29 replies to this topic

[4x6x2gold]

I built my first pond about 3 weeks ago. it is a liner kit with skimmer and waterfall, rocked in. Picture in my profile. We put in 2 goldfish from neighboors pond, 3 years old. # days later we added 3 small feeder goldfish from petstore and 2 pet store shubunkin. We had a total of 7 fish between 1.5 - 3 inches. On August 2nd we lost a feeder. On August 5 we lost a Shubunkin . We added a new older Shunbunkin on August 4th. On August 10 we lost another feeder. In most cases we watched them one by one detach from the group and become more secluded and stop coming up to feed and then die. Now we have one of the three year old goldfish behaving oddly. At first she was being chased by two of the other fish and we thought she might be a female and they were trying to get her to release eggs. Yesterday she was hanging out, not swimming near top of the pond on the skimmer side. This morning I could not find her when I fed them. It has been very hot and humid the last few weeks. The water tests come out fine. Water temperature is about 80. I had some water lettuce and hyachinth plants and recently added a reed and arrowhead. Yesterday I added more water lettuce to further shade the water. I can provide more information if needed, but someone please help with some ideas. My daughters are sad that they are losing their named fish. Maybe I need to change water...but so soon? Maybe the waterfall is not providing enough aeration? it is odd that they are dying one by one. Please help with any suggestions.

[DrDave]

You did an awfull lot in 3 weeks. Don't add more fish until the pond's bio cycle has had a chance to complete. Lose any rocks or gravel from the bottom before they create more problems for you.
How many gallons is this pond?

Edited by DrDave, 12 August 2010 - 07:45 PM.

[4x6x2gold]

I guess I did do a lot in 3 weeks. You know how it is..I was excited. Anyway, my pond is probably about 230 gallons.

[DrDave]

Stick with small fish and don't put many in there even after the pond settles down. 230 gallons is very small and will be harder to manage than a larger pond.

I rescued a dozen Koi from a 100 gallon tote that had pefect water. He also had 2 very large aquarium filters going and the water was moving very fast. If anything had gone wrong with his setup, these koi would not have lasted more than an hour or 2.

[4x6x2gold]

The following except is why I put rocks in pond. Is this wrong? Iam so confused about conflicting information.

"Rocks, Gravel, and Bacteria have been a controversial element in the hobby for many years. Many enthusiasts have steered away from rocks and gravel out of fear that their system will become a maintenance nightmare. On the contrary, rocks and gravel will not only make your pond look more natural, they will also protect pond liners from UV light degradation and they provide tremendous surface area for beneficial bacteria to break down excess nutrients in the water and dissolved organic debris on the pond floor."

[Pondmaster]

Arrowhead is it not poisonous? Would it be poisonous to fish?

[addy1]

4x6x2gold said:

The following except is why I put rocks in pond. Is this wrong? Iam so confused about conflicting information.

"Rocks, Gravel, and Bacteria have been a controversial element in the hobby for many years. Many enthusiasts have steered away from rocks and gravel out of fear that their system will become a maintenance nightmare. On the contrary, rocks and gravel will not only make your pond look more natural, they will also protect pond liners from UV light degradation and they provide tremendous surface area for beneficial bacteria to break down excess nutrients in the water and dissolved organic debris on the pond floor."

The more you read, the more you search you will get differing opinions. I have had ponds with rocks, pond without rocks. This one is without cause it is too darn big to cover with rocks.

I don't do koi, mine is more of a water garden for critters, including us, swim when we want too lol.

The people that have koi tend to not want rocks, due to damage to the koi, they are very protective of their koi and koi poop a lot.

So best if you decide if you want them or not, if they become a real hassle you can always remove them, use to landscape, or you may do just fine with them. The main thing is to clean the bottom, rocks or not.

[DrDave]

Re: The rocks and gravel
All I can say is what are the credentials of the quote you just posted?
Keep in mind, any moron can post on the Internet, it is up to intellgent people to ferret out the BS.

Re: The arrowhead being poisonus
Arrowhead/Taro/Elephant ears supposedly are poisonous,
1. Do my koi eat them? No.
2. Are they beneficial to the eco system of the pond? Yes
3. Have they ever been a problem? No
4. Is there any published info from a credible source claiming death or harm to fish? No

Any questions???

[Pondmaster]

DrDave said:

Re: The rocks and gravel
All I can say is what are the credentials of the quote you just posted?
Keep in mind, any moron can post on the Internet, it is up to intellgent people to ferret out the BS.

Re: The arrowhead being poisonus
Arrowhead/Taro/Elephant ears supposedly are poisonous,
1. Do my koi eat them? No.
2. Are they beneficial to the eco system of the pond? Yes
3. Have they ever been a problem? No
4. Is there any published info from a credible source claiming death or harm to fish? No

Any questions???

You are aware that I was asking the question IF it could be toxic to fish, right?
anyway I do agree with you on the rocks & gravel, and thank you for clearing up my question on the Arrowhead.

[hewhoisatpeace]

I'd like to second DrDave here. That excerpt is just what will be building up in all the rocks in that pond: Crap. It doesn't just go away. With a small pond, you just can't afford to pollute it like that.

The rocks are not what is killing the goldfish, though. When you say that the water tests fine, are you talking about nitrate, nitrite, Ph, Kh, and Ammonia tests? Ammonia in particular. In three weeks, that small pond just hasn't cycled. In other words, too many fish.

Hey, I've done the same thing with aquariums before, so, just hold off on any new fish for a while.

BTW, what kind of filter do you have?

[4x6x2gold]

I have been using a Laguna Quick test for ponds which is a strip and tests for all those things. The amounts are PH 7.5, Alkalinity 130, Hardiness 130, Nitrates and Nitrite 0. My filter system is the skimmer which has a trap basket and filtration mat, then the water goes through the waterfall box which has a filter rack a filter mat and bacterial and charcoal pouches. I'm just learning about this, so bear with me if I have not given the right answers. Also, I cannot find the last fish I talked about. Where might he go if he died?

[rdk]

Did you fill the pond with tap city water? RDK

[hewhoisatpeace]

In the skimmer?

Don't worry about right answers, we're all here to learn. I use those Laguna strips sometimes, but they don't test ammonia. That's almost certainly where your problem is. Just don't put any new fish in, and ask that neighbor if you can put one or two of those big ones back - for a while.

Please read in the DIY section about simple filters. Really easy to put a small bio filter in, maybe in a 20 or 30 gallon tub, and so much better. Change 25% of the water, and make sure to dechlorinate the replacement water. Do that every few days, less fish, your pond will cycle and be better. Then, you can stop changing water so often. Good luck.

[Telkwa]

Your pond looks very shallow. And you say the water's in the 80's. Are the fish gasping at the surface? I'm wondering about DO (dissolved oxygen). Do you have something you could hang over the pond to shade it for a few days and bring the temps down?

[DrDave]

I have nursery tanks in a shed that gets elevated temperatures. My tanks often get into the 80's. Koi/Carp can handle this easily. Mine just get more active and eat more.