Need a little help

[Jimmy Gibson]

View attachment 106616 View attachment 106617 View attachment 106618 View attachment 106616 View attachment 106617 View attachment 106616 View attachment 106617 View attachment 106616 Best I could do locally.....I have another one in distress....... When they start going downhill they start swimming with their whole body instead of their fins and then at the end they go nose down and tail up......the rest are huddled up on the bottom..... Part of that could be the sun is out shinning and they don't have any lilies to hide under..... But something is gone wrong and I am at a loss for an answer

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

5Sorry got ahead of myself

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Since reading the results of these test strips is always, at best, subjective and that colors are not always accurately replicated over the web, please indicate the numeric levels for each parameter as you see them.

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

Since reading the results of these test strips is always, at best, subjective and that colors are not always accurately replicated over the web, please indicate the numeric levels for each parameter as you see them.

I would see PH at 7.5......Kh at 120..... And GH at 30 and maybe a bit above of course nitrates zero

 

[Meyer Jordan]

When they start going downhill they start swimming with their whole body instead of their fins and then at the end they go nose down and tail up..

This is indicative of swim bladder issues. When this sudden leaf drop occurred, did you observe the fish at the surface of the water at any time?

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

No not really...... My routine every afternoon is clean out the skimmer and look at the fish and up until the cold front, leaf drop and low's in the 20's this week, they were slow moving but moving around.... Pond temps last week was middle 50's this morning 49.....

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

No not really...... My routine every afternoon is clean out the skimmer and look at the fish and up until the cold front, leaf drop and low's in the 20's this week, they were slow moving but moving around.... Pond temps last week was middle 50's this morning 49.....

I haven't fed them anything of any substance in over three weeks and I have noticed they have cleaned every bit of algae they could find on rocks sides

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I suspected that you had ceased feeding. That is why I inquired about the fish being at the pond surface. Obviously, if all of the sessile algae is gone,your fish are still looking to feed. If they have ingested any parts of the Oak leaves that fell into the pond in any meaningful level, It is possible that they have become constipated. This is typically the cause of swim bladder issues, but this is rarely fatal.
I am more concerned with the low GH. GH and KH levels should be about the same and at least 70 ppm. Your current KH of 120 is very good, but the GH needs to be raised to an equivalent level. This can be done through the addition of Epsom Salts and Calcium Chloride in equal parts. The typical dosage is One (1) teaspoon Epsom Salts and One (1) teaspoon Calcium Chloride per each Five (5) gallons of water. I would recommend applying this dosage daily until the GH has reached the desired level. Do not exceed this daily dosage as, is the case with all other water quality parameters, change should be slow to minimize stress/shock.
Epsom Salts are available universally and Calcium Chloride is available from any Swimming Pool supply, even from Walmart.

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

I suspected that you had ceased feeding. That is why I inquired about the fish being at the pond surface. Obviously, if all of the sessile algae is gone,your fish are still looking to feed. If they have ingested any parts of the Oak leaves that fell into the pond in any meaningful level, It is possible that they have become constipated. This is typically the cause of swim bladder issues, but this is rarely fatal.
I am more concerned with the low GH. GH and KH levels should be about the same and at least 70 ppm. Your current KH of 120 is very good, but the GH needs to be raised to an equivalent level. This can be done through the addition of Epsom Salts and Calcium Chloride in equal parts. The typical dosage is One (1) teaspoon Epsom Salts and One (1) teaspoon Calcium Chloride per each Five (5) gallons of water. I would recommend applying this dosage daily until the GH has reached the desired level. Do not exceed this daily dosage as, is the case with all other water quality parameters, change should be slow to minimize stress/shock.
Epsom Salts are available universally and Calcium Chloride is available from any Swimming Pool supply, even from Walmart.

So if I am doing my math correctly in a 3000 gallon pond that would be 12.5 cups of each per day

 

[Meyer Jordan]

So if I am doing my math correctly in a 3000 gallon pond that would be 12.5 cups of each per day

That would be correct. Monitor the Hardness level each day before dosing. This will allow time for the dose from the previous day to mix well and provide an accurate reading. Three to Four days of dosing should be sufficient for reaching 120 ppm.

 

[Tula]

Let us know how things are today - positive thoughts !

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

Didn't lose any overnight, but I have three in distress and the rest lethargic. Two things I noticed this morning the fins on the ones in distress are red and the other ones are turning red also and when I first went out there was a fishy smell around the pond. I checked the pond and did a count there is not a dead one that I am not finding. Meyer your treatment brought the GH up to 60. Also no foam this morning. Things are going downhill fast. Thanks for your help

 

[Gemma]

Sorry This is happening to you, Jimmy...I hope you can save the rest of the fish

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Didn't lose any overnight, but I have three in distress and the rest lethargic. Two things I noticed this morning the fins on the ones in distress are red and the other ones are turning red also and when I first went out there was a fishy smell around the pond. I checked the pond and did a count there is not a dead one that I am not finding. Meyer your treatment brought the GH up to 60. Also no foam this morning. Things are going downhill fast. Thanks for your help

Something is definitely wrong here. These displayed symptoms are the classic symptoms of Ammonia poisoning. I know that you reported zero Ammonia, but it can't be ignored, these are the symptoms plus now you have the odor.
This is twice in one week that I have had to advise a course of action that is anathema to me.....water changes. In this case, a large one seems to be indicated. Whatever is imparting this level of stress to your fish must be eliminated.

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

Something is definitely wrong here. These displayed symptoms are the classic symptoms of Ammonia poisoning. I know that you reported zero Ammonia, but it can't be ignored, these are the symptoms plus now you have the odor.
This is twice in one week that I have had to advise a course of action that is anathema to me.....water changes. In this case, a large one seems to be indicated. Whatever is imparting this level of stress to your fish must be eliminated.

in the process of a 90% water change Now....... I am confident that there is zero ammonia my liquid API and the API test strips show the same also did a 75% water change day before yesterday. Took it down to fins out of the water today, so we will see