I have a fish pond with two butterfly koi, shubunkin and goldfish. Over the last month six fish have died plus another today, all with the same sumptons of, a small patch at the end of their body, then when its to late to save them, half of their body appears to be covered in what looks like a thin layer of green algae. The attached picture is not very clear but I am going to take a better one tomorrow motning - has anyone any ideas before they all die.
help my fish are turning green and dying!
- Thread starter suzanne1
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Welcome suzanne!
Have you been monitoring the water quality at all?
If so, please post what test results you have so far.
Also, please post your pond size, filtration and what your regular maintenance routine is.
A larger picture of your overall pond will help also.
Have you been monitoring the water quality at all?
If so, please post what test results you have so far.
Also, please post your pond size, filtration and what your regular maintenance routine is.
A larger picture of your overall pond will help also.
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It looks like Saprolegnia ( otherwise known as SAP ) to me:
"SAP can spread over the entire body, but is usually spotted as pale white or grey patches. Sometimes it will be green if algae has been caught in it. It is usually considered to be a secondary infection seen after damage to the fish skin or gills. However it can be primary as it is temperature dependant, occuring in cooler waters as a consquence of immune system shutdown."
Above information from : Koi Health, A comprehensive Discussion on Koiphen
I agree with @MitchM , water quality is important !
"SAP can spread over the entire body, but is usually spotted as pale white or grey patches. Sometimes it will be green if algae has been caught in it. It is usually considered to be a secondary infection seen after damage to the fish skin or gills. However it can be primary as it is temperature dependant, occuring in cooler waters as a consquence of immune system shutdown."
Above information from : Koi Health, A comprehensive Discussion on Koiphen
I agree with @MitchM , water quality is important !
j.w
I Love my Goldies
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Oh my! Welcome to the GPF... I'm sorry it's your green fish that helped you find us though!
Do give us more information - @MitchM is especially knowledgeable about water testing and quality. As he said - how big is the pond, how many fish, how long have you had your pond, what kind of filtration, etc.
Do give us more information - @MitchM is especially knowledgeable about water testing and quality. As he said - how big is the pond, how many fish, how long have you had your pond, what kind of filtration, etc.
Hi, here are a couple more pictures from this motning. My pond is about 12ft in lenght x 7ft width and about 4ft deep. It has a 8000 pond pump, not sure wat the filter is as we have only been in the house since October but it appears to b working well. We had the water tested a coupke of weeks ago and it was fine. The man at the acquatic centre said it could be to do with spawning. A small patch seems to appear in exactly the same place on their bodies which is just at the end of their body on their side before the tail starts. Ive just taken the fish out as dont think he will last another hour.
Hi thanks for the replies. The pond is roughly 13ft in lenght x about 7ft in width and about 4ft deep. It has a 8000 pond pump, not sure what the filter is as we have only been in tge house for six months, but other than that it appears to be working fine. We had the water tested about two weeks ago but it was all ok. The people at the acquatic centre said it could be to do with spawning. They seem to have the same small patch at the end of their body just before their on the side, then when its too late thats what they look like (pic attached as just taken this one out). Strange thing is at the moment out fish are completely fine, its the fish that were already in the pond that are suffering. Applogies for putting an orange fish in an orange bucket, didnt have a black one.
Attachments
I won't speak for @MitchM, but having been on this forum for a while I know he will tell you that your water testing results need to be more than "fine" or "good" or "normal". He'll ask for actual numbers to find out what was tested. And if you haven't yet looked at the filtration it's time to do so - most filtration requires regular cleaning to keep it working well.
Also - you say "our fish" are fine. Did you recently add new fish to this pond? How many fish would you say you have in total at this point? Is this affecting only the goldfish?
It sounds like your pond is roughly 2500 gallons if your measurements are correct - are you sure it's 4 feet deep? That's one calculation that is easy to get wrong if you've never actually measured it or been in the pond yourself.
Also - you say "our fish" are fine. Did you recently add new fish to this pond? How many fish would you say you have in total at this point? Is this affecting only the goldfish?
It sounds like your pond is roughly 2500 gallons if your measurements are correct - are you sure it's 4 feet deep? That's one calculation that is easy to get wrong if you've never actually measured it or been in the pond yourself.
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As a new pond owner you should be regularly testing your water and watching for deteriorating water conditions with a liquid drop test kit.
Poor water conditions will stress fish and as a result they will be susceptible to disease and parasites.
I agree with @Tula, the problem looks like SAP, so the fish should be removed to a hospital tank and treated separately.
See what your local fish store carries for anti-fungal medication and ask them for the equipment needed for a hospital tank.
Poor water conditions will stress fish and as a result they will be susceptible to disease and parasites.
I agree with @Tula, the problem looks like SAP, so the fish should be removed to a hospital tank and treated separately.
See what your local fish store carries for anti-fungal medication and ask them for the equipment needed for a hospital tank.