3 replies to this topic

[fourtanks]

I have new 2000g pond and added declorinator and Micro Lift PL and added four 8" koi a week ago. My ammonia is 0.25 no nitrites or nitrates yet. All the fish seemed fine but then this morning one of the koi starting swimming around on the top of the water with his back sticking out of the water sometimes. This evening he died. All of the other fish seem fine.

Does this swimming at the top of the water and then dieing that same day have a diagnosis that I should treat for the other fish?

I have not added salt to the water. Should I?

Thanks,
Dwayne

[koikeepr]

Ok, let's start going backwards.

How new is the pond officially--in other words, you added fish a week ago, but how many days were there before you started the pond and added fish for the first time? Have you done any water changes?

Sometimes, there are fish that just, well, die. You want your ammonia to be at 0.

Perhaps it was just an unlucky straw that one fish picked.

[DrDave]

Don't salt a new pond. Let it develop it's eco system first.
New ponds should be cycled with throw away fish like feeders before you add Koi.
Answer koikeepr so a baseline can be established.

Oh and welcome to the forum. Please go to the UserCP and add your location.

[koikeepr]

I think DrD is headed in the direction I'm thinking. It could have been too soon to add fish. Folks need to be patient and let a pond cycle a bit. Don't be so itchy to add the fish. Again, if the others are still ok, there is possibility this particular fish was already ill. But one should still give a new pond a chance to mature a bit.