I don't know if i removed all of the sick fish. So since the pond is empty now what if there are dead fish trapped behind the many rocks is it still possible for them to poison the pond? Don't know what the cause of death was.
All of the fish in the pond are now dead.
- Thread starter 420benz
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Dead fish aren't "poison". Obviously it's not ideal water conditions to have decaying organic matter in the pond, but dead goldfish won't take long to return to nature. I have no idea why you think there might be dead fish behind rocks, but things no doubt die in ponds all the time and we have no clue they are even there.
I'm going to be really honest with you here for a minute - if you're starting this pond over, then really start over. I feel like you need to slow your roll a bit and treat this like a new pond. Fill it with water and allow it to cycle and your filter to mature BEFORE you add more fish. That's BEFORE. Don't add them and then say "whoops! I got carried away! What do I do now?" That's not the way to be successful. Read about fish less pond cycling. Study the process so you understand what you're doing so you can proceed with confidence.
I'm really not meaning to be harsh here, but I feel like your whole pond experience thus far has been "I know I shouldn't have done this" or "maybe this was a bad idea, but" and then trying to remedy problems that you're creating. This latest addition of mosquito fish is a good example - I don't remember you posting "I'm THINKING of adding mosquito fish - good idea or no?" Instead it's "I did this and now I have a disaster - how do I fix it?" You put those mosquito fish in for your fish to eat - did someone tell you that goldfish would eat mosquito fish? You're testing your water, but relying on others over the internet to interpret your test results. These are things that you eventually need to have the confidence to do on your own. I want to see you enjoy this pond. So far it's felt like one problem after another to me. How does it feel to you?
I hope you read this in the spirit that it's intended.
I'm going to be really honest with you here for a minute - if you're starting this pond over, then really start over. I feel like you need to slow your roll a bit and treat this like a new pond. Fill it with water and allow it to cycle and your filter to mature BEFORE you add more fish. That's BEFORE. Don't add them and then say "whoops! I got carried away! What do I do now?" That's not the way to be successful. Read about fish less pond cycling. Study the process so you understand what you're doing so you can proceed with confidence.
I'm really not meaning to be harsh here, but I feel like your whole pond experience thus far has been "I know I shouldn't have done this" or "maybe this was a bad idea, but" and then trying to remedy problems that you're creating. This latest addition of mosquito fish is a good example - I don't remember you posting "I'm THINKING of adding mosquito fish - good idea or no?" Instead it's "I did this and now I have a disaster - how do I fix it?" You put those mosquito fish in for your fish to eat - did someone tell you that goldfish would eat mosquito fish? You're testing your water, but relying on others over the internet to interpret your test results. These are things that you eventually need to have the confidence to do on your own. I want to see you enjoy this pond. So far it's felt like one problem after another to me. How does it feel to you?
I hope you read this in the spirit that it's intended.
Well done [B]Lisak1[/B]. I have learned my lesson. I will clean the pond, rearrange all of the plants, add water, and WAIT. You guys on this forum are so help-full and i thank all of you. Thanks Again.
Good to hear! You'll be much happier with your results. Your pond should be 99% pleasure with just a smidge of work thrown in for fun!
I think you really need to try to figure out what may have happened. While it's possible the mosquito fish introduced some kind of illness into the pond, it's hard to believe the goldfish all died that quickly with no signs of anything wrong.
Did you treat the pond with anything or add anything before this started? Could it have been poisoned somehow - fertilizer or weed killer or some other project happening near the pond? Any commercial fields nearby that may have been sprayed? Did all the mosquito fish die, too? They are notoriously difficult to get rid of, even when you're trying.
Did you treat the pond with anything or add anything before this started? Could it have been poisoned somehow - fertilizer or weed killer or some other project happening near the pond? Any commercial fields nearby that may have been sprayed? Did all the mosquito fish die, too? They are notoriously difficult to get rid of, even when you're trying.
I don't think the zeolite could be harmful, but is it possible you overdosed the pond on Prime?
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Even if you over dose Prime, it wouldn't be fatal.
You treated with Prime because of high ammonia ? When was this? How high was the ammonia ?
You treated with Prime because of high ammonia ? When was this? How high was the ammonia ?
Hmmm... it's puzzling. What about the mosquito fish? Are they all dead, too?
Also - I do think it's very difficult to overdose on Prime, but there is a level at which too much Prime can start to affect the oxygen level in a pond. Based on the instructions, it doesn't appear you used too much though:
Prime for Ponds:Use 1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) for each 600-700 gallons for removing chlorine or chloramine. To detoxify high concentrations of ammonia or nitrite, use 1/4 to 1/2 cup for each 600 gallons. Sulfur odor is normal. For exceptionally high chloramine concentrations, a double dose may be used safely. To detoxify nitrite in an emergency, up to 5 times normal dose may be used. If temperature is > 30 °C (86 °F) and chlorine or ammonia levels are low, use a half dose.
However, Prime doesn't resolve the cause of the high ammonia - it only contains it long enough for you to correct the issue. In your case I would suspect an overstocked, immature pond, if indeed high ammonia was the culprit.
Prime for Ponds:Use 1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) for each 600-700 gallons for removing chlorine or chloramine. To detoxify high concentrations of ammonia or nitrite, use 1/4 to 1/2 cup for each 600 gallons. Sulfur odor is normal. For exceptionally high chloramine concentrations, a double dose may be used safely. To detoxify nitrite in an emergency, up to 5 times normal dose may be used. If temperature is > 30 °C (86 °F) and chlorine or ammonia levels are low, use a half dose.
However, Prime doesn't resolve the cause of the high ammonia - it only contains it long enough for you to correct the issue. In your case I would suspect an overstocked, immature pond, if indeed high ammonia was the culprit.
It's only moot until it happens again... which hopefully it won't. Hopefully it was just a case of too much too soon and you'll address that this time around.