My goldfish pond

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Thanks. We he was laying flat on the bottom of the pond and he moved a little when I went to take him out so I left him there. I think it's extremely unlikely he will survive but didn't have the heart to take out a fish that still had some life in him. I think the fish born in the pond acclimate to the colder weather better for some reason. There are some little baby shubunkins swimming back and forth and they don't seem to mind the cold water at all!
 

addy1

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We got our first ice cover yesterday morning. The pond water at the bottom is 40, when I watch I can see 1/2 inch fish swimming around, they are pretty tough when born in a cold water pond lol.

Hope yours live.
 
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Every time I read about pond sudden/unexplained deaths, I realize that could happen to me!
No matter how careful I think I am, there will always be the possibility of something fatal to happen ...it really scares me!:(
 

addy1

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We do our best, sometimes things out of our control happens.

Take bees we do everything "right" still have a hive die out. We do our best, so sad when you see all those poor little stinging ones dead.
 
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We got our first ice cover yesterday morning. The pond water at the bottom is 40, when I watch I can see 1/2 inch fish swimming around, they are pretty tough when born in a cold water pond lol.

Hope yours live.
Thanks Addy. All except this one seems fine. I wonder if it's harder on the fish that are a few years old going through their first winter. It hit 60 degrees here yesterday and is supposed to be above normal temps for the rest of the week.
Every time I read about pond sudden/unexplained deaths, I realize that could happen to me!
No matter how careful I think I am, there will always be the possibility of something fatal to happen ...it really scares me!:(
Gemma. I agree. I'm slowly moving from goldfish to Koi now. If I lost an occasional odd goldfish now and then I could manage as long as they weren't my oldest one. Now as I start to collect Koi I would be really unhappy if I lost one.
 

herzausstahl

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Another shubunkin bit the dust :( This is the second one from the group I bought a few months ago that has died and all my other fish have been fine. I'm guessing they have not been exposed to cold weather before and are not as hardy.

Sissy. It's all one piece but the nozzle end has rings for three sizes and this is the smallest size. I just need to go up one size for the hose. The hose I was using was probably a little small for the size pump and filter I have anyways.
I've got a couple bigger shabbies that I know weren't born in the pond & are doing ok. So it could be anything. Can't remember when I introduced them. Could it be the time of the year it was introduced in relation to how soon after it got cold & if the fish was under any stress still from its move to your pond that might've weakened it? If that's a thing?
 
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Well I got to see my fish for the first time today in over a month. They weren't doing much but at least I could see them. It has been warmer the last two days and then will be getting cold again tomorrow.. Unfortunately I lost my Gin Rin Koi a few weeks ago. It was just floating on the top when we had a few warmer days right before the holidays. My neighbor was having her counters grinded in her back yard that week and I don't know if the silt from that created harmful conditions. As far as I know all the other ones are doing fine.
 
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Ahhhh... that's a shame @CometKeith. I know you had high hopes for your koi. How many did you buy again?

We still have almost 3/4 of the pond under ice, so no fish sightings today for us. It was still good to see (and hear!) moving water!
 
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Well I got to see my fish for the first time today in over a month. They weren't doing much but at least I could see them. It has been warmer the last two days and then will be getting cold again tomorrow.. Unfortunately I lost my Gin Rin Koi a few weeks ago. It was just floating on the top when we had a few warmer days right before the holidays. My neighbor was having her counters grinded in her back yard that week and I don't know if the silt from that created harmful conditions. As far as I know all the other ones are doing fine.

bummer, had my biggest comet pass a few weeks back, not even real cold yet
I think as others had said, that it was just time
how old was your koi?
 

callingcolleen1

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Sorry to hear about your koi Keith.

Keep in mind if your biggest fish die off first it usually means they ran out of oxygen, as bigger fish suffocate first as they use more oxygen under the ice than smaller fish. This can be prevented if you can limit the amount of ice your pond gets in winter. I use a heater and run a underwater pump with filter near the heater, to ensure the water is evenly heated. Even if you just use a heater during the worst part of winter. Some people use a air pump but the lines can often condensate and freeze during extreme cold, cutting off oxygen when most needed.
 

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