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#1
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Still Puzzled about Nitrites
Hi. If you recall I wrote about a week ago with my koi hiding and dying.
Some of you suggested nitrite poisoning, which made sense, and when I tested the water, the nitrites were high. I have been doing water changes, adding salt, firing up the pump and filter, added 2 more airstones, etc. and the water tests fine now. Unfortunately, I lost 4 of my very large, "been with me from the start" koi. I still break down and cry a lot, especially when I'm out working on the pond, and most people think I'm nuts, but I knew people here could relate - they were my "babies", I raised them from only a couple of inches long, they ate out of my hand, followed me around the pond, etc. Of course a part of it is the guilt - I feel as if I killed them or let them down. But anyway, sorry for the venting, here are my real questions: why is it I still have quite a few small fish and koi fry that survived, and only the big ones didn't make it? I thought it would be the other way around with nitrite poisoning. And secondly, I still need to know WHY I had a nitrite problem this winter - it's never happened before. It would be easier to deal with this and prevent it from ever happening again if I knew WHAT I was dealing with. Thanks for letting me vent - nice to know there's a place where I can cry over fish and not feel like a fool. Sue |
#2
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Still Puzzled about Nitrites
Sorry for your loss. They become so sentimental dont they? The Nitrite build-up was just a natural process, maybe your pond had alot of dead vegetation and as soon as the temps starting rising then so did the Nitrite, if your filter was not running or maybe overloaded already it did not have the ability to convert the nitrites fast enough. Maybe next year you should turn your filters on sooner. Has your fish population increased at all, this could also be the culprit. Maybe you should invest in or build another filter with more bio surface area. HTH -- **So long, and thanks for all the fish!** "SueAndHerZoo" wrote in message news:MUT9c.2098$9g.1660@lakeread04... Hi. If you recall I wrote about a week ago with my koi hiding and dying. Some of you suggested nitrite poisoning, which made sense, and when I tested the water, the nitrites were high. I have been doing water changes, adding salt, firing up the pump and filter, added 2 more airstones, etc. and the water tests fine now. Unfortunately, I lost 4 of my very large, "been with me from the start" koi. I still break down and cry a lot, especially when I'm out working on the pond, and most people think I'm nuts, but I knew people here could relate - they were my "babies", I raised them from only a couple of inches long, they ate out of my hand, followed me around the pond, etc. Of course a part of it is the guilt - I feel as if I killed them or let them down. But anyway, sorry for the venting, here are my real questions: why is it I still have quite a few small fish and koi fry that survived, and only the big ones didn't make it? I thought it would be the other way around with nitrite poisoning. And secondly, I still need to know WHY I had a nitrite problem this winter - it's never happened before. It would be easier to deal with this and prevent it from ever happening again if I knew WHAT I was dealing with. Thanks for letting me vent - nice to know there's a place where I can cry over fish and not feel like a fool. Sue |
#3
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Still Puzzled about Nitrites
On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 06:38:23 -0500, "SueAndHerZoo"
wrote: It would be easier to deal with this and prevent it from ever happening again if I knew WHAT I was dealing with. I'm sorry to hear about your losing fish, but unless you sent a dead one to a lab and found out exactly what killed it, I don't believe anyone here can tell you why it died. It may well have been a number of things not mentioned here that killed your fish and nothing you could have done to change that. We all provide the best conditions we can for our fish and hope for the best, but some die in spite of our efforts. Regards, Hal |
#4
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Still Puzzled about Nitrites
Sorry Sue. It hurts to lose them, especially the ones you've had a long
