costia question

[Missa]

Didn't know where to put this, sorry if it's in the wrong place.

Anyhow, do costia affect minnows?

If so & you get an outbreak & you have minnows in your pond wouldn't they be the first to go because they're so small? It wouldn't take as much on them because of their size.

I'd think they'd be like the canaries of the pond ... anything that goes wrong with the pond you'd think would affect them first due to their small size or am I way off?

[tranquility]

Sorry can't help you with your question...but, I'll bump it up in hopes someone else can...
Lawanna

[miguynmkoi]

Wow!  Had to search costia and found out it's a nasty parasite any fish can get.  Difficult to treat too.  No fish no parasite.

[Lynda]

Costia is a particularly nasty and hard-to-spot parasite - the only way to see it is with high-magnification under a microscope.  The good news is that it can be cured if caught in time.  The bad news is that it's often misdiagnosed.  ALL fresh-water fish can get costia; no matter the size.  Koi that are stressed by being kept in less-than-perfect ponds or in crowded conditions are more susceptable than healthy koi kept in pristine ponds.  Size has little to do with infestation rates; however the treatment of choice for bait fish seems to involve copper, which is deadly for koi.

[Sunbeam56]

Yes, minnows act like canaries, and frequently will start dying before the koi do.
If you are having a minnow die -off, whether its costia or some other problem, pay attention.!!!