When I bought my house last year it came with a small garden pond well-stocked (in fact probably a bit overstocked) with fish - some quite large carp, goldfish, one or two koi. It has a series of small upper ponds and the water circulates in that way. We had the pond cleaned last summer and have regularly cleaned the filter, etc and it has seemed to be OK. The odd fish dies from time to time but overall no apparent epidemics etc. However we've noticed recently that the fish all seem to be lined up with their noses by the small waterfall which discharges into their pond. Is this a sign of something wrong? Lack of oxygen? We are complete beginners.
Fish congregating by waterfall
- Thread starter Duzeler
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Meyer Jordan
Tadpole
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How many fish are there? What is the approximate total surface area of all of the upper and lower ponds?
Although it could be an indication of a low Dissolved Oxygen level, it is more likely the fact that the because the fish just have a natural affinity for moving water, they are attracted to the waterfall which provides this movement.
Thanks for the message - I will try to measure the pond tomorrow and count the fish!
Anytime the bog or upper pool get stirred up, our fish hang out at the waterfall. I think there must be good stuff that gets washed down. It's like a fishy buffet. So it could be that.
More info will help - and pictures! We love pictures!
More info will help - and pictures! We love pictures!
Mmathis
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Have you tested your water for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, pH, etc.?
Hanging by the water fall may also be a sign that your fish have a parasitic infection of some sorts can you see anything on your fish that May indicate this .
Here are three very good books readily available on Amazon that I've taken from our from our Library article for you :-
The Manual of Fish Health ISBN 0861013869. Dr Chris Andrews Adrian Exell, Dr Neville Carrington.
Hand Book of Fish Diseases (All Fish) ISBN 0866227032. Dieter Untergasser.
The Interpet Manual of Koi Health ISBN 1842860992. Keith Holmes, Tony Pitham.
These books were the first books we ever bought at the start of a hobby that has lasted 28 years this year , from it we gained an indepth knowedge of what we are doing koi and koi/fish health wise
That Library has grown to become a refrence library of 100 books collected by us in that same period via fish auctions, koi club book, auctions, as birthday/ Christmas presents or laterly from Amazon and Alibris websites or were purchased outright from book stores
Dave
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Mine sometimes congregate under the waterfall for food. There are mosquito larvae that I notice often in the waterfall spillways, and the fish have learned that sometimes those goodies fall down in for them. And after a feeding of koi food) some pellets will float to the waterfalls, and jet down into the water. The fish love the game of waiting at the "food dispenser."
sissy
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Some fish just think the movement means food .Mine go nuts when it is raining .
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Mine also congregate under the waterfall for food. When I feed them the waterfall current makes food sink, they love it. I also imagine they enjoy the moving water.
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I have a 10,000 ltr pond with about 30 young (3 inch) fish,Shubs,comets,orfe, so it can't be lack of oxygen. My fish love to hang around underneath the waterfall,I think its the equivalent of the water cooler at work.The thing I need some opinions on is the fact that I've had my fish for 3 weeks and as far as i can see non of the food I have put in the pond has been eaten,I filled the pond up in the spring,about 6 weeks before I put the fish in.I was wondering if 6 weeks was long enough for the pond to stock up naturally with insect larvae etc.
You'll be suprised just how fast nature takes over however just because they are fish doesnt mean they shouldnt be fed by us , it may well be your over feeding, perhaps you could try cutting down the food for the time being .
Dave
Not to scare you but the only time my koi congregated by the water fall I had a bad case of parasites which I lost 2 large koi from. If you notice your fish flashing or jumping seek treatment immediately. .....
Thanks Robert and everybody else who has posted replies. It did turn out to be a shortage of oxygen - the only hot weather this summer (in the UK - two days at the start of July) made it obvious there was a problem. We installed an electrically powered oxygenator (the solar powered ones were too part time to make a difference 24/7). Since then the fish have seemed very contented and are using the whole pool in a relaxed manner.
Good to hear.
The problem is water quality. I had the exact same problem in a pond in Mexico. One of my water pumps, a small one, stopped working. Time passed and the fish grew. As the pump was small, I did not replace it. About two or three months later some of my fish began to die, especially the smaller ones without showing visible signs of being sick. 1 or 2 every two or three days. A fish dying from time to time is normal, but three or four fish a week is no normal. The fish continued to eat regularly and did not look sick or act strange or different. The only new thing was that most of them congregated more often under the waterfall, sometimes for several hours and seemed to struggle or strive to have a privileged place in the jet of water. Beside this, there was no new variable implemented in the pond.
The new behavior of the fish was that much of the day, but especially, in the mornings, most of the fish congregated under the waterfall, at first it was only in the morning, but as the days passed, they congregated under the waterfall for longer, sometimes almost all day. The only thing that interested them was being under the waterfall. The fish didn't seem to be looking for oxygen, rather they were looking to clean themselves, as if something in the water was irritating them and they were instinctively looking for new water to clean or remove the irritation. Obviously, the fish do not know that the water they received was not new, as if it could happen with a waterfall in nature. The pond is a closed circuit with the same water.
How was the problem fixed? I simply incorporated a new pump, which improved the amount of filtered water and generated greater oxygenation in the water. Two days later, the fish stopped congregating under the waterfall and stopped dying.
If the fish congregate below the waterfall it is NOT normal, it is because they feel irritated or bothered by some harmful component in the water. It could be some bacteria, excess debris or some chemical compound that is not being properly decomposed by the filtration processes of the pond filter. If the fish congregate under the waterfall it is a sign that they are bothered by something present in the water and it will be necessary to analyze in each case whether greater filtration, greater water flow, greater oxygenation is needed or we have an over-population of fish for the amount of water. Or maybe it's all of the above. The most important thing is to detect it and act before the fish start to die. If your fish congregate under the waterfall, it is because they are uncomfortable with the quality of the water. As simple as that!