Goldfish/shubunkin died unknown cause

[Ida]

Hey y’all… feeling rather dismal after losing one of our beloved fishies. We don’t have many in our pond and they all have names to go with their personalities (we’re weirdos I know).
Well, Xena was true to her name, she was a true warrior and the first to receive a name since she made such an impression. A few days ago she became lethargic and stopped eating (from what I could see). The water tests showed no problems, I added some pond salt and other treatments just in case. Kept testing the water, but still good. All the other fish (7 adults and 2 fingerlings) were their energetic selves and showed absolutely no illnesses. Only Xena. She’s not yet 3 years old… I have no idea what it could’ve been. We buried her yesterday (after coming back from my grandad’s funeral)…

I’m just hoping that someone might know something, ‘coz it doesn’t add up to me. It took her about 2 days (from the first time I realised she’s not herself) to die… and no other fish seem affected.
We kept her in the pond, since we don’t have the facilities to treat her in isolation from the other fish and she’d surely have died sooner that way (I was hopeful ‘till the end). I’ll keep a close eye on the other fish to make sure they were not contaminated/infected or whatever it could have been. And we’ll be doing a water change today as well.

Any insight and/or advice would be very much appreciated!

I took photos of her before we buried her, but I don’t want to post it if not appropriate and out of respect for any sensitive viewers. But she looks normal and peaceful

 

[addy1]

So sorry to hear. Sometimes they just die.

And yes you can post pictures of deceased fish, it is one way we can help figure out what might have happened.

 

[SarahT]

I'm so sorry for your loss of your granddad. And so sorry for your loss of Xena. As Addy1 said, goldfish do sometimes just die. Since you tested for ammonia, you might want to check size of pond versus number and size of fish and whether that's a high fish load and not enough oxygen/ aeration.
Hope today is less dismal for you.

 

[Lisak1]

So sorry to hear you not only lost a beloved family member but also a beloved pet - what a day you had.

I'd encourage you to stop treating for "just in case". Without knowing why the fish died, you could easily be causing more problems for the remaining fish.

A few more details about your pond please - gallons, number of fish, what kind, type of filtration, actual water test results (not just "fine") and what type of test you're using. All are details that could be critical in saving your other fish if there is a pond problem and not just a one fish problem.

 

[rubyduby]

So sorry Ida…I hope today is a bit brighter for you…

 

[Ida]

Awww, thank you all for your kind words! I’m grateful to have found this forum with so many helpful and compassionate people <3

Lisak1, my hubby told me the same, to not “over treat” the water. So, we’ll just keep an eye on them. We did a 15% water change today, added an all-in-one water conditioner (as we usually do) and a few chlorine crystals (to remove the chlorine). I’ll add some photos of the products used as well as the testing kit and current results.

Some details and more pond info:
- approximately 800L/210gal
- 9 fish currently (7x 3yo adults and 2 fingerlings)
- goldfish/Shubunkin/comets
- filtration: 25L Grech pressurised biofilter with UV and 6000 L/h or 1500 gal/h pump connected to a 1 meter high waterfall
- we usually do a 10% water change weekly
- water plants: x4 lilies and x2 papyrus in containers (most of the soil has been removed by the fish and we put rocks in to secure the plants in place)
- testing kit: quick test using strips, testing for pH, kH, gH, Cl2, NO3 and NO2

Thanks again to everyone for your responses and help! It’s truly appreciated

 

[TheFishGuy]

Awww, thank you all for your kind words! I’m grateful to have found this forum with so many helpful and compassionate people <3

Lisak1, my hubby told me the same, to not “over treat” the water. So, we’ll just keep an eye on them. We did a 15% water change today, added an all-in-one water conditioner (as we usually do) and a few chlorine crystals (to remove the chlorine). I’ll add some photos of the products used as well as the testing kit and current results.

Some details and more pond info:
- approximately 800L/210gal
- 9 fish currently (7x 3yo adults and 2 fingerlings)
- goldfish/Shubunkin/comets
- filtration: 25L Grech pressurised biofilter with UV and 6000 L/h or 1500 gal/h pump connected to a 1 meter high waterfall
- we usually do a 10% water change weekly
- water plants: x4 lilies and x2 papyrus in containers (most of the soil has been removed by the fish and we put rocks in to secure the plants in place)
- testing kit: quick test using strips, testing for pH, kH, gH, Cl2, NO3 and NO2

Thanks again to everyone for your responses and help! It’s truly appreciated

The only thing I see on the fish is some missing scales near the stomach, however it doesn't look infected, and that could have been an effect of the lethargic behavior.

