their lives while in the facility.
Even with the biosecurity measures, many dealers will still quarantine any new fish that come through their doors. Not only does it protect their existing stock, it is an extra layer of protection for their customers. Better safe than sorry!
[box border=”full”]IMPORTANT REMINDER Because a fish is healthy, it doesn’t mean it is immune to disease. The onus is still on the hobbyist to ensure that their water parameters are excellent and that they are vigilant about checking for any signs of potential illness or disease.[/box]
Questions to Ask Your Dealer
If you ever have any concerns about where your next Living Jewel is coming from, you should never hesitate to ask your dealer where your koi were before they were shipped to you and where they came from before that.
- Do your suppliers have a certificate of biosecurity from an accredited and recognized agency (if from overseas)?
- How many suppliers do you have? Are they domestic or international suppliers? Do you mix them at your facility?
- Are the koi regularly checked by veterinarians?
- Have you had any recent disease/illness outbreaks in your tanks?
- Do you quarantine the fish that come from your supplier? For how long? What are your quarantine protocols?
For anyone that is interested in learning some best practices in biosecurity, Koi Organization International (K.O.I.) offers a Biosecurity, Quarantine and Record Keeping course to enthusiasts worldwide.
About Next Day Koi
We take great pride in the quality of our suppliers as well as our own quarantining protocols to provide our customers with some of the best koi in the US market. Coupled with our industry-leading shipping practices, you will have hale and hearty fish in your pond or tank in no time (or next day!).