Log Fountain - URGENT

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Hi, today we built a fountain out of some logs we picked up from a woodland nearby. The logs are basically chunks of a tree of some kind. We have them cascading down (about 4 high, 5-6 inches depth) and the water runs into the pond. However, after having water running for a while, there are bubbles starting to form in the pond. The bubbles are white (similar to washing up liquid in water), not air bubbles from the water breaking the surface. The pond became full of white bubbles and so far 4 fish have died. The fish are all acting strange, they're not swimming very fast and they seem to have some kind of layer on them.

2 koi and 2 rudds have died. The logs were washed down before putting in the pond with water. What can be causing this?
 
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It could be the sap in the trees being pushed out because water is getting into the wood. You don't describe the type of wood, but perhaps it could be a type that is poisonous/

Bottom line, wood and water do not mix. i would immediately remove this structure and do a 40% water change to try to save the remaininf fish.
 
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Thanks for the reply. We have taken away the logs, almost emptied the pond and have now refilled it. The fish have like a layer of green on them, only thin, and some a couple of black spectacles. Is there anything else we can do to save the fish? We have been trying to rub our fingers across them to get the stuff off. Before this new fountain, they wouldn't come near you but now they just don't seem to care. We have 4 gold fish and they did seem to perk up a bit but they have gone really quiet again.

Is there anything else we can do to save the fish?
 
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only non-iodized Salt

check out this Salinity Calculator. now most say not to keep the salt in there all the time. so i shouldn't salt my new pond unless something is going wrong. but if you add the salt it will be removed over time in your weekly water changes. get some others advice on this before you try it. I'm new to all this myself. but i know the benefits of salt.
 
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I agree with Jason--add pond salt (not your typical table salt). You should be able to find this at your local pet/pond shop. The fish have gotten a fungus, so salt will help remove it.
 
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Thanks for all the replies. We removed the water fall, did a water change and they all seem to be ok now after a total loss of 9 fish. Were now building a new water fall from sandstone - is this ok to use with the fish? Are there any chemicals which can kill the fish in this?
 

koiguy1969

GIGGETY-GIGGETY!!
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Only dont buy pond salt. Go to lowes and buy a 40 or 50# bag of mortons solar salt (BLUE BAG for water softeners)...same thing but 40# is less than half the price of 10# of pond salt...once the word "pond" goes in the name the price skyrockets!!
 
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I'm from the UK and i've never heard of "Lowes". Back to my other question, will sandstone affect the fish in any way? We have built another waterfall from a slab of sandstone for the water to run down and the edges sealed with silicon.
 
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Rhys, Lowes/Home Depot are just your local big box home improvement store. From when I was last in the UK, you have B&Q and Focus, which are your equivalent. But, yes, to be fair to our UK bretheren, we should refer to these places as "big box home improvement stores" to be less confusing.
 
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Ahh right okay, B&Q yes. So i'm looking for a bag of solar salt? Do I really need this as we only have 4 koi in the pond, 2 yellow about 3-4 inches, and 2 silver which are about 1 and a half - 2 inches, the rest are goldfish.
 

koiguy1969

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its cheaper and salt doesnt go bad...you'll have it for future use, even if its just to melt the ice on your front steps this winter.
 

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