Strange deaths

[possumpie]

Hi everyone,
I just put in a 4000gal pond in my backyard. flexible pond liner, waterfalls, biofilter. I did it myself,and it has been up about a month now. I bought 10 inexpensive goldfish from petco (my first mistake i guess) and introduced them into the pond. My sister gave me 3 established healthy goldfish each about the size of a pack of cards. the cheap fish began dying one by one almost right away. About one every 3 days. now after about a month the 3 large goldfish died as well.
No Ammonia, Nitrites were 0 at first now alittle under .25 PH has always been high (7.5-8) but Alkalinity is also pretty high. Fish show no sign of trauma or obvious disease, although several seem to show herniation of their intestine abit out their anus. The last large goldfish died today, seemed to be gasping for air at the surface. I have a waterfalls churning about 2000/hour so I don't think O2 is the problem. Here is the kicker. I had a very small 40gal pre-formed pond out front for 3years, a little filter, and had 8-10 goldfish there that lived through dirty water, winters, algae, etc. What could be wrong? I did use a caulk on my waterfalls that I discovered was NOT Silicone Fish-safe, and quickly peeled it off and replaced it with Aquarium caulk, but could that little bit poison 4000gal of water??
PossumPie

 

[DrDave]

I think Petco starves their fish to keep the tanks clean. They even stop stocking Koi food in the fall for 6 months. I had to drive 25 miles to find a PetSmart, they carry food all year long.

Back to your problems. Nitrites of 2.5 is in the stress zone but should not have killed your fish. Your PH is fine just under 8.

It could be the chemicals that were in the orignial caulking material. 4000 gallons is a lot of water, but I think I would water my yard with it, refill, dechlorinate (use the one that also remove choramines) and start again.

If you have an old aquarium or a trash can with a plastic liner, get some more sacreficial fish and quarantine them to make sure they are eating and healthy, then put them into the pond to get the cycle started.

I hope you have a bio filter of sorts. That is the cycle I speak of. Once that is established and your fish live through it, you are ready for Koi.

 

[possumpie]

Thanks. I was hoping not to empty the pond, I fill it from my well and it takes about 3 days so I don't stress my well pump. No need for dechlorination, it is well water. The frustrating thing is that I KNOW to quarentine new fish, but I was excited to get fish in my new pond... now I don't know if they brought disease or if it is a toxin/poison of some kind. Several fish seemed to be swimming at the surface with mouth open, just before death but O2 levels should be ok, I have a waterfalls. Must be some powerful poison in the caulk if less than 4cc could poison 4000gal!!!!!

 

[kirscp]

I can't imagine it was the silicone.

There could be something in your well water?

 

[possumpie]

Update. I had an associate who sells Koi look at my Goldfish. He said that because the gills were pale, and they were gulping for air, they probably had Gill Flukes. I could not see any fluke attached, how visible are they to the naked eye? Now that all my fish are dead will the Flukes die as well without a host? how long should I wait? I can't afford a UV light right now, which is what he recommended. Thanks for all of your help

 

[DrDave]

And the UV is supposed to do what???

 

[kirscp]

I was wondering the same DrDave, sounds like someone is trying to make a sale.

If it was me, I would medicate the pond. www.drsfostersmith.com has some stuff, you will want to browse through their selection of medications. I noticed some were pretty spendy for treating 4,000 gallons.

I don't know much about gill flukes, Not sure if you can add some salt to kill them, then do a partial water change to get the level back to normal.

 

[possumpie]

I considered a UV light b/c some folks recommend them for killing bacteria, algae, and things like flukes. The one thing I have learned in this new hobby of ponds and fish is that EVERYONE has a strong opinion on whether or not to buy this item, use this or that chemical, stock this type of plant. LOL, sorting through can be hard. Medicating with anything will cost me about $80 which is why I wondered about the lifespan of flukes without fish hosts. I am not opposed to spending that but the guy couldn't really even tell me if it was flukes. Salt will not kill flukes by the way. In fact, some 'experts' even discourage the use of salt in ponds... See what I mean by confusion?? LOL

 

[DrDave]

Opinions and actual case histories are diametrically opposed. While my opinion is you don't need skimmers, bottom drains and UV's, the fact is (based on case history of 40 years of ponds) you don't need them. Do they serve a purpose, yes, are they nice to have, yes, will they fix your problem, probably not.

I expanded the subject, because there are folks here that have all these and swear by them.

Good water management begins with a high turnover and a tall bio filter that allows solids to settle in the bottom chamber.

If everything is dead in your pond, I would drain it and start all over. If you have water plants, soak them in lined trash cans with water from your tap to help cleanse the roots of parasites, The small amout of chlorine in your tap water should help if you leave them in there for several hours.

 

[christie210]

I agree with Dr. Dave...my pond flourished for 12 years, crystal clear water, and all I had was a good pump, bio filter, and waterfall. I did water exchanges every couple of weeks or so. In the end, I did have major problems, but to be honest I didn't do the right stuff...which now I know so much more. And I had 3 nice size Koi, started with them from 2 inches to over 16". My boyfriend is a biologist, and he said also that the biggest contributor to a healthy pond is the bio filter, pump, and waterfall.

In my new and improved pond, I will have a much better pump/filter/waterfall, some plants, and much more knowledge. But then I don't have a great deal of fish, just enough for my small pond.

 

[chatterbox]

Phewwwww Some thing has ate all of my Koi.

I had six koi from two summer's ago and have not seen them for two week-ends now..I also bought 45 fingling and have not seen any of them either..
I am thinking there may be a Salmander down in the pond eating them.
I might drain the pond this week end and see whats living down there as what ever it is thats consuming My fish will be sorry.. If its a salmander then i will take it to a slough out in the pasture..
I know its not birds as we have a couple whooping cranes standing on the beach as well as a Owl on the Rocks.. (NOT REAL ONES)..
I ani't buying any more fish until I find out who the Bandit is..
Any suggestions what else might be eating my fish??