I have a koi fish and his scales are almost gone .... do the scales grow back again....?

Question

My friend give me a koi fish and i dont know anything about then....but i dont know if his scales are gonna grow back..... his almos 9'' inches....... what can you tell me ....... well and i also wanna know that how u can tell if its a boy or a girl....?

Answer 1

Yes, the scales will grow back, but be aware that during this ime he/she will be more prone to potential skin infections, parasites or damage. Sexing is very difficult with Koi outside of breeding time when the males get white bumps on their gill plates and the females get quite fatter.

Nice gift! Enjoy he/her

MM

Answer 2

The first problem is, why did the fish lose the scales in the first place? Was it in a pond with other koi and breeding? Did it suffer an injury? Does it have visual parasites?

There are a few reasons koi will loose scales. If your fish are losing scales for no apparent reason (such as breeding) then it is commonly found to be caused from Myxosporidiosis. The only treatment for this is to keep doing water changes and get rid of the parasites. Symptoms: Fish gasping, pale gills loosing scales.

Other types of parasites are Trichodina. Killing off Trichodina can be accomplished with salt in many instances. Flukes can be controlled by several methods including SupaVerm and Fluke Tabs. Follow all instructions for dosing as most fluke remedies are toxic of overdosed or left in too long.

Bacteria can also cause koi to loose their scales. This needs to be treated with an antibiotic ointment.

Due to Injury. Rubbing (which Koi often do) or from being netted out of a pond or tank, or from outside wild life.

At any rate, keep an eye on your fish.

Only if there is no signs of infection or parasites, the scales will eventually grow back. If they are not showing improvement with in two weeks, you may have to begin treatment for one of the above.


Sexing your Koi may prove a challange since at such a small size they all look pretty much the same.

The differences between the sexes become more apparent as they age, particularly so in the spawning season. Male koi are slender, compact and torpedo-like in appearance, with very trim lines and smooth body contours. They also show behaviour that is particular to male koi and is particularly noticeable when in a single tank. Male koi tend to dart around energetically, with sharp turns of speed, showing real 'attitude' and a skittish character. They are less trusting than the opposite sex and this shy temperament is all the more apparent at feeding time when they will take considerably longer than females to feed at the surface.

Often mistaken for whitespot, breeding tubercles appear on the head, flanks and tail of mature male broodfish.

Answer 3

With regard to the scales growing back. They will, provided that whatever caused the scales to fall off in the first place has been resolved, i.e., disease, mishandling, dangerous environment, etc. You need to inquire of your friend why this happened, and, perhaps, consider treatment if you believe a disease or skin damage may still exist. You may wish to put a salt solution in the water to help with promotion of skin and slime growth. 1 tsp of aquarium salt to 1 gallon of water. With regard to sexing a koi (as well as goldfish) it is very difficult and even experts have a hard time telling the difference sometimes, and there are certain signs you can look for, but they sound easier than they really are to actually see. Anyway, It is difficult to tell the sex on younger koi, which yours is, by now, not, and it gets easier as they get older. Females tend to have rounder bodies and rounder pectoral fins and their fins tend to be somewhat smaller. Males are sleeker, with more pointed pectoral fins, and their fins tend to be larger. Others claim the colors of males are more brilliant. Older males have a sand paper like raspiness on the gill plates, and some claim you can also feel a roughness if you lick your tongue across the front of the pectoral fin. Have fun with this one! The easiest way is when there is a particularly aggressive male chasing the females relentlessly, you look for other males chasing the same now identified females. Last, you haven't told us anything else about this koi, so hopefully, you have put this koi in a nice big pond. If so, great and please just ignore what else I have to say, but I just have to put my two cents worth in here just in case. If you can't put this koi in a pond, remember, a 9" koi, who, by the way, isn't done growing yet, already needs about a 60-75 gallon tank. It can grow up to 3 feet and if only kept in an aquarium, would eventually need about a 400 gallon tank. I say this because it is clear that you are concerned about this fish and want to give it a good home and take care of it, so making sure that it has an adequate, safe and healthy environment will ensure that this new koi of yours remains healthy and happy. Good luck with your new fish and have lots of fun!

Answer 4

definite. as long because of the fact the water high quality is sweet and the fish is eating a high quality nutrition, the scales will advance back. the hot scale could be somewhat smaller or diverse coloration, although. Goldfish and koi residing in a healthy ecosystem are waiting to recover from minor actual harm, like unintended scale loss or split fins, particularly rather. whilst water high quality is detrimental or the tank over-stocked the fish’s immune device is suppressed. under those situations a minor harm can rapidly grow to be contaminated via bacterial or fungal pathogens. So the main for restoration is to maintain healthy tank situations in any respect circumstances. good luck!!!

Answer 5

Loss of scales can be a sign of more serious disease, such as koi herpes. You should treat the fish with antibiotics.