Michigan winter = alot of fish death

[alisa1965]

My pond is rather large (30' x 14' x 3' deep). It was hand dug and liner installed. I have had it setup for many years with no real loss of fish with the exception of 1-2 per winter. I have mostly large goldfish and a few koi (WAS a few koi...). I found many of my fish dead. Most of what died were large fish. The babies have all survived. From what I have heard, many people were in the same boat as me. I cleaned my pond as usual, did a 25% water change, set up my filters but I continue to find dead fish. Of course, we have an unusual amount of warm weather all of a sudden so I am thinking this may attribute to more dying fish. I don't normally put any chemicals in my pond but thinking of adding some chemical to help with ammonia and perhaps reduce sludge build up. Will this stuff work in a lined pond? Also, during winter, I use a small pump as a bubbler to keep a small opening within the pond. I was also told to run a stock heater that farmers use for cattle/horse troughs. Will this help or hurt?

 

[talal101]

I have read that the reason larger fish die and the smaller ones survive is because the smaller ones need less oxygen and they die after the large ones do. I have a suspicion that you need more air movement or a larger air stone, it would also help to have a deicer to keep a hole open and allow more gas exchange. So far I have my money on there A not being enough oxygen and B not deep enough and too much water froze. You should run a water test to see what your levels are and then go from there.

 

[Tula]

MI had a harsh winter! I agree it was probably lack of oxygen and the ice layer was deep.

Hopefully we won't have a winter like this for some years to come

 

[talal101]

MI had a harsh winter! I agree it was probably lack of oxygen and the ice layer was deep.

Hopefully we won't have a winter like this for some years to come

Im only building a 2 foot deep pond, you can bet im taking everything inside during the winter. Its just too harsh here to leave them outside.

 

[BlueOrca]

My pond is about half your size (8x16x3), but I just stocked it last year with small koi and fancy goldfish.....I did pull out 12 dead leopard frogs, but haven't lost any fish yet. I live just across from Detroit and many of the people in my area lost all of their fish as well, just one of those one in a hundred year winter's (I hope).

 

[alisa1965]

I don't use an air stone. I always have used a pump with an attached small pvc tube to allow water to move so there is a hole in the ice. Would an air stone be better? I have 2 water fall areas but they are shut down during winter

 

[sissy]

actually a pond heater over a air stone or pump would be better so the water down deeper does not get as cold .

 

[talal101]

actually a pond heater over a air stone or pump would be better so the water down deeper does not get as cold .

+1, with such a shallow pond, I really would recommend a heater of some sort and a bubbler, water movement isn't the same as an air stone.

 

[talal101]

My pond is about half your size (8x16x3), but I just stocked it last year with small koi and fancy goldfish.....I did pull out 12 dead leopard frogs, but haven't lost any fish yet. I live just across from Detroit and many of the people in my area lost all of their fish as well, just one of those one in a hundred year winter's (I hope).

What am I missing here? I live in a place where last year we were the coldest place on the planet for an hour but I felt this winter was very mild.....everyone is saying it was horrible....really what am I missing here?

 

[koiguy1969]

i live in michigan. and i breed and sell koi. this winter was extremely hard on fish all over the state. i had alot of people come thru buying fish. and telling me they lost many or all of their fish this season. some 20+ tears old...i sold 230 in 6 days. i have never sold out in only 6 days. usually 2 weeks or so.

 

[Tula]

What am I missing here? I live in a place where last year we were the coldest place on the planet for an hour but I felt this winter was very mild.....everyone is saying it was horrible....really what am I missing here?

My family lives in MI, and they broke records for snow fall.