Pond is a bit small for the amount of goldfish, but it looks like you are doing all the right things to care for them ( treating it more like an aquarium than a pond ) so that isnt a concern at this point in my mind.

Agree with others, don't over treat, I would just keep an eye on things from here out.

 

[Ida]

The only thing I see on the fish is some missing scales near the stomach, however it doesn't look infected, and that could have been an effect of the lethargic behavior.

Pond is a bit small for the amount of goldfish, but it looks like you are doing all the right things to care for them ( treating it more like an aquarium than a pond ) so that isnt a concern at this point in my mind.

Agree with others, don't over treat, I would just keep an eye on things from here out.

Oh thank you! It’s a relief to hear that there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with her, I didn’t even notice the missing scales, thought it part of her colouring. Shows what I know…

Is there anything we can do to treat it more like the pond it is? I like a natural ecosystem and want it to be as near to a natural pond as possible… but still healthy for the fish.

 

[TheFishGuy]

Oh thank you! It’s a relief to hear that there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with her, I didn’t even notice the missing scales, thought it part of her colouring. Shows what I know…

Is there anything we can do to treat it more like the pond it is? I like a natural ecosystem and want it to be as near to a natural pond as possible… but still healthy for the fish.

I think for this size pond with the amount of fish you have treating it kind of like an aquarium ( water changes, plenty of filtration ) like you are is going to be the healthiest thing, and wont really upset the ecosystem to much. You could probably introduce some more plants for nutrient uptake, but that would be my only suggestion.

then of course there is always the option of making a bigger pond!

 

[Ida]

I think for this size pond with the amount of fish you have treating it kind of like an aquarium ( water changes, plenty of filtration ) like you are is going to be the healthiest thing, and wont really upset the ecosystem to much. You could probably introduce some more plants for nutrient uptake, but that would be my only suggestion.

then of course there is always the option of making a bigger pond!

Hahaha, believe me, if I could I’d have a massive pond flowing into another and then maybe splitting into two more XD

We opted for not getting too many plants to give the fishies more swim space. And the lilies don’t seem to be doing too well… only a few leaves and no flowers this year and it’s nearing the end of summer here. We have plenty of algae… and spawning froggies, tadpoles, birds bathing on top of the waterfall. Lovit all!

 

[Mgessert]

It is sad to lose a fish. I don’t know what resources are available to you but If you lose another one, you could consider submitting it to a veterinary pathology lab for a necropsy. That way you’ll know if you need to take steps to protect the others. Also, I think the test kits are probably more accurate than the strips for monitoring water quality.

 

[j.w]

@Ida so sorry for the loss of your grand dad and then to come home to the loss of your fish. Not sure at all what caused the death of the fish. Could have just been something internal wrong that finally just took it's life. Keep a close watch on the others and if nothing happens w/them then all you can do is carry on and hope for the best.

 

[j.w]

It is sad to lose a fish. I don’t know what resources are available to you but If you lose another one, you could consider submitting it to a veterinary pathology lab for a necropsy. That way you’ll know if you need to take steps to protect the others. Also, I think the test kits are probably more accurate than the strips for monitoring water quality.

@Mgessert
You could start a thread in the welcome area and let us give you a grand welcome. Tell us a bit about yourself and your pond. Oh and we love photo's

 

[GBBUDD]

sorry for the loss.
Where are you from i don't know the flag

 

[Ida]

It is sad to lose a fish. I don’t know what resources are available to you but If you lose another one, you could consider submitting it to a veterinary pathology lab for a necropsy. That way you’ll know if you need to take steps to protect the others. Also, I think the test kits are probably more accurate than the strips for monitoring water quality.

Thanks! I’ll find out if our vet can do autopsies on fish and the costs involved if they seem to take a turn, that’s a good idea! I haven’t been able to find test kits in the pet shops here, but the pond shop might stock them, thanks for the advice! I also think it’ll be much more accurate and less subjective.