Foamy surface in Goldfish pond

[Cshannon3]

I cleaned my filter yesterday, and in doing so, stirred up the 1400 gallon pond. As I would normally do, I added some flocculent to clear the pond. I have been using this product for some time now. The label states that water temp, which is 45 degrees, does not matter. last evening, I checked on the fish and the progress of the clearing of the water, and found thick off-white foam near everyplace the water is agitated. This is at the base of the waterfall, and aeration devices. Has anyone else had this issue before? The fish seem to be fine, but having lost all of them in the past, this really concerns me. There appears to be some type of film in the water surface as well. Has this happened to any one else when using RapidClear flocculent? I will clear as much foam from the surface as possible today, but have no clue why this has happene

d. HELP!!!

 

[sissy]

babies on the way ,get the bassinet ready instead of a chemical use koi clay it is cheaper and safer

 

[Cshannon3]

I appreciate your response, but I have some questions. I have babies already, that were born in the last 6 months. I have not seen this foam though before. Can you explain your information? I honestly think the babies could have been "in process" when some of the fish were added over the summer last year, so that would explain several things. If this is part of the breeding process, should I do nothing to the foam? Not skim it off? Thank you again. Now I have more to consider....

 

[mrsclem]

Doubt that the foam is from spawning- water temp at 45. The foam is from the flocculant you added. It makes the particles in the water clump together and you will get foam where you have water movement. Did you dose correctly for the size of your pond? I would not use any chemicals with water temps that low, the fish are dormant and are easily stressed. Skim the foam off and keep an eye on the fish.

 

[sissy]

reason I said that is because if you measure water temperature at the top of the water it is colder than the bottom of the pond .Could it also be settled rotting leaves and fish poop on the bottom of the pond .My pond is 50 degrees on the top but 59 degrees on the bottom at the shallow end and 62 at the deepest end.Is your pond in full sun and do you know what your ground temperature is

 

[Cshannon3]

I'm going to skim the foam off, then hope for the best. I just cleaned the filter yesterday, and scooped as much debris as possible at the same time. I hope the fish are ok. The label for the flocculent said water temp didn't matter. I hope they are right. Thank you all for the help and responses!

 

[MIKES KOI]

hi there shannon 3. what you have there is a simple case of DOCS . dissolved organic compounds. you canmake a phoam- phraxionator to solve the issue fast..it uses no chemicals. just pvc and bio balls. it will clean that size pond up in 3 days...

 

[GBBUDD]

I agree with mike the foam is organics that were once solids like leaves blades of grass or pine needles that are now in a liquid form and when agitated if foams up just like the ocean you can;t have miles of coast line get exposed to air and not have death.. an other way to help remove the foam is water changes and a protein skimmer

 

[englishgal]

I'm looking for answers too! I have had to start over, putting a new liner in. I added a few new plants and bought pond potting soil and a planter basket for my lily pads this time as they were taking over before. Now I have foam on the top and the fish are not doing well. 5 have died since yesterday. So far I have drained most of the water and am working on refilling it with fresh non chlorinated water. Hoping it helps and is not too late for the rest of the fish.

 

[Mmathis]

@englishgal Hello and welcome!

Since this is an older thread, you might want to start a new one which specifically addresses your issues. That makes it easier for us to respond, and your stuff doesn’t get mixed up with other stuff and lost.

When you do start your new thread, please go ahead and include some information for us:

1. How big is your pond?
2. What kind of fish do you have, and how many?
3. How long has this pond been up and running? (I see where you said you had to start over….)
4. What kind of filtration do you have?
5. Except for the lily pads, have there been any other changes to your pond….such as adding new fish…?
6. What is your climate like? (temperature, sun exposure)
7. Do you test your water, and if so, what were your most recent results?

 

[englishgal]

Ok I will try to do that, thank you!