time. As to why you lost fish this year, there are several possibilities. One - they grew. You may not have any more fish in number, but if their total length was factored in due to their growth, it's the equivalent of adding more fish. One 18" fish requires a whole lot more than 3 6" fish. As to why you lost the larger ones, that's classic oxygen deficiency. Especially if you found them dead in the morning. Smaller fish have less oxygen demand, so they can handle the shortage better, which is one of the few times that smaller fish have it better than larger ones (it's normally the other way around: larger fish are stronger). NitrItes are resultant from the filters kicking back in: ammonia -- nitrIte -- nitrAte. You can use ammonia binders to protect the fish from that, so you get a Zero ammonia reading, but the filter is still processing it. The next step is the nitrIte, then nitrAte. Usually nitrIte poisoning can be controlled with salt - as little as .15 ppm will avoid brown blood disease. I don't think your larger fish died from nitrItes. It was probably oxygen deficiency - or perhaps something else. NitrItes also damage the gills - little fish have less gill surface and will show the effects more quickly. They're still alive. Keep the airstones going: I've never heard of a fish that died from too much oxygen in its water, but I've known plenty that died from too little. It can only help. Again, sorry for the loss of your babies. It hurts. Lee "SueAndHerZoo" wrote in message news:MUT9c.2098$9g.1660@lakeread04... Hi. If you recall I wrote about a week ago with my koi hiding and dying. Some of you suggested nitrite poisoning, which made sense, and when I tested the water, the nitrites were high. I have been doing water changes, adding salt, firing up the pump and filter, added 2 more airstones, etc. and the water tests fine now. Unfortunately, I lost 4 of my very large, "been with me from the start" koi. I still break down and cry a lot, especially when I'm out working on the pond, and most people think I'm nuts, but I knew people here could relate - they were my "babies", I raised them from only a couple of inches long, they ate out of my hand, followed me around the pond, etc. Of course a part of it is the guilt - I feel as if I killed them or let them down. But anyway, sorry for the venting, here are my real questions: why is it I still have quite a few small fish and koi fry that survived, and only the big ones didn't make it? I thought it would be the other way around with nitrite poisoning. And secondly, I still need to know WHY I had a nitrite problem this winter - it's never happened before. It would be easier to deal with this and prevent it from ever happening again if I knew WHAT I was dealing with. Thanks for letting me vent - nice to know there's a place where I can cry over fish and not feel like a fool. Sue |
#5
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Still Puzzled about Nitrites
Thank you Happy Camper, Hal, and Lee . . . I really do feel better after
reading your kind words. It's so comforting to know that there are other people who really feel the loss of "just fish". I was getting teary-eyed at the office this morning when someone asked me how my pond was doing (a thoughtful question from someone I hadn't seen since last spring) and the lady who sits nearby shouted out "I don't know about her pond, but SHE needs to get a life - she's actually upset about some of her fish dying!" It's not even worth trying to explain to people like that what they don't know. Anyway, you all had great thoughts on the topic, and as tempted as I was to answer "no, fish population was pretty much the same", that's absolutely not true since they all had grown bigger. Just as an added note, the dead fish did not die in a pretty state. They all had blood in their fins and some areas of their bodies, and the fins were all frayed and tattered looking. Yes, next year I will start the pump earlier, add airstones earlier, and hope to heck winter ENDS earlier next year! Thanks again. Sue "Lee B." wrote in message ... Sorry Sue. It hurts to lose them, especially the ones you've had a long time. As to why you lost fish this year, there are several possibilities. One - they grew. You may not have any more fish in number, but if their total length was factored in due to their growth, it's the equivalent of adding more fish. One 18" fish requires a whole lot more than 3 6" fish. As to why you lost the larger ones, that's classic oxygen deficiency. Especially if you found them dead in the morning. Smaller fish have less oxygen demand, so they can handle the shortage better, which is one of the few times that smaller fish have it better than