My pond goldfish are dying. Possible causes?

? The heat
? Filling up pond with tap water after evaporation due to heat
? Clearing out plants clogging the pond
? Disturbing sediment, including submerged rotting leaves.
? Scooping off duckweed with metal sieve
? Cherries falling into pond from nearby tree

The water seems not to have properly settled since the plant thinning,
and to be a bit murky

John wrote:
My pond goldfish are dying. Possible causes?

? The heat
? Filling up pond with tap water after evaporation due to heat
? Clearing out plants clogging the pond
? Disturbing sediment, including submerged rotting leaves.
? Scooping off duckweed with metal sieve
? Cherries falling into pond from nearby tree

The water seems not to have properly settled since the plant thinning,
and to be a bit murky

lack of dissolved oxygen, caused by all of the above. You could by a
solar powered air stone to add some back in.

Paul

"Paul" wrote in message
...
John wrote:
My pond goldfish are dying. Possible causes?

? The heat
? Filling up pond with tap water after evaporation due to heat
? Clearing out plants clogging the pond
? Disturbing sediment, including submerged rotting leaves.
? Scooping off duckweed with metal sieve
? Cherries falling into pond from nearby tree

The water seems not to have properly settled since the plant thinning,
and to be a bit murky

lack of dissolved oxygen, caused by all of the above. You could by a solar
powered air stone to add some back in.

Paul


Best also to remember that pond servicing is always better carried out in
"average" conditions.
Doing it in very hot or very cold conditions will cause extra stress
(resulting in possible death) to the fish.

Regards
Pete
www.thecanalshop.com

"John" wrote in message
oups.com...
My pond goldfish are dying. Possible causes?

? The heat

reduces the ability of water to hold oxygen.

? Filling up pond with tap water after evaporation due to heat

Chlorine/Chloramine in the tap water damages fish gills, you need an
additive to neutralise it.

? Clearing out plants clogging the pond

Reduces the oxygen production in the system.

? Disturbing sediment, including submerged rotting leaves.

Releases methane and Carbon Dioxide in the 'swamp'

? Scooping off duckweed with metal sieve

Increases the amount of sunlight to the water depths, increases algae
activity, reduces oxygen availability.

? Cherries falling into pond from nearby tree

The water seems not to have properly settled since the plant thinning,
and to be a bit murky

Increased Dissolved Organic Compounds (DOC) reduces oxygen availability.

So any or all of the above will cause trouble.
Get an air pump and airstone (any size) to increase aeration and surface
movement to improve
oxygen content.
Try not to do all of the above in one go again.

Dave

John wrote:
My pond goldfish are dying. Possible causes?

? The heat
? Filling up pond with tap water after evaporation due to heat
? Clearing out plants clogging the pond
? Disturbing sediment, including submerged rotting leaves.
? Scooping off duckweed with metal sieve
? Cherries falling into pond from nearby tree

The water seems not to have properly settled since the plant thinning,
and to be a bit murky

All the other posts are correct. Is this a small fairly shallow pond?
Is it filtered?
For topping up, I use an 80 litre plastic box from B & Q, fitted with a
water butt tap. I add dechlorinator, then fill with hose on a spray setting.
Let it stand 24 hours, then trickled feed into pond via a length of hose.
Try and shade the pond from the sun if possible.
--
ßôyþëtë

"John" wrote ...
My pond goldfish are dying. Possible causes?

? The heat
? Filling up pond with tap water after evaporation due to heat
? Clearing out plants clogging the pond
? Disturbing sediment, including submerged rotting leaves.
? Scooping off duckweed with metal sieve
? Cherries falling into pond from nearby tree

The water seems not to have properly settled since the plant thinning,
and to be a bit murky

As others have said, you chose the wrong time to have a go at your pond. In
hot weather there is a reduced dissolved oxygen level in pond water, a
thunder storm would be even worse IME.

Topping up the pond with tap water isn't a problem other than it contains
nutrients for the rapid growth of algae thus reducing the oxygen level even
more at night when your water plants do not produce oxygen but carbon
dioxide. I have never used any chemicals to counteract tap water even when
topping up with a 1,000 gals or so. However, your Water Co does flush the
water mains every so often with an insecticide ( not well publicised!) to
kill of the little shrimps that live in the mains, if you top up during a
flush you will lose all your fish, it's why I phone them beforehand to
check.

Clearing out the plants will also reduce oxygen levels during the day but
may help at night if the pond was choked with them (see above).

Stirring up the sediment releases the gasses of decomposition into the
water, reducing oxygen levels.

Scooping off duckweed will increase light levels in the water helping growth
of algae but will also help water plants to produce oxygen during the day.

Anything falling into the pond will produce more gasses of decomposition.

I bet your pond water Nitrite levels are very high if you get a test kit.

A temporary fix for now would be some way of increasing oxygen levels in the
water, especially at night, so as others have said, an air pump and airstone
or pond pump and fountain. (I have my venturi working 24/7 in this hot
sultry weather).
A better more permanent fix would be to thoroughly clean out your pond of
all muck, replant the plants in their pots, install a filter system with
pump running 24/7 and the outlet splashing back into the pond, or if it's a
pumped outlet, use a venturi.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

On Mon, 31 Jul 2006 23:50:45 +0100, Bob Hobden wrote
(in article ):


"John" wrote ...
My pond goldfish are dying. Possible causes?

snip

As others have said, you chose the wrong time to have a go at your pond. In
hot weather there is a reduced dissolved oxygen level in pond water, a
thunder storm would be even worse IME.

