Tub water feature

That's a lovely water feature/pond. It's looking good.

 

Just came home to find another goldie floating at the top with a little fluff around him. He's still alive, but not moving much at all.

I've got a bowl of pond water, put my curly weed in it and have now popped all four remaining fish in the bowl. I've treated it with the fungus/fin rot medicine and some aquarium salts (which were recommended to go with).

I'm not confident about his survival chances :(
I'm disappointed.. The whole pond got treated on Thursday so i wasn't expecting to come home and find another one on its way out.. Am i doing something wrong? Is there something i'm not doing that i should? Have i missed something?

I've left the pond for the moment. I will give it a good clean out i think then treat it all before considering putting all my fish back in.

Do you think they will all be ok for the time being in a little bowl with the oxygenating curly weed in?

 

The lady at the fish place i got them from (pastures farm Koi & tropicals) seemed really clued up - they boast 15 years experience of their koi and fish, and she suggested the fish we chose for our size pond. We do also have the grass to oxygenate the pond, and the fish are only 1-2" at the most in size still for our tub (70"x40"x30"; 60litres). But you could be right perhaps.

The bowl they are in at the moment has got only 2.5litres in with all the curly weed in it (obviously can't put the grass in).
Do you think that's okay for now? Thought maybe small area to be treated with the medicine would work? Or will it do more harm than good?
I could always try to find a bucket and clean it/fill it up instead..?

 

I'll give the bucket a clean out then de-chlorine it and leave it overnight to adjust to the temp. Then tomorrow shift the fish over and hopefully i will still have 4 fish in the morning. I think i will go back to the fish place i got the from and see what they can do to help.. I've been suggested a water testing kit which i am sure they will supply.

Would it be a good idea to pop the grass in the bucket then too? To help oxygenate it or just stick with the curly weed?

(Haha can you tell i am panicking a little?!)

 

Hi Elizabeth,
have just been reading your thread for the first time. I remember when we used to have a pond (about 3 moves back) it took a while to get the balance right and there were one or two who didn't make it initially. As the weather is cooling down, if the bucket is quite deep, in the shade and has a wide rim they should be fine without the grass. Hope things settle down for you,
Jenny namaste

 

I'd be keeping the bucket i think indoors to be honest. Only way i can guarantee the fish won't get attacked by cats or birds. They are currently on the dining room table in their bowl!

 

Keeping them stress free is important and with minimal movement. Good luck,

 

Well i've filled up my 10litre bucket, de-chlorined it and stuck the aquarium salt in.
I think i will pop the grass in the bottom too to help them out.
I will leave it overnight to adjust to the room temp.. Tomorrow i will move them as carefully as i can into the bucket.
Hopefully the poorly chap will survive the night. Not much more i can do i think.

 

Well i went back to the koi farm with a sample of my water as instructed over the telephone. The chappy tested the water and its absolutely perfect.
However, most the things done were the wrong things to do!
Aquarium salts were a big no no, as it gives them a thick mucus membrane which you would then need to strip back to treat them for parasites which will leave them exposed and vulnerable to anything. They also should have been left in the pond.
When i totally cleaned my pond out i shouldn't have done that either, and he's surprised i didn't wipe all my fish out in doing that

It looks like its parasite related then, and i am not to add anymore chemicals to my water just to leave it be and put the fish back. I haven't done this though, as i already moved them into my 10litre bucket this morning and i don't want to over stress them by another move today. My normal fish are happy in the bucket at the bottom with the grass and lots of curly weed, and my poorly is at the top just 'chilling' and breathing slowly - i hope in relaxation rather than death. I think they are much happier now in the bucket, i think they were struggling for air in the bowl last night.

I will call back to the farm later in the week, and if the weather is reasonable he will inform me if i can apply the parasite killer to the pond - apparently it needs to be in warm weather as it wont work in cold so i might have missed the boat with this one.
I am also removing my stones/pebbles for the pond, as he says they hold a lot of bacteria and should a fish rub a scale off on them they will then get said infections.
I will give it a little clean of the debris then with my net from the bottom, and maybe add the fish back to the pond tomorrow, although i like keeping them close during this time of worry.. Can't help but think the bucket is quite good for recuperating!

On another note:
My sponge filter on my little Lotus pond pump keeps clogging really quickly.. Like every other day or so, and stopping the flow of water. Anyone know how i can get it cleaned out properly? I think some of the gunge stays in the middle of the sponge when i try rinsing.
Also, anyone suggest anything else i can use to keep the pond clean? Any other sort of filters that could aid my pond and fish a bit more?

 

Oh my, Armandii! Never even thought of that! I can be such a plonker.
What would you suggest popping under? Needs to be something small.. Hmm.