larger ones (it's normally the other way around: larger fish are stronger). NitrItes are resultant from the filters kicking back in: ammonia -- nitrIte -- nitrAte. You can use ammonia binders to protect the fish from that, so you get a Zero ammonia reading, but the filter is still processing it. The next step is the nitrIte, then nitrAte. Usually nitrIte poisoning can be controlled with salt - as little as .15 ppm will avoid brown blood disease. I don't think your larger fish died from nitrItes. It was probably oxygen deficiency - or perhaps something else. NitrItes also damage the gills - little fish have less gill surface and will show the effects more quickly. They're still alive. Keep the airstones going: I've never heard of a fish that died from too much oxygen in its water, but I've known plenty that died from too little. It can only help. Again, sorry for the loss of your babies. It hurts. Lee "SueAndHerZoo" wrote in message news:MUT9c.2098$9g.1660@lakeread04... Hi. If you recall I wrote about a week ago with my koi hiding and dying. Some of you suggested nitrite poisoning, which made sense, and when I tested the water, the nitrites were high. I have been doing water changes, adding salt, firing up the pump and filter, added 2 more airstones, etc. and the water tests fine now. Unfortunately, I lost 4 of my very large, "been with me from the start" koi. I still break down and cry a lot, especially when I'm out working on the pond, and most people think I'm nuts, but I knew people here could relate - they were my "babies", I raised them from only a couple of inches long, they ate out of my hand, followed me around the pond, etc. Of course a part of it is the guilt - I feel as if I killed them or let them down. But anyway, sorry for the venting, here are my real questions: why is it I still have quite a few small fish and koi fry that survived, and only the big ones didn't make it? I thought it would be the other way around with nitrite poisoning. And secondly, I still need to know WHY I had a nitrite problem this winter - it's never happened before. It would be easier to deal with this and prevent it from ever happening again if I knew WHAT I was dealing with. Thanks for letting me vent - nice to know there's a place where I can cry over fish and not feel like a fool. Sue |
#6
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Still Puzzled about Nitrites
Ahhhh.....I am so sorry for your loss. I have a 1 1/2 yr. old friendly goldfish i wouldn't take money for, so i understand. Time will heal you. And like you wanted, maybe you can learn and prevent it from happening again. Last year i had thousands of tadpoles that i killed trying to save. It took months to stop feeling guilty. This year i am leaving well enough alone and will watch for stressed fish, then i'll bring them in or something. On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 06:38:23 -0500, "SueAndHerZoo" wrote: Hi. If you recall I wrote about a week ago with my koi hiding and dying. Some of you suggested nitrite poisoning, which made sense, and when I tested the water, the nitrites were high. I have been doing water changes, adding salt, firing up the pump and filter, added 2 more airstones, etc. and the water tests fine now. Unfortunately, I lost 4 of my very large, "been with me from the start" koi. I still break down and cry a lot, especially when I'm out working on the pond, and most people think I'm nuts, but I knew people here could relate - they were my "babies", I raised them from only a couple of inches long, they ate out of my hand, followed me around the pond, etc. Of course a part of it is the guilt - I feel as if I killed them or let them down. But anyway, sorry for the venting, here are my real questions: why is it I still have quite a few small fish and koi fry that survived, and only the big ones didn't make it? I thought it would be the other way around with nitrite poisoning. And secondly, I still need to know WHY I had a nitrite problem this winter - it's never happened before. It would be easier to deal with this and prevent it from ever happening again if I knew WHAT I was dealing with. Thanks for letting me vent - nice to know there's a place where I can cry over fish and not feel like a fool. Sue |
#7
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Still Puzzled about Nitrites
