Record what a new koi looks like on arrival, then watch for changes in its prepared quarantine system. Shipping can affect behavior, but serious breathing or balance trouble should not be dismissed as settling in. Monitoring starts immediately after transfer.
Record the Arrival
- Arrival time, supplier, individual identity, and journey duration.
- Bag damage, unusual delays, and observations needed under the sale conditions.
- Receiving water temperature, pH, ammonia, and nitrite results.
- Breathing, balance, visible injuries, and any differences within the group.
Watch Without Repeated Handling
Keep conditions calm, maintain aeration and a secure cover, and observe from a distance. Check that equipment actually runs and that the fish remains upright. Follow the agreed feeding plan for temperature, condition, and system capacity. An automatic food or fasting timetable is less useful than the actual arrival circumstances.
Do Not Wait Through Severe Signs
Gasping, rolling, severe weakness, expanding wounds, or deaths require prompt contact with the supplier and a fish veterinarian. Check life support and water while arranging help. Do not wait forty-eight hours simply because the fish is new, and do not add salt or heat as a default response. See distress triage.
Keep a Daily Comparison
Record the same observations, tests, feeding, and interventions each day. This helps distinguish a condition already present on arrival from a developing change. Share the timeline and photographs with the professional; visible normality alone cannot exclude infection.
Review Before Joining the Pond
A completed calendar period is only part of quarantine release review. Unresolved signs, recent new exposure, or incomplete follow-up should delay release until assessed. Keep dedicated equipment and avoid combining unrelated arrival groups. Read the transfer guide before the next move.