Topping up the pond with tap water isn't a problem other than it contains
nutrients for the rapid growth of algae thus reducing the oxygen level even
more at night when your water plants do not produce oxygen but carbon
dioxide. I have never used any chemicals to counteract tap water even when
topping up with a 1,000 gals or so. However, your Water Co does flush the
water mains every so often with an insecticide ( not well publicised!) to
kill of the little shrimps that live in the mains, if you top up during a
flush you will lose all your fish, it's why I phone them beforehand to
check.

Clearing out the plants will also reduce oxygen levels during the day but
may help at night if the pond was choked with them (see above).

Stirring up the sediment releases the gasses of decomposition into the
water, reducing oxygen levels.

Scooping off duckweed will increase light levels in the water helping growth
of algae but will also help water plants to produce oxygen during the day.

Anything falling into the pond will produce more gasses of decomposition.

I bet your pond water Nitrite levels are very high if you get a test kit.

A temporary fix for now would be some way of increasing oxygen levels in the
water, especially at night, so as others have said, an air pump and airstone
or pond pump and fountain. (I have my venturi working 24/7 in this hot
sultry weather).
A better more permanent fix would be to thoroughly clean out your pond of
all muck, replant the plants in their pots, install a filter system with
pump running 24/7 and the outlet splashing back into the pond, or if it's a
pumped outlet, use a venturi.



Bob, although I wasn't the OP thanks so much for such an informative helpful
post. It explains some of the pond problems we have been having (although we
have no fish).



--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
bed and breakfast near Ludlow: http://www.stonybrook-ludlow.co.uk
Burne-Jones/William Morris window in Shropshire church:
http://www.whitton-stmarys.org.uk

Thanks for all your help.
I obviously messed up on this one and feel responsible for the fish
deaths. It was the hot weather that encoraged me to mess about in the
pond and, I thought, sort it out while cooling down. Yes, it is a
shallow pond. I've moved the survivors to a smaller pond, where they
are a bot crowded, so I need to get them back as soon as possible.
Obviously you don't know the extent of the damage, but can anyone give
a ball park figure of how many days I should wait? Or should I go the
whole hog now and clean the whole pond out? I had thought that the
gunge at the bottom was helping to root the plants. Wrong again I
suppose?

On 1/8/06 20:45, in article
, "John"
wrote:


Thanks for all your help.
I obviously messed up on this one and feel responsible for the fish
deaths. It was the hot weather that encoraged me to mess about in the
pond and, I thought, sort it out while cooling down. Yes, it is a
shallow pond. I've moved the survivors to a smaller pond, where they
are a bot crowded, so I need to get them back as soon as possible.
Obviously you don't know the extent of the damage, but can anyone give
a ball park figure of how many days I should wait? Or should I go the
whole hog now and clean the whole pond out? I had thought that the
gunge at the bottom was helping to root the plants. Wrong again I
suppose?

Most ponds should not be cleaned out. It's a manmade 'thing' that ponds
should be totally clear. In nature, they're not and clear water makes the
fish nervous and vulnerable to predators. OTOH, they do need a lot of
oxygen. There really is no need to do that cleaning out thing if you keep
them well aerated and don't over feed the fish. Seeing right to the bottom
of the pond, for example, isn't good for the fish. Leave the ponds alone to
develop their own ecology. Nobody cleans out ponds or lakes that occur
naturally, after all. If you must, take off excess surface weed, leaving it
on the side of the pond for small crawly things to get back into the water
but otherwise, leave well alone and just provide a strong enough pump to
oxygenate your particular body of water.
We have two large ponds, one being very full of fish and one newer one that
has very few in it. Both have pumps working 24/7 atm and switched off in
winter when the fish don't want to have cold water constantly circulated
into their home. We feed the fish three times a day just now but lightly
each time and I do stand there to check all the food is taken and adjust the
distribution accordingly. Put it down to experience and make sure that the
smaller, holding pond is well oxygenated with a good pump. My daughter
bought one for a new pond of hers the other day that combines a pump,
fountain and UV filter - amazingly small but efficient looking thing. I
hope it does the trick!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(email address on website)

"John" wrote ...

Thanks for all your help.
I obviously messed up on this one and feel responsible for the fish
deaths. It was the hot weather that encoraged me to mess about in the
pond and, I thought, sort it out while cooling down. Yes, it is a
shallow pond. I've moved the survivors to a smaller pond, where they
are a bot crowded, so I need to get them back as soon as possible.
Obviously you don't know the extent of the damage, but can anyone give
a ball park figure of how many days I should wait? Or should I go the
whole hog now and clean the whole pond out? I had thought that the
gunge at the bottom was helping to root the plants. Wrong again I
suppose?


All ponds and lakes are trying to achieve one thing, to fill themselves in.
If you don't clear them out they will achieve their aim. It's why so many
ponds in this country have and are becoming bogs with no depth to speak of.
In years of old when summer reduced the water level they would have a gang
of men clearing them of the mud but it never happens these days and it would
be much easier with all the mechanical means we have.

Personally if you have moved the fish I would do a thorough cleanout. Clear
all the pond plants out and repot them in large ordinary pots with the
drainage holes mostly blocked so the soil cannot come out of them but so
that water can flow a little.
Pond plants do not need drainage holes so why do they sell them in baskets
which they then line to stop the soil washing away? Crazy!
Then refill with tap water and wait a few days for everything to settle down
before returning the fish, with some means of agitation of the water you
could save some time here. Return a couple of fish and wait to see what
happens for a day then if all's well the rest can follow.

Do think about some means of mechanically increasing the oxygen content of
your pond water, pump/filter or just air-pump/airstone. It always helps in
hot sticky weather.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

Thanks again.
I have a small pump in my holding pond. I did try it in the bigger pond
but it got blocked up with duckweed! I'll look into airstones.