Hello from a not so sunny wales! :)

[Nefersophie]

Hi there, if anybody could help I would really appreciate it. Last year we moved into our first home, and honestly the fact that they had a pond was a major factor of buying the house as I've always wanted one but we have absolutely no idea how to maintain one . It seems to be a fairly large circular pond that's lined and has a hose pipe running with fresh water in one end and that then drains out of the other to keep it circulated. There is now only one fish left the original that was there. There are no gravels or stones lining it and only a few stones and a few plants, and I don't think that they are even pond plants. We bought a load of fish and they all died so we cleaned it out to start again. We were told that we could put in as many as we want, but I now know that wasn't true as they get stressed out and die . Any advise on if I need gravels or pond weed/plants and what type, and when and what type of fish to buy. We had four in there this summer and they seemed fine but now they've started dying and as I said I have only one left. Ill put some photos up as soon as I can.

Please help and thank you so much!

 

[Lisak1]

You say it has a "hose pipe running fresh water" and it "drains out the other end" - is there any type of filtration?

 

[Mmathis]

Welcome! How lucky to find a house with a pond, but know how disappointing/overwhelming it can be when things don't go right! Hang in there! I'm far from being an expert, but I know what questions to ask!

The more information you can give us about your pond, the better we will be able to help you. And YES, pictures would be great!

So, can you tell us a little more about your pond, mainly what size it is (dimension of the "round"), and depth -- can calculate gallons (liters?) from that. Can you tell anything about the water circulation such as where is the pump (in the water?), is there anything that looks like a filter that the water goes through before it returns to the pond? Is your water treated? Is your pond in full sun, shaded; are there trees? Is it above ground or level with the ground [sometimes you can get run-off from the yard that can be a problem]?

What kind and size fish? Koi? Goldfish? Other? And how many? When you got new fish, did you put them straight in the pond? [you'll learn about quarantine, but I won't go into to that now]

When the fish died, were there any signs of distress or illness: gasping, staying at top, jumping or rubbing, swimming funny, fins closed up, body puffed out ( like a pine cone), spots or sores? Did you find them dead at any particular time of day [like, did they die over night?] How much & how often are they fed? Do you have any local predators [raccoons, herons, snake, feral cats, etc.]?

If you don't already have one, should get a water test kit and start checking the water for pH, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates. And if you do have one, telling us those numbers is helpful [we need to know the numbers, though, not that everything tested "OK."] Some pet stores will run a water sample for you. Most problems with fish illness & deaths are caused by poor water conditions, and that's correctable.

It's a learning curve, but worth the effort My best advice: learn all you can (internet, books), ask questions [and sometimes] question the answers! Joining this forum was a good first move!

An BTW, most here DON'T recommend gravel or rocks on the pond bottom -- they trap harmful debris and also make it harder to keep the bottom clean.

It's kinda the "off-season" right now, for ponders here on the GPF, but hopefully enough members will chime in to help you.

Wishing you the best!

 

[Kristi Kelty]

Welcome! I am new to ponding also and this site is wonderful! You will learn a lot~

 

[sissy]

welcome and filter first and pump and a good water test kit will help .We need to know size and depth .

 

[Dave's pond Indiana]

Avoid the water test kit that uses test strips if possible. This forum will be very helpful, but first you have to be patient ponds take time to get established. WELCOME

 

[j.w]

Nefersophie
When you are adding water to your pond is it city water w/chlorine in it cuz if so you need to use a chlorine removal liquid to the water as you add the water.

 

[Becky]

Hey there welcome to the forum! :wave:

 

[Nefersophie]

Aahh thank you all you've been so nice! there's no filtration pumps just the hose pipe running in and then draining out. Actually looking at the size of other ponds its quite small :S umm all the fish that died had no obvious animal bites, scratches etc no disease they just died The pond is about 2 ft deep and maybe just over a 1m in diameter. Here is a photo of when I had more than one fish

 

[sissy]

could be toxic stuff like high ammonia and ph killed the fish .You somewhat treat a pond like a fish tank ,it needs filtering .You can build your own it is real easy .You tube has lots of video's .I used a tote for one of my filters and a small stock tank for the other .You just need some type of tank adapter.My first one a tote inside a tote to make it sturdier and I just use lava rock in them and furnace filters and crushed oyster shells to stabilize ph
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[j.w]

Nice looking little pond there Sophie. I think you will be able to get it just the way you want it w/ not too much trouble. You just need to get a filter of some kind and make sure the water is good using a test kit and add a few more plants. Wait to add in more fish till you get a water tester and made sure all tests come out right.

 

[Dave 54]

Hi from Plymouth UK just down the road from you as the crow flies , if its any conselation to you , we are just as wet in the South West as you ae in Wales lol.Your pond looks to be around about 400 gallons perhaps more your best bet would be to empty it and refill it using a watermeter to get an accurate idea (this is important when you need to treat your fish in the future.
There looks to be a waterfall style filter if it is one and very little else.
I would suggest you go to the nearest fish dealership and talk to them about buying some propper filtration for the pond , this way your water is being filtered and any detritus is being removed in next to no time your filter will be covered with helpful bacteria which will help with the water perameters of the pond.
You'll need to buy an API drop test kit this enables you to test for the basics Ammonia Nitrite Nitrate and PH , your aim is to return a vitrually zero ppm on each test.
I know it sounds confusing but you'll soon get the hang of things that I can proise you , please go out and buy this book (its the book that turned me from a killer of fish into a fishkeeper way back in the late 1980's and one I still look at to this day .
The Book is called The interpet Manual of Fish Health ISBN 1842860674 Authors Dr Chris Andrews Adrian Exell and Dr Neville Carrington .
I use it a my fish keeping bible it will tell you everything you need to know about keeping fish in a pond how to maintain it it explains health issues you may come across everything you need to know about successfully treating them and keeping them all alive .
One thing you must Quarentine all fish for four weeks in a seperate QT fasility which is itelf filtered , this is to check for and treat your new arrivals before they go into the pond with your existing fish, otherwise you could kill them all.
I know it sounds a liitle confusing just now but stick with it as its a beautiful hobby .


Dave

 

[mtpond]

Welcome.

 

[WaterGardeningDirect]

Hi you said water runs in to the pond on one side and drains out on the other. Where does the water come from? If it is from a rerouted stream or similar anything could be washing in and changing the water chemistry. If it comes from a rerouted supply I would stop this and introduce a recirculating filter system.