"Bette E" wrote in message
...
Could my fish be hiding, or are they dead?
My clear pond water turned dark and murky three days ago, now I can't
see any fish. They appear to be gone?
There are no dead fish floating-- no racoon prints.
(I already had a pond cleaning scheduled, and am having a bio falls
installed, but they couldn't come before the first week in May)
About two and a half weeks ago, I took out the winter bubbler, started
the falls and began scant feedings. The water temp was 58 to 60 degrees.
The water in the pond was reasonably clear then, to a depth of least 18
to 20 inches. There is a lot of muck on the bottom.
The pond is 30 inches deep, and 8' W X 20' L in size. There were 40 +
goldfish of assorted sizes. One third being the smallest at about 4
inches, 1/3 being the largest, at 12 inches (counting tail.)

This time of year is murk-time. Until our filters grow some bio bugs, and
until the plants kick in, the water will murk over. This is especially true
if you have a large number of fish in ratio to your amount of water. Feeding
just makes matters worse.

BV.