Crazy fishies

[Jag falls]

I have 2 koi and 5 Goldie’s. My pond has 2 aeration stones,2 spitters,is shaded during the hottest part of the days and I have iris, cannas, water Lettuce ,lilies and even impatience doing wonderful. The water is nice and clear too but my crazy fish come to the top and smack their lips. It used to only happen at feeding time but now they do it often. WHY? Any advice or suggestions?

 

[bagsmom]

Do they do it when you come to the water's edge? Or when you are looking out from a window and nowhere in sight? When I used to feed my fish, they got so well-trained - they would hear the bump of the porch door and they'd know it was food time. By the time I got to the pond, they were like yours, smacking their lips at the surface.

 

[WaterGardener]

What are the water parameters? Nitrite can cause fish to gasp at the surface since it interferes with their being able to take up oxygen. It doesn't matter how much aeration you have in the pond if they are unable to use it.

Also, they sometimes do that to get the oils from the fish food, or small insects, off the surface.

 

[SarahT]

Agree with the water testing (I'm in Florida, too). Mine do the same thing occasionally and I think it's attention-seeking behavior . Do you have enough algae on the rocks/ liner for fish snacking? I do a small water change every month or so in the summer, as I am adding (conditioned) water until the rains keep up with evaporation (I'll be careful what I type for - Tropical storm watch for us this weekend).
Let me know what you find. Thanks and good luck.

 

[Jag falls]

Do they do it when you come to the water's edge? Or when you are looking out from a window and nowhere in sight? When I used to feed my fish, they got so well-trained - they would hear the bump of the porch door and they'd know it was food time. By the time I got to the pond, they were like yours, smacking their lips at the surface.

They do it a lot. But yes they do com to the edge at feeding times. I just noticed last night while sitting on the patio I could hear them doing it. Could I have to many plants in there and stealing the oxygen from them? I’ll have to test when I get home from work. Does it tell me what to add if I’m low or high on something? Honestly never tested my pond water before.

 

[Jag falls]

What are the water parameters? Nitrite can cause fish to gasp at the surface since it interferes with their being able to take up oxygen. It doesn't matter how much aeration you have in the pond if they are unable to use it.

Also, they sometimes do that to get the oils from the fish food, or small insects, off the surface.

I’ll test tonight when I get off work. I’ve never tested it. Was trying to keep it all natural and thought the plants and all took caw of it. WRONG AGAIN. Lesson to learn.

 

[rubyduby]

My fish hardly ever come up to the top of the water (I feed sinking pellets which is part of the reason) I live in Florida also and it has been very hot and yet I have not witnessed that behavior. It will be interesting to hear the results of your water test....

 

[Jag falls]

My fish hardly ever come up to the top of the water (I feed sinking pellets which is part of the reason) I live in Florida also and it has been very hot and yet I have not witnessed that behavior. It will be interesting to hear the results of your water test....

Test results were all perfect. I guess I just have crazy fish. Lol

 

[Jag falls]

No nitrates or nitrites and everything else was perfect.

 

[Criscar]

Test results were all perfect. I guess I just have crazy fish. Lol

Do you have a test kit that measures dissolved oxygen? Salifert makes one, if you need the peace of mind. From what I understand if you were having problems with oxygen depletion from your plants, the symptoms would be their worst just before dawn during periods of hot weather (plants respire at night, the higher the water temp, the less total dissolved oxygen it can hold, and the hotter the temps the more plant growth). Late afternoon or evening when the plants have been photosynthesizing all day there shouldn’t be any O2 issues in a planted pond.

We hand feed our fish a lot so they always come to the surface when we are around.

 

[poconojoe]

Sometimes my fish do that sucking or puckering noise when they munch on moss growing on the rocks. It's funny seeing them stick their head out of the water and grab some moss. That sucking noise is hilarious.

 

[Jag falls]

Well that makes sense too. They have been doing great lately.

 

[Jag falls]

Do you have a test kit that measures dissolved oxygen? Salifert makes one, if you need the peace of mind. From what I understand if you were having problems with oxygen depletion from your plants, the symptoms would be their worst just before dawn during periods of hot weather (plants respire at night, the higher the water temp, the less total dissolved oxygen it can hold, and the hotter the temps the more plant growth). Late afternoon or evening when the plants have been photosynthesizing all day there shouldn’t be any O2 issues in a planted pond.

We hand feed our fish a lot so they always come to the surface when we are around.

I have a test kit and all well within specs. I too hand feed my gang. They seem to be doing great lately. Thanks

 

[Faebinder]

How big is this pond?

 

[Jag falls]

I85 gallons