Giving up?

[Joan martinez]

I am new to the pond life.I am about to give up!!!!My pond is now just stressing me out.It is 8x10 aprox 3ft deep in the center,with a shallow ridge.I have a tetra gravity discharge filter and a submersible filter the pump is 1000 GPH.My Ph is 7.My fish are miserable.All laying at the bottom or on the shallow ridge in a group.What am I doing wrong.Should I do away with one filter?Oh I have a water fountain.I have bought all sorts of additives..Ph up,Ph down,pond clear and ammono lock.I have had a lot od fish die on me...should I just fill the pond in and give up...

 

[DrDave]

Welcome to the Forum!
I moved your post to its own Introduction thread.

 

[CountryPond]

Welcome to GPF. No no, don't give up! There is a reason why this is happening and you just need to find out what it is. Have you tested your water, done water changes..... considered building a DIY filter to improve the water. I'm sure others will chime in that are more experienced than me.

 

[sissy]

welcome joan maybe you are trying to hard and putting in to many things .Do you have an oxygen pump or plants .Plants use up oxygen at night and give it off during the day .Try building your own filter I had one of those pressurized things and it has sat in the basement now for over 4 years .I built my own and fish are happy and healthier now

 

[taherrmann4]

Welcome! Agree don't give up while it can be stressful now when you get it cycled everything will run smoothly and you will enjoy it greatly.

 

[Joan martinez]

thank u all so much.

Thank u all so much,I did do a water change and I sorted out a problem where I had run off into my pond.We have palced plants and I put some rocks in for the fish to hide under.The fish just look miserable and will not eat.They are all laying next to each other at the bottom of the pond.We ahve about 20 small koi.And had another one die today.Can u please tell us how to build our own filter.I am getting very confused about all the stuff I read about,should I add salt?Should I buy Metaplex and add that.Or is this just the way the fish behave???

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group!

did you put your plants in with the soil what was in their pots?

It takes time to get a pond running well, have you checked your ammonia?

That is a lot of koi for 300 gallons they tend to poop alot.
Don't give up there are a lot of people here that will help you.

Don't keep adding stuff to the pond. Post your test results for your water, more than just the ph.

nitrites, nitrates, ammonia The more info we all have the better we can help.

 

[sissy]

Agree with addy for sure that is a lot of koi .I have koi and they poop a lot .I have 2 filters and 2 pumps 2 waterfalls and I only feed them every 2 days .One of my pumps is 940 gph and the other is 1268 gph .My water is clear and I have managed to control my biggest koi's destructive habits with plants .I have 3 lilies and water lettuce and hyacinth .I alway clean my plants in clean water for a couple of days before adding them to my pond .I don't want to add something that I should not .You never know what that dirt holds in it .I use gravel for most replantings

 

[Joan martinez]

Re: thank u all so much.

Nitrate 0
Nitrtite0
Hardness very soft
Alkalinity o
Ph 7.2.
Do fish always lay on their side?Mine are laying like that but when I went to make sure they where alive they took off..

 

[sissy]

how long have the fish been in the pond and how long was the filter running before fish were added and how big is your filter.Koi stress in surrondings .When I had to rebuild my pond I could see taking them out and putting them in the big storage tank affected them ,but now they are back to themselves

 

[fishin4cars]

Welcome aboard! :regular_waving_emot Ok, I have questions, You state the pond is 8x10 x3 ft That's 1800 gallons, Your saying you have 300 gallons, ??? Your pump is 1000gph, for a 300 gallon pond might be ok, for 1800 gallon pond, quite small. Filter design isn't one of the better filters and with a heavy fish load could be WAY to small. Someone suggested DIY, I think I would agree.
20 koi even at 3-5" is a LOT of load for a 300 gallon pond, I keep 7 - 6" in a 300 gallon and the filter is ??? Maybe 5 times the size as the tetra filter. Sounds like there are some issues in the pond that need addressing pretty quickly, Lots of air and lots of water circulation would be a start.