Fish die off

cas

Joined
Apr 20, 2015
Messages
2,267
Reaction score
3,039
Location
NE Ohio
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6a
Country
United States
Pretty pond. By the way, you will want to leave the algae in your pond because it helps with ammonia.
 
Joined
Aug 21, 2022
Messages
17
Reaction score
6
Location
Michigan
Hardiness Zone
6a
Country
United States
I think she might mean that it has areas that are 2 feet & deeper areas that are 5'.
yes that is what I mean. one section is less deep than the other
Pretty pond. By the way, you will want to leave the algae in your pond because it helps with ammonia.
That is interesting. I did kill off an algae bloom right before this happened.....
 
Joined
Apr 2, 2019
Messages
1,444
Reaction score
2,486
Location
Purlear, NC
Hardiness Zone
7a
Country
United States
Your best bet to 'kill off an algae bloom' is to outcompete the algae with LOTS & LOTS of plants. In your pictures I don't see any plants in the pond, which means you're missing a very important component.
 
Joined
Aug 21, 2022
Messages
17
Reaction score
6
Location
Michigan
Hardiness Zone
6a
Country
United States
Your best bet to 'kill off an algae bloom' is to outcompete the algae with LOTS & LOTS of plants. In your pictures I don't see any plants in the pond, which means you're missing a very important component.
Until this year I had lots of Lilli pads - for some reason they did very poor this year and had only one or two flowers - I even bought some new ones and they did not do well either.
 
Joined
Apr 2, 2019
Messages
1,444
Reaction score
2,486
Location
Purlear, NC
Hardiness Zone
7a
Country
United States
Until this year I had lots of Lilli pads - for some reason they did very poor this year and had only one or two flowers - I even bought some new ones and they did not do well either.
Water lilies are good for providing shade, but they really aren't the best when it comes to sucking up the extra nutrients. That's the job of marginal aquatic plants like iris, pickerel rush, lizard tail, and also the 'floaters' like water hyacinth.

My lilies started struggling a few years back (my fish rooting around & digging them up was a big portion of the problem) so I ended up having to put them in containers with screen over the top to keep them safe from the fish. We fertilize them every two weeks all summer to keep them going strong. My marginal plants are left to fend for themselves & suck up all the extra nutrients in the water.
 
Joined
Oct 28, 2013
Messages
13,070
Reaction score
13,394
Location
Northern IL
Showcase(s):
1
I just find that reading hard to believe - 4ppm? Or .4? At four I’d assume all the fish would be dead.

If your pond is 3000 gallons then your filter may be undersized. I’m not familiar with that brand - is that the pump rating? Or the actual filter rating?
 
Joined
Aug 21, 2022
Messages
17
Reaction score
6
Location
Michigan
Hardiness Zone
6a
Country
United States
I guess I could have mis read it but the number was 4 ppm on the card. it was VERY green after the time.

I did a big water change yesterday and put in ammonia lock and some new bacteria. Found one dead Comet at the bottom. I did not see any abnormalities on it - no red gills, no irritated skin. The fish looked much more active after the water change. The filter it self is rated for 3200 gal. I added some activated charcoal also to the waterfall.
 
Joined
Oct 4, 2019
Messages
1,173
Reaction score
899
Location
Winchester, VA
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
I agree with Lizak1. In my opinion, you need much more filtration. Filters are routinely overrated, generally twice what they can actually handle. You need a filter rated for 6000 gallons or more.

I believe that there is no such thing as too much filtration. My pond is 6000 gallons and I have filtration for around 25,000 gallons. I admit that my pond is overstocked, but the filtration can handle that.

Your fish are not growing as they should, so I suspect you have had water quality issues for a while that are stunting your fish. At the end of their first year of age, they should be around 9 inches. At 2 they should be 15 inches or so, and at 3, they should be 24 inches.

Have you tested the ammonia since the water change? Please realize that if you changed half the water, the ammonia would still be 2, if the original reading is correct. The ammo lock will help, but you need to get that ammonia down with better filtration.
 
Joined
Aug 21, 2022
Messages
17
Reaction score
6
Location
Michigan
Hardiness Zone
6a
Country
United States
I have not yet tested the water. I plan to do that this morning. Should I add a second filter or can I put them inline or do I just need to upgrade - which will make me sad since I just bought this one.....
 
Joined
Oct 4, 2019
Messages
1,173
Reaction score
899
Location
Winchester, VA
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
You can do either. Or you can add a different type of filter, like a shower filter or a bog, or a moving bed, or sand and gravel filter.

There are lots of options out there and plenty of information online for those. It's a personal decision for whatever works best for you and your pond.
 
Joined
Aug 21, 2022
Messages
17
Reaction score
6
Location
Michigan
Hardiness Zone
6a
Country
United States
Ok I ordered a new pressure pump and filter set up that is for up to 4500 gal. I will add it to the other filter which should give me more than adequate filter. I tested ammonia and while not zero it is much lower - lighter than one ppm.
 

mrsclem

mrsclem
Joined
Jul 21, 2008
Messages
5,351
Reaction score
4,810
Location
st. mary's county, md.
Hardiness Zone
7A
Country
United States
The pressure filter ratings are usually for a pond with no fish. Most have some info posted somewhere the rate for a lightly stocked pond and then one with koi. A 10,000 gal filter with koi can read as low as 2500 gallon filteration.
 
Joined
Aug 20, 2020
Messages
339
Reaction score
260
Location
Southwest
Country
United States
How did you kill off your algae bloom right before this happened?

Unfortunately there are many stories of algaecides killing fish and snails, or the dead algae causing problems for fish.

You were doing something right for the 4 years you had this pond before this sudden die off.

I am sorry for the losses.
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
30,781
Messages
508,572
Members
13,042
Latest member
lucaryan

Latest Threads

Top