Dead Fish

Hi.
I would agree with BM that the fish appear healthy at least on the surface. The problem is most likely due to the sludge at the bottom of the pond. Problems with too little O2 tends to build gradually due to increasing stocking levels or fish growth.Sudden deaths from O2 is less common unless you have a sudden power failure on a really sunny day and the fish would have been seen at the surface gasping for air.
The problem with sludge is that beneath it is trapped toxins and poisonous gases if disturbed then the sudden release can kill off your fish causing sudden deaths and normally in the larger fish first. This problem is a common cause of sudden deaths in fish tanks with under gravel filters when overnight the gases can be released and wipe the tank out in 1 go. This is why it is common to see the use of gravel cleaners in fish tanks and why it is important to keep the sludge to a minimum through regular pond maintainence. Everything can go well for years then out of the blue a disaster occurs.

John.

 

Hi Guys, thanks for all your advice. I meant to post this at the beginning of the month to let you know how my pond was doing.I cleaned the filter out and bought all new sponges, this is how clear my pond was the very next day, a very expensive lesson to learn.
Sue

 

Hi Sue
Looking healthy

It might be safer for the fish to introduce the new sponges gradually, so the bacteria in the old sponges can migrate to the new ones.

If you replace them all at once you`ll lose the mature bacteria colonies and the cycle will have to start from scratch, which could take several months.

 

HEX, I am having problems with my pond , its been a month and the water went pea green no visible hairy stuff on the water but looks like green sediment. I did a stupid thing ,let the filter water out and put fresh water in, since then its gone pea green. HELP what do I do now ? gold fish are ok. for the moment.

 

Glad to hear all is well in your pond again suedobie

I hope yours improves soon fancy

 

dont know what to do BM, I am hoping one of the members can give me some kind of remedy,

 

Fancy, I'm not an expert on ponds but I have had one for a few years and had lots of the usual problems.
As a quick fix for green water you could try something called "Algorem" from Tetra, its not an algaecide, it works by making the green particles stick together, they then sink and the filter removes it.
There's quite a lot of remedies on sale, but I would steer clear of the algaecides.
Ultimately you need to get the plant growth in balance with the fish, but its getting a bit late now this year for that to happen.

 

Thanks pete,will see to it tomorrow.

 

Fancy I think the best solution is a U.V.steriliser in your filter system it works the same way that Pete describes when the pond water passes the light it causes the algae to clump which is the picked up by your filter they really do work I had green water every year
until I installed mine for the last 3 months I have had crystal clear water without resorting to chemicals which is only a short term solution

 

Fancy,
Have to agree with Walnut the only long term solution is a UV. Chemical solutions are temporary and costly. Unless your pond is shaded and planted heavily then you will need a UV. Make sure you work out the gallonage of your pond as the size of UV depends on the gallonage and flow rate. The shop will help you choose the right size or there are some good deals online if you check the ads in pond magazines.

 

thanks PETE, WALNUT AND CHKM8, a guy from the aquatic shop is paying me a visit on friday.

 

I'm a bit wary of these uv whatsits, I know everone seems to have them these days, but,as far as I'm concerned if the water is like pea soup then there is something wrong with the balance in the pond.
A uv stops it going green and therefore stops you from realising something is wrong.
As I said I'm no expert so I'm open to be corrected on that.

 

Pete you are right something is wrong with the balance of the pond, the green water is caused by an over abundance of single cell algae usually through too much light,or too much dissolved fish waste.Green water is not harmful its natures way of counteracting the problems mentioned the only thing is you can't see your fish.You can either kill it chemically but as from my previous post I don't recommend this or you can cut down the amount of light getting to the pond by growing lots of surface plants (water lillies etc.)these also absorb the nutrients off the fish poo the ideal solution THE BALANCED POND, if you have large fish they tend to uproot the plants and eat them, there is also diatomic or micronic filtration this is filtration so fine you would constantly be cleaning the filter so the answer in my humble opinion is a U.V.steriliser all this does is cause the algae to clump then it can be picked up in your filter

 

PETE, WALNUT, my pond water has green sediment like a powdery effect. its starting to sink and its on the plants, pots and the steps in the pond.as I said before the fish are looking healthy. A guy is coming tomorrow pm to put a new filter system.pond was fine last year when I had 10 fish, now I have approx. 140 babies and they are 2" long.this guy is going to take away the babies and sell them in his shop.I have learnt so much from you guys these past few days and I am grateful.

 

Fancy the green sediment is a natural occurence it happens when the algal bloom dies off as the light to the pond diminishes, your new filter system should take care of most of it the rest will lie on the bottom as sediment,good luck with your new system