Ahhhh.....I am so sorry for your loss. I have a 1 1/2 yr. old friendly goldfish i wouldn't take money for, so i understand. Time will heal you. And like you wanted, maybe you can learn and prevent it from happening again. Last year i had thousands of tadpoles that i killed trying to save. It took months to stop feeling guilty. This year i am leaving well enough alone and will watch for stressed fish, then i'll bring them in or something. On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 06:38:23 -0500, "SueAndHerZoo" wrote: Hi. If you recall I wrote about a week ago with my koi hiding and dying. Some of you suggested nitrite poisoning, which made sense, and when I tested the water, the nitrites were high. I have been doing water changes, adding salt, firing up the pump and filter, added 2 more airstones, etc. and the water tests fine now. Unfortunately, I lost 4 of my very large, "been with me from the start" koi. I still break down and cry a lot, especially when I'm out working on the pond, and most people think I'm nuts, but I knew people here could relate - they were my "babies", I raised them from only a couple of inches long, they ate out of my hand, followed me around the pond, etc. Of course a part of it is the guilt - I feel as if I killed them or let them down. But anyway, sorry for the venting, here are my real questions: why is it I still have quite a few small fish and koi fry that survived, and only the big ones didn't make it? I thought it would be the other way around with nitrite poisoning. And secondly, I still need to know WHY I had a nitrite problem this winter - it's never happened before. It would be easier to deal with this and prevent it from ever happening again if I knew WHAT I was dealing with. Thanks for letting me vent - nice to know there's a place where I can cry over fish and not feel like a fool. Sue |
#8
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Still Puzzled about Nitrites
Boy can I relate to THAT! I took two of the large koi and tried to "save"
them by putting them in a huge tub with 2/3 pond water and 1/3 tap water, but of course I conditioned the tap water first, removed chlorine, etc. I then added some salt and hoped I could miraculously heal them in this hospital tub. Of course when they died I fel the horrible guilt as if I had killed them trying to save them . . . I'll never know if they would have made it had I left them alone. I, too, am going to leave well enough alone from now on and do all I can WITHOUT disturbing the balance of things. The change might be enough to push them over the edge. Of course, had they died in the pond, I'd always wonder if I could have saved them by putting them in a tub, etc. Guilt. What a useless, but powerful emotion. Sue "jammer" wrote in message ... Ahhhh.....I am so sorry for your loss. I have a 1 1/2 yr. old friendly goldfish i wouldn't take money for, so i understand. Time will heal you. And like you wanted, maybe you can learn and prevent it from happening again. Last year i had thousands of tadpoles that i killed trying to save. It took months to stop feeling guilty. This year i am leaving well enough alone and will watch for stressed fish, then i'll bring them in or something. On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 06:38:23 -0500, "SueAndHerZoo" wrote: Hi. If you recall I wrote about a week ago with my koi hiding and dying. Some of you suggested nitrite poisoning, which made sense, and when I tested the water, the nitrites were high. I have been doing water changes, adding salt, firing up the pump and filter, added 2 more airstones, etc. and the water tests fine now. Unfortunately, I lost 4 of my very large, "been with me from the start" koi. I still break down and cry a lot, especially when I'm out working on the pond, and most people think I'm nuts, but I knew people here could relate - they were my "babies", I raised them from only a couple of inches long, they ate out of my hand, followed me around the pond, etc. Of course a part of it is the guilt - I feel as if I killed them or let them down. But anyway, sorry for the venting, here are my real questions: why is it I still have quite a few small fish and koi fry that survived, and only the big ones didn't make it? I thought it would be the other way around with nitrite poisoning. And secondly, I still need to know WHY I had a nitrite problem this winter - it's never happened before. It would be easier to deal with this and prevent it from ever happening again if I knew WHAT I was dealing with. Thanks for letting me vent - nice to know there's a place where I can cry over fish and not feel like a fool. Sue |
#9
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Still Puzzled about Nitrites
Exactly. It was after i removed them that they died. I'll never know.