 

[brokensword]

alisa;

just to weigh in as another Mi ponder; I lost 3 small gf and 2 medium sized, out of about 100 or so, in a 2800 gal pond, 4' at its deepest. I use only an airstone, suspended about 18" from the surface. This kept a hole open for almost all of our horrible (I agree with you whole heartedly!) winter. Sometime in mid Feb, the airline froze or something and the hole closed. Still, I didn't worry that much but after 2 weeks, I opened a hole with a heater I have for just such emergencies. Replaced the hose/air stone and let that continue until this spring finally arrived. What I did notice is that where I had the hole open and the ice was thinnest, there were few fish to be seen (when I could look into a wide enough opening); they all seemed to be under the remaining (and much thicker) ice plus its large layer of snow. One would have thought they'd have been closer to the other end, where the sun could do some good and where the air was rising. So, something to be learned, maybe, as to exactly where the warmer water really was. And I don't put my fish deaths to ice coverage as I lost too few for that to be an issue. ALL my large ones came through just fine as well as more than a few babies from late last summer.

I did post to a thread a while back noting that some experts seemed to think putting air in was fine as long as you didn't supercool the lower (and warmer in the winter) layer. They also noted that once you had over 5" of snow, that there was little to no light transmission through the snow/ice, and that clearing off the snow was a benefit. They did report problems with airlines being placed at the bottom of their ponds, and with too much aeration as well (too much water movement hence too much cooling). And realize that the amount of decaying matter in your pond also has an effect re buildup of toxic gases as well as sucking up available oxygen as well.

And here's another story to go with mine; we have a large public pond (probably an 2 acres, spring fed, deepest point at about 6', with a lot of plant matter) just down the road from me which had a large fish kill a couple of years ago, when the ice and snow never let up and the pond never thawed (as is more typical here in MI) in January. I mean a large kill; must have been hundreds of dead fish that year. This year, I expected the same as the winter was even more brutal. And yet, nothing. No dead fish that I could see. I figure the earlier purge must have made it easier for the survivors to come through this winter. No other reason I can see that there weren't any fish killed. I guess there was still enough oxygen and not enough gas buildup (to rob oxygen from the fish) to do any damage, despite the solid cover that lasted from December to almost April.

Take or toss what you will with this info.


Michael

 

[talal101]

My family lives in MI, and they broke records for snow fall.

I guess we got lucky, we probably broke records for good weather if anything. Im really sorry to hear that everyone has had so much fish deaths, it really is sad to hear. Best of luck in the future

 

[rb.]

I just logged on to ask if my 6" goldfish are dead. They are floating, eyes white, orange colour disappearing. I've put off hauling them out, hoping they were just cold, but surely they are dead.

I live in northern Ontario, just across the bridge from the north end of I75 in Michigan. I use a vented plywood/rigid styrofoam cover, with an air stone all winter. We had at least four feet of snow on the cover all winter. When we pulled it off about 2 weeks ago, the pond appeared frozen solid. (Small pre-form, 3' deep, by about 5' x7' triangular.)

Last year at this time, when we pulled off the cover, the fish were happily swimming, and plants were growing. This winter was just wicked. We have been the victim of three floods, due to water main breaks from frost. The city has told us frost is down 17' (yes, FEET) in our area.

I'm very sad for my poor fish.

 

[dieselplower]

My pond is rather large (30' x 14' x 3' deep). It was hand dug and liner installed. I have had it setup for many years with no real loss of fish with the exception of 1-2 per winter. I have mostly large goldfish and a few koi (WAS a few koi...). I found many of my fish dead. Most of what died were large fish. The babies have all survived. From what I have heard, many people were in the same boat as me. I cleaned my pond as usual, did a 25% water change, set up my filters but I continue to find dead fish. Of course, we have an unusual amount of warm weather all of a sudden so I am thinking this may attribute to more dying fish. I don't normally put any chemicals in my pond but thinking of adding some chemical to help with ammonia and perhaps reduce sludge build up. Will this stuff work in a lined pond? Also, during winter, I use a small pump as a bubbler to keep a small opening within the pond. I was also told to run a stock heater that farmers use for cattle/horse troughs. Will this help or hurt?

You can't use a chemical to help with ammonia. What are your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels?