Fish Health Check - Ponds
Pond fish health checks are for fish living in outdoor or indoor ponds. This service covers koi, goldfish, sturgeon, tench, orfe & many more…
Pond fish health checks can be booked in at any time in the face of disease.
For routine health assessments, the best time to check in on fish health is during the Spring and Autumn (pre and post winter) when the disease risk is at its greatest. For the best management of fish health year round, biannual consultations are recommended.
October/November and April/May are usually the best months of the year for these consultations but this will be different year on year and governed by the environmental temperatures that year.
What to expect
All consultations will start with an in-depth discussion between you and the vet, covering all the relevant history as well as pond husbandry routine and filter maintenance. This will be followed by complete water quality testing and the examination of 3 fish of your choice.
All fish will be sedated and examined using a specialised anaesthetic agent (MS-222) to reduce handling stress. Samples of mucous from the skin and small collections of gill tissue will be analysed under the microscope for parasite and health screening.
Based on the results of the diagnostic tests and physical examination of your fish, a health report will be created detailing relevant husbandry recommendations and treatments if required.
Prices
Prices are dependent on the size of your pond and the type of fish you keep.
Pond Fish Health Check
£145/hour (1 hour min) + mileage +/- medications.
Criteria: Any pond containing koi or sturgeon
Average consult Length: 1.5 hours
Small Pond Fish Health Check
£135/hour (1 hour min) + Mileage +/- medications
Criteria: Must be less than 3000L in volume and containing only goldfish
Average Consult Length: 1 - 1.5 hours.
Mileage is charged at 0.45p/mile from SE1 (central London) both ways. The mileage will be split across clients in the same area on that day so the final price may be less than estimated. Subscription holders do not pay for mileage within the M25.
What to Prepare
For biosecurity reasons you will need to provide your own set of nets for the consultation.
For koi, we highly recommend having a koi sock, landing net and seine nets (for large ponds only) on hand.
You will also need a container large enough to hold the fish for examination. Koi bowls or storage containers work well.
