KoiVet.com - KHV Controlled! (Playing with Fire)

There are at least two ways to get new fish. You can heat the pond, and get all the new fish you want as long as the new fish are prepared for, acclimated to, and mixed at 87o F. I have mixed KHV and non KHV fish in a variety of circumstances and had ZERO transmission:

1. KHV post-heat survivors seem to be non infectious to other fish. I have mixed healthy non-exposed fish with post-heat KHV survivors at normal pond and tank temperatures without disease. It's AS IF the post heat KHV survivors are cured. We don't know this for sureso this might be the most risky way to get new fish.
2. SAFE: Actively infected fish can be added to healthy populations of fish as long as the pond or tank is maintained (for the minimum four to seven day period) at 87o F. I accidentally did this twice, and have done it intentionally many more times since. It was not until we got the KHV reports back that I discovered I'd added some KHV positive fish to healthy tanks. Since the tanks were at 87o F there was no transmission.

There are quite a few people who have mixed new fish in with their KHV survivors and NONE of them report any losses among the new fish. Now, that might be an issue for this year, and the statistic could change after a long cold winter. It could also be that the KHV survivors are truly negative, by either innate immunity or the heating process which might have saved them, or both. The jury is still out on that one.

I don't think a person who knows they have KHV survivors or KHV infected fish should take them to shows. The only reason so many people and dealers take KHV infected fish to shows is because they don't know the fish have KHV. YET.

KoiVet.com - KHV Controlled! (Playing with Fire)