Is this normal?

[Phillipwithapond]

Just started a new pond two weeks ago, filled with tap water and treated with 'Blagdon: Fresh Start'. The pond is 6ft by 8ft (and about 4ft deep 40% of pond, 2.5ft deep 40% and a shallow shoreline 20%). I am using a 9000 litre hozelock easyclear pump which has a uv clarifier and all that jazz. I left it do it's thing for just over a week as advised and then three days ago I bought 8 of the smallest goldfish/shubunkin that they had in the garden centre (about two inches long) asI thought they would have a smaller impact on the environment if the pond while it continues to establish. However today one of the goldfish was floating in the shore area with fin rot. I have put him in fishy ICU now (my old fish tank filled with pond water). I noticed the pond has a brown coating all over the sides (on the liner), all over the plants underwater (which seems to be killing the plants below the water line) and all over the stones in the shore line (basically everything below water. I wonder if it's some dirt that's got washed in from when I was building the pond/bottom of wellies and also I think my rookie mistake was I forgot to clean the shore line stones before I put them in and I think they were all dusty :s Any advice would be much appreciated. For instance should I agitate the sides of the pond/plants with something to knock this dirt up so the filter can get it? Is this just a normal feature of a pond? (I've never had one before). Pics below...

 

[Lisak1]

I don't know exactly what that is - it looks almost like dead algae particulate. If you swish the plants around under water, does it brush off? Stone dust wouldn't cause that I don't think. Hopefully someone else will have a better answer!

 

[Phillipwithapond]

Yes it brushes off the plants fairly easily with a good swish around but then over the next day or two it seems to get coated again.

 

[Lisak1]

So the plants are brown from the debris that's coating them, not because they are dying? I'll stick with my theory then - it's debris from dying algae. And I don't think it's connected to your fish getting sick at all. But that's just my opinion from afar!

 

[bettasngoldfish]

I think it's most likely brown algae, very common in new aquariums. It can be caused by excess nitrates, low light and or low oxygen levels.

I'm guessing it can occur in ponds as well.

 

[Phillipwithapond]

Yes, I think they're brown from the debris or whatever it is that is coating them, which also seems to be killing the leaves it's on. Rather than the normal process of leaves just going brown because they are dead. If that makes sense.

 

[Lisak1]

Yup. Perfect sense. I think Maria maybe knows more about brown algae than I do - I just assumed it was dead, but perhaps not.

 

[Phillipwithapond]

Thanks Maria, will look up this brown algae stuff on google now. I.e. Should I just leave it alone? is it an ok part of a pond ecosystem (it's a wildlife/goldfish pond)? Or should I get something from the aquatics centre to get rid? Or just keep knocking it off everything and hope the filter gets it. Thanks to you both for replying. ​

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Yes, I think they're brown from the debris or whatever it is that is coating them, which also seems to be killing the leaves it's on. Rather than the normal process of leaves just going brown because they are dead. If that makes sense.

Yep, Makes sense. You can clean the leaves of the plants if your worried about it.

Once your pond matures a bit you should see it clear up. In the mean time if you can do water changes on the pond then do so as it will help and also feed the fish very lightly for the time being.

 

[addy1]

It looks like fine dirt debris to me, probably from the rocks. I had the same when I first turned on my pond

Welcome to our group!

 

[Mmathis]

@Phillipwithapond (My son's name is Phillip -- with 2 "L's" ). Have you tested your water for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, pH? If not, you may want to get a test kit -- "drop" kits are more reliable that "strip" kits.

Basically, since you just added the fish, your entire pond is a quarantine tank, and you don't know what those new fish were carrying with them from the store. Sometimes you just get a sick fish. No ideas on treatments, but keep an eye on all of them -- and check your water. If your levels are high, do a water change.

I'll follow this, as well, regarding the "brown algae" stuff. No clues, but what's been posted sounds about right. Again, monitoring your water and water changes might help.

And, @bettasngoldfish @Lisak1 Interesing about the algae! Over the w/end I did a clean-out and water change on my 300 gal stock tank QT -- no one in QT, so it's got a few goldfish and some over-flow water lilies. There was this "film" [for want of a better description] on everything -- including lily stems, and where it accumulated, it broke off in big chunks -- I could catch the chunks in a net, but if I used my hands, they sort of.....disolved. Wouldn't call it brown, but it was different from anything I've seen in the pond. I thought it might be "dead algae."

The QT has gone through a BIG change lately, in that a few weeks ago we removed the EZ-Up shelter that's been over it forever. Where it's located, it doesn't get a lot of sun exposure, but does get more than it used to. So, now I wonder -- and it does look like what Phillip has in his pics.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

It appears to be a layer or silt covering everything. It could very well be rock dust if you did not clean your rock beforehand. This is extremely difficult to filter out because of particle size. Sorry to say, your best solution is a pond clean-out.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Here is a link to Robyn's fish pond info where she talks about different types of algae and even has a picture of the brown algae or diatoms in a goldfish tank (scroll down to the bottom of the page) http://www.fishpondinfo.com/plants/algaetypes.htm

And a little better discription of brown diatom algae http://www.aquascapingworld.com/algaepedia/full_view_algae.php?item_id=79

 

[sissy]

If you can get quilt batting or fine filters and clean them often you may be able to get a lot of it