On Tue, 30 Mar 2004 00:06:59 -0500, "SueAndHerZoo" wrote: Boy can I relate to THAT! I took two of the large koi and tried to "save" them by putting them in a huge tub with 2/3 pond water and 1/3 tap water, but of course I conditioned the tap water first, removed chlorine, etc. I then added some salt and hoped I could miraculously heal them in this hospital tub. Of course when they died I fel the horrible guilt as if I had killed them trying to save them . . . I'll never know if they would have made it had I left them alone. I, too, am going to leave well enough alone from now on and do all I can WITHOUT disturbing the balance of things. The change might be enough to push them over the edge. Of course, had they died in the pond, I'd always wonder if I could have saved them by putting them in a tub, etc. Guilt. What a useless, but powerful emotion. Sue "jammer" wrote in message .. . Ahhhh.....I am so sorry for your loss. I have a 1 1/2 yr. old friendly goldfish i wouldn't take money for, so i understand. Time will heal you. And like you wanted, maybe you can learn and prevent it from happening again. Last year i had thousands of tadpoles that i killed trying to save. It took months to stop feeling guilty. This year i am leaving well enough alone and will watch for stressed fish, then i'll bring them in or something. On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 06:38:23 -0500, "SueAndHerZoo" wrote: Hi. If you recall I wrote about a week ago with my koi hiding and dying. Some of you suggested nitrite poisoning, which made sense, and when I tested the water, the nitrites were high. I have been doing water changes, adding salt, firing up the pump and filter, added 2 more airstones, etc. and the water tests fine now. Unfortunately, I lost 4 of my very large, "been with me from the start" koi. I still break down and cry a lot, especially when I'm out working on the pond, and most people think I'm nuts, but I knew people here could relate - they were my "babies", I raised them from only a couple of inches long, they ate out of my hand, followed me around the pond, etc. Of course a part of it is the guilt - I feel as if I killed them or let them down. But anyway, sorry for the venting, here are my real questions: why is it I still have quite a few small fish and koi fry that survived, and only the big ones didn't make it? I thought it would be the other way around with nitrite poisoning. And secondly, I still need to know WHY I had a nitrite problem this winter - it's never happened before. It would be easier to deal with this and prevent it from ever happening again if I knew WHAT I was dealing with. Thanks for letting me vent - nice to know there's a place where I can cry over fish and not feel like a fool. Sue |
#10
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Still Puzzled about Nitrites
lady who sits nearby shouted out "I don't know about her pond, but SHE needs
to get a life - she's actually upset about some of her fish dying!" Sounds like someone needs to go to sensitivity traning. Sheesh. You should have heard me threatening K30 this afternoon regarding taking some of my frog spawn, not to leave it in the car! Shameless Am I. Just as an added note, the dead fish did not die in a pretty state. They all had blood in their fins and some areas of their bodies, and the fins were all frayed and tattered looking. Usually there is ammonia before nitrite, and the above sounds like serious ammonia happened. Perhaps by the time you noticed a problem and checked it the ammonia had converted to Nitrite. Even a continous low level of ammonia can be stressful, as I found out last year, when I hit Critical Mass. Now I have plenty of ammonia detoxer on hand, and started testing my water early on. I've had one test show an inkling of ammonia after I started the filter, so I treated it, so far so good now. I have 5 fewer fish than last year at this time, so I should be good. If I have trouble I've already picked out who gets sold. Very important to have the treatments handy and fresh test kits, that you use. ~ jan (Do you know where your water quality is?) |
#11
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Still Puzzled about Nitrites
lady who sits nearby shouted out "I don't know about her pond, but SHE needs
to get a life - she's actually upset about some of her fish dying!" Sounds like someone needs to go to sensitivity traning. Sheesh. You should have heard me threatening K30 this afternoon regarding taking some of my frog spawn, not to leave it in the car! Shameless Am I. Just as an added note, the dead fish did not die in a pretty state. They all had blood in their fins and some areas of their bodies, and the fins were all frayed and tattered looking. Usually there is ammonia before nitrite, and the above sounds like serious ammonia happened. Perhaps by the time you noticed a problem and checked it the ammonia had converted to Nitrite. Even a continous low level of ammonia can be stressful, as I found out last year, when I hit Critical Mass. Now I have plenty of ammonia detoxer on hand, and started testing my water early on. I've had one test show an inkling of ammonia after I started the filter, so I treated it, so far so good now. I have 5 fewer fish than last year at this time, so I should be good. If I have trouble I've already picked out who gets sold. Very important to have the treatments handy and fresh test kits, that you use. ~ jan (Do you know where your water quality is?) |
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