450 gallons is pretty small pondwise. fish up at the surface always indicates some
kind of lack of oxygen, either because their gills are damaged from toxic water, from
parasites or bacterial infection of the gills OR there isnt enough oxygen in the
water. a fountain doesnt really add that much oxygen. a double outlet cheap air
pump with a couple big stones outta do it for that sized pond tho.
fish dont eat azolla. has the temp dropped suddenly? temp swings is a problem in a
small pond like yours. a drop of more than 4oF in a day can bring on ich. fish with
ich often stop eating. look carefully at your darkest GF for tiny salt like grains.
koi typically get reddish so look at your lightest koi for a red blush.
if it is ich, then there are two types of treatments. raising the salt level and
heat OR, quick cure. DO NOT MIX HIGH SALT WITH QUICK CURE.
Ingrid

"John M. Darnielle" wrote:
Second, my Koi and goldfish, about 12 in a 450 gallon pond, average length 6
", have recently been spending most of their time at the surface under the
fountain, They've pretty much stopped eating the tetra food sticks and
prefer to graze on the azolla that has grown on about 1/4 of the surface.

I've checked the chemistry, no ammonia, nitrates, salt at .05, ph at 7.4.
The fountain seems to put plenty of air into the pond. Temp is at 64. I grew
concerned when one fish died. Any ideas would be appreciated.



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