We sterilized our Quarantine tanks two week before arrival and got the filtration going with heat and bio boost.
We added 2.5 kg of salt/1000 liters, another 2.5 kg to be added a day after introduction of the fish.
On arrival, we opened the boxes in very dim light because the fish was in darkness for 42 hours;
Thereafter we floated the bags for 10 minutes to enable the bags to adjust to the temperature and soft light. We did not float them for a longer period, because we ensured that the temperature of my quarantine water was already at 12 degrees Celsius on arrival, and we knew that the fish will arrive at that temperature. We also believe that after what they went through, we don't want to prolong getting them into clean ammonia free salty water.
We also lowered the PH beforehand in accordance with PH in which the fish normally arrives from Japan.
We increased the oxygen in the receiving tanks and started to release the fish one by one, properly inspecting each one for obvious signs of a disease, parasites or external injury. We were looking for fish that are lying on their sides due to the long journey or for any signs of struggling to release them first , but there were none despite the long trip.
We still kept the light intensity very low to minimize stress.
Each breeder had it's own separate facility.
Once all the koi was swimming normally, we added Elbagin(Japanese Antibiotic) to the water.
Obviously, we had to close all lids to prevent them from jumping, because new arrival will jump.
After the Koi has rested for a few days without any noise or disturbance, we gradually increased the water temperature and done random scrapings for parasites but found none after clinical examination and under the microscope. If we found any parasites, we would have treated accordingly. Some people treat irrespective of the presence of parasites. The question is, why add more stress to the fish?
We added bio-boost to our filters to ensure top quality water free from any Ammonia and Nitrites and added Koizyme, although we believe that it is not necessary because if you maintain absolute clean water as we do, it is not necessary. After all, it is a small price to pay to be sure.
Hereafter, we increased the temperature to various levels but below 28 degrees, to trigger any possible KHV if it is present, but not to kill it if present, despite the fact that the fish were already tested negative on two occasions. The increased heat also forces any bacterial problems or parasites to show itself under controlled conditions.
We monitored the fish carefully, keeping the water quality in top condition at zero ammonia and nitrites with two water changes per day and maintenance of the salt levels at 5kg/1000 liters and the PH.