Can't see my 2 Koi & 2 Shubunkin

[julsnealey]

We had a rough patch this winter here in Seattle. I have a raised 16" spillway on my pond that allowed for wonderful aeration throughout the winter and we had a spell of 4 degree weather for about a three week period. My fish went into torpor and about a month and a half ago I saw all of them swimming around. Now my pond is sludgy dirty and brownish despite the aeration and clarifiers and cleanings.

I can't see any of my fish and they aren't coming to the surface to eat when I feed them. I even call their names so they will come up.(they used to come up last year when I fed them) Now I see nothing....

I am worried about whether they are still alive and what I can do to clean up the algae naturally. Could they be shy? Its 62 degrees now on a good day, but still gets really cold at night, in the 30's. Are they still in torpor? Are they hiding? How do I find out if I still have them without draining the pond?

They were approximately 7-10 Inches. I have seen no evidence of predators. Would a garra pingi pingi work to help clean up algae naturally and not harm my koi? Can they withstand wintering?

 

[DrDave]

Amber Alert!

Seriously, give them time, as it warms up, they will show themselves. In the meantime since you stated your water was green, do some partial water changes and remove any string algae by hand. Make sure your Bio filter is clean and working, the water should clear up soon.

BTW welcome to the forum!

 

[julsnealey]

Thanks!

I did a partial cleaning like you suggested. Also, cleaned and traded out some of my filter material. It was really bag after wintering. Did some muck cleaning and used some barley. It is now really sparkly clean. BUT, I only have one koi left. (Sparky) I have to admit I was really upset. We have a little over a qtr acre back yard with a lot of trees and foliage and I am thinking it was an owl or raccoon. But there were no signs of predators. No bones, tails, etc. Its like they just disappeared. *poof*.

I know this sounds pathetic, but I had a sort of relationship with them, they each had a different personality. I have plenty of little nooks and crannies for them to hide in. A very large strawberry pot on its side, a shale square planter box on its side and a floating island planter full of foliage. No lilies though as they don't do well with my pond and the partial shade. Any suggestion to keep this from happening?

 

[DrDave]

I have pvc frames covered with plastic fencing that I use when I'm not home and at night to protect mine.

 

[koidaddy]

I made some frames too. I used window screen and this help block some sun as well.