Dying fish please help

[pdpond]

Hello we have a 1300 gallon outdoor pond that has fish and a few plants. Our goldfish have been dying within the last few days we expect it to be Ich but we could be wrong. There is a 5000 gph pump that has a filter box on the inlet and pumps to a waterfall that falls 3 feet over 3 teirs. The pond is 2 months old and has a nasty algae bloom right now
The pond has afternoon sun with no shade from noon on. We treated the pond today with wipe out bacterial control.
Any suggestions and help will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

 

[Mmathis]

Welcome!

 

[sissy]

They have been dieing .Have you tested the water .How have they been acting

 

[pdpond]

Yes we tested the water and it teads okay according to the test strips. They act normal and eat normal. We have noticed that they do get sluggish the day before we have found them dead.

 

[sissy]

You really should have a liquid test kit and what is the water temps and how much are you feeding them and what are you feeding them .I would cut back on the food also .i feed mine only 3 times a week and put organic garlic in there food to help them feed better and fight off diseases

 

[sissy]

Is there built up muck on the bottom of the pond and what about oxygen levels .What is the temp of the water and has there been a lot of rain ,Are you filters working correctly

 

[pdpond]

Our inground sprinklers hit the pond. We fead them normal goldfish and koi pellets, Im not exactly sure of the name brand. Our waterfall runs 24/7 so the oxygen is good.

 

[Mmathis]

What about the possibility of run-off from your yard getting into the pond?

You said your pond is 2 months old. How many fish do you have [and how big are they]? And have you been adding any additional fish? Wondering if your biological filtration is being overloaded....?

Also, you mentioned that you thought they were dying because of "ich." What makes you think this? Were they showing any signs of illness prior to this?

 

[pdpond]

No other run off. My husband just graded the yard and laid new sod so the yard is level.

We have about 40 fish, 3 koi and the rest all goldfish. Biggest ones are about 3 inches. We have not added anymore fish.

We went on google to try to figure out what the problem might be and what we read sounded like ich. We had one goldfish that had white film or shedding on it and then they started dying,

My husband tested the water just now and it reads as follows: ammonia - 0, Ph 6.4, KH 50, GH 125, Nitrate 10, and Nitrite 0.5.

Please help....3 more dead today :sad: :sad: :sad:

 

[pdpond]

We just did a water exchange of about 40% and added dechlorinator, as well put in a UV light, I know that the UV light has nothing to do with the dying fish but I just want to make sure anyone offering advice knows everything that is going on with the pond

 

[Mmathis]

I just did a GOOGLE search for "white film," and everything basically points to poor water quality and/or overcrowding. I'm not EVEN going to try to diagnose your fish, but several articles did mention pH as a factor, in which case a "crash" would cause the slime coating (which all fish have and is essential to them) to slough off. And then there were the various diseases -- in which case, I would defer to a vet, or someone with experience looking at these (some on the GPF will do scrapings and look at them under a microscope) to determine the cause and how to treat.

I wish our resident experts on here would chime in, as they have so much more experience to contribute.

But my only comment is that for 40+ fish, 1300 gals seems too small, and especially if the pond is only 2 months old. If you have another place to put some, maybe remove about half of those fish. Also, if you don't already, get some aeration (with an air pump) going ASAP! I suspect you have water quality issues caused by overcrowding, so at this point the only solution is to fix that.

 

[pdpond]

since we have a waterfall is that not enough oxygen being put into the pond? its about 14" wide and the last teir drops almost a foot into the pond that should create lots of oxygen I thought
as for over crowding I have read on my sites that you need 10 gal of water for every inch of goldfish, so if we have 40 which is a guess, and the average 2 inches for each fish then that is only 800 gallons needed, correct me if I am wrong this is only what I have read
thanks

 

[don't ask]

welcome

pdpond..sorry to hear about losing fish... I think your nitrates are too high, although not toxic to the fish it will most definitely encourage algae growth. water changes should help remedy this. I also think your ph is too low, possible crash as your pond is relatively new and you have a large volume of fish even though they are small. the ammonia they excrete raises that nitrate number. you could try using crushed coral to help stabilize your ph. stop feeding as well until you get things under control

 

[Mmathis]

Here is a link that might be helpful.
http://www.your-garden-ponds-center.com/fish-load-calculator.html

Please don't feel that you need to be on the defensive. Your fish are in trouble. You asked for help. My solution may be one of many, and may NOT be your answer, but I'm only trying to help.

 

[pdpond]

"don't ask" I slow down their feedings but I will stop feeding them completely now, as I said I did a water change today, how often can I do another?
"mMathis" I wasn't on the defensive, I was just answering your questions to the best I can,

do I need an aerator as well as my water fall?