Hi all, after some advice!
Quick pond history
- Inherited pond with house 10 years ago, didn't know what I was doing, low maintenance, lots of fish died about 4/5 years ago
- 3 years ago replaced pump, all filter sponges, filter ballast, UV bulb, clean out
- Every year, overrun with string algae, huge amount of sludge, fish barely visible
Last week
- Emptied pond (thorough clean (maybe too much, got rid of every sign of algae and muck i could))
- Cleaned filters for first time in 3 years (cleaned in pond water)
- Used a very highly recommended string algae control in the UK (turns water cloudy for a few days)
This took about 12 hours start to finish
Concerns
- Fish seem slightly less active - I have however put some new plants in and a water lilly, some are hanging out under the lilly quite a bit - they used to all stay under the waterfall but this has been so well cleaned, maybe not enough cover for them all anymore as all muck and algae gone
- My fish have never eaten!!!
- - What I mean by this is, in 10 years of throwing in fish food, not once have they come to the surface to eat. The food floats around for a few days and disappears over the course of a week or so - don't know if they are eating it, or it is dissolving and just falling to the bottom?
- The cloudiness has largely gone, but there is a pale coating on exposed parts of rocks, pump, pipes, underwater plants, margin plants on parts that meets water
Have I cleaned the pond too well, maybe taken away their main source of food (algae etc...), and now they have lost that food source, they are also not eating the pellets, so are slowing down due to lack of food?
They are usually pretty scaredy when anyone goes near the pond, but the ones hovering under the lilly (which is otherwise out in the open), do not budge!
Is this because they feel safe under the lilly, or are too hungry to move?
Any advice on what the issue could be (if indeed there is one), and any possible remedy would be appreciated.
15'ish x mid size goldfish (4" - 6"), 15'ish x small/baby goldfish (1" - 2") - I think they are all goldfish
Water strip test - all good, KH may be a little high, but I don't think water hardness would cause these issues
Laguna 5000 Pump
Filtoclear 11000 filter
Kidney shape fibreglass pond - approx. 3500 ltr
Quick pond history
- Inherited pond with house 10 years ago, didn't know what I was doing, low maintenance, lots of fish died about 4/5 years ago
- 3 years ago replaced pump, all filter sponges, filter ballast, UV bulb, clean out
- Every year, overrun with string algae, huge amount of sludge, fish barely visible
Last week
- Emptied pond (thorough clean (maybe too much, got rid of every sign of algae and muck i could))
- Cleaned filters for first time in 3 years (cleaned in pond water)
- Used a very highly recommended string algae control in the UK (turns water cloudy for a few days)
This took about 12 hours start to finish
Concerns
- Fish seem slightly less active - I have however put some new plants in and a water lilly, some are hanging out under the lilly quite a bit - they used to all stay under the waterfall but this has been so well cleaned, maybe not enough cover for them all anymore as all muck and algae gone
- My fish have never eaten!!!
- - What I mean by this is, in 10 years of throwing in fish food, not once have they come to the surface to eat. The food floats around for a few days and disappears over the course of a week or so - don't know if they are eating it, or it is dissolving and just falling to the bottom?
- The cloudiness has largely gone, but there is a pale coating on exposed parts of rocks, pump, pipes, underwater plants, margin plants on parts that meets water
Have I cleaned the pond too well, maybe taken away their main source of food (algae etc...), and now they have lost that food source, they are also not eating the pellets, so are slowing down due to lack of food?
They are usually pretty scaredy when anyone goes near the pond, but the ones hovering under the lilly (which is otherwise out in the open), do not budge!
Is this because they feel safe under the lilly, or are too hungry to move?
Any advice on what the issue could be (if indeed there is one), and any possible remedy would be appreciated.
15'ish x mid size goldfish (4" - 6"), 15'ish x small/baby goldfish (1" - 2") - I think they are all goldfish
Water strip test - all good, KH may be a little high, but I don't think water hardness would cause these issues
Laguna 5000 Pump
Filtoclear 11000 filter
Kidney shape fibreglass pond - approx. 3500 ltr