Accidental fish looker afterer needs HELP PLEASE?

[MisseeLee]

Morning everyone. In order to count the fish and see how they're getting on I fed them this morning. (Please could I have some advice on how much and when, etc. )
I've counted 7 gold/whites. 4 dark ones and Goliath. While distracted by food I stuck the tape measure into the water. Goliath is 17-18" nose to tail tip. The rest are 8" to 4" almost all 6" or under. Then I dropped the tape measure
My brother will haul out a couple of lillies later, I'll clean the pump and put that on one of the lily platforms.

All the fish I could see look lively with crisp edges to their fins and energy if I startled them, Goliath included.
Although, one has a white lump on a fin the size of a large pea. That was the only visible sickness.

The picture was meant to show approx sizes but it's pretty rubbish.

 

[MitchM]

I would not feed them at all for now. Your filtration system can not handle it and there is plenty in there naturally for them to eat.

 

[MisseeLee]

They've hoovered up the food I gave them this morning.
The pump and filter are cleaned. I've fitted a plug to the pump.
Just waiting for the muscles to make some room in the pond.
When I put the pump in where do I place the end of the inlet tube? The water is 4' deep. The platform is about two feet under the surface.

 

[MitchM]

From your first video, it looks like your pond was a nice, balanced ecosystem.
When you added the fish, that threw off the balance so now the plants and algae have a new source of food from the fish waste. The plants will grow more as a result and it will take time for the pond to find a balance again.
Let the plants grow and let the fish eat the new growth until it looks like the fish are eating more than the plants are growing.
Then you can feed the fish some more.

 

[MisseeLee]

From your first video, it looks like your pond was a nice, balanced ecosystem.
When you added the fish, that threw off the balance so now the plants and algae have a new source of food from the fish waste. The plants will grow more as a result and it will take time for the pond to find a balance again.
Let the plants grow and let the fish eat the new growth until it looks like the fish are eating more than the plants are growing.
Then you can feed the fish some more.

Crikey! All the new things I've done in the last few days, none of those daunted me. Judging when the fish/plant balance is ready for me to start feeding them.....terrifying!

 

[MitchM]

Take a couple pictures of your pond and plants from different angles, then take pictures from the same angles once per week and compare the pictures. You'll get the hang of it.

 

[BarbO]

Missee Mitch is correct. There are plenty of natural things in that pond for the fish to eat. They aren't like us, needing regular food at least 3 times a day. They won't starve, no worry about that. Goldfish and Koi would never starve to death in there even if you never fed them. Honest. You will need that dechlor soon so you can change some water, mainly due to Goliath being in there. Set your pump inlet at least 1 foot above the pond floor, could be higher too. You don't want to suck up all the stuff on the pond floor now. Just want to filter the water. The pond bottom can come later. I think you are doing a great job with all this and that is why I keep trying to help you and come here several times a day to see how you are doing and if I can help. Get that dechlor soon OK?
Barb

 

[MisseeLee]

Thanks I appreciate all the help I'm getting, from you and everyone else.
I must say it was nice giving them a sprinkle of food today, seeing them all come to feed looking much healthier than Thursday. I'll give it a miss now though.

 

[Rich8888ri]

That white ball on the koi fin you saw is koi pox. Its not fatal and comes when the koi experience vast changes in water temp. It can be from rapid air temp changes or in your case, probably the change from the other pond to this one.. It will go away eventually. If it was on the actual body and not on the fin then there is cause for concern.

 

[MisseeLee]

That white ball on the koi fin you saw is koi pox. Its not fatal and comes when the koi experience vast changes in water temp. It can be from rapid air temp changes or in your case, probably the change from the other pond to this one.. It will go away eventually. If it was on the actual body and not on the fin then there is cause for concern.

My brother noticed the lump on the fin when they moved the fish to our pond. It's definitely the fin so that's good news right?

 

[MisseeLee]

A disaster has happened! We completely buggered up that nice eco system.

We tried taking a couple of lillies out this morning. It turned out they were just one mass clump that had to be hauled out together, churning up masses of silt. I thought the silt would kill the filters so I turned those off until the worst settled.
There's now no green in the pond at all. Some can be put back when I can face untangling a few manageable pieces.

Can I use this empty pond situation to do anything?
I'll try to get out and get the dechlorinator this morning.

No fish were hurt in said disaster but a few frogs have had their noses put out of joint.

 

[MisseeLee]

Dechlorinator got.

 

[Lisak1]

Remember that the fish don’t care what the water looks like, but you don’t want to turn off the filter. That silt won’t hurt anything.

 

[BarbO]

OK, now for some pond cleanup. But be sure to keep some of those plants to put back in the pond, make sure they have some roots, and put them in soon, they have lots of good bacteria and other things the pond needs. Just don't put them all back in. Let the dirty water settle, you can keep your little filter going, up at the top of the pond so it doesn't disturb too much of what is settling to the bottom of the pond. Tomorrow, get a hose and start siphoning the bottom of the pond, getting up muck and getting it out of the pond into your yard. Take out no more than 1/4 to 1/3 of the pond water. When a lot of muck is gone, probably you won't get it all this time, start refilling the pond with clean water, add the dechlor. according to the package directions before you start the refill. . Fill the pond up. Start your filtering system. Add plants back, they are necessary, but not all of them. Then don't do anything for a few days. Hopefully the fish will be well and the water will be much healthier. Don't clean the pond walls, they have lots of good stuff growing on them. Keep updating us OK? Perhaps other members here will have advice too, but this is the way I would do the job. The fish are tough, don't worry too much about them.
Barb

 

[Rich8888ri]

You have to check for amonia. Thats the biggest fish killer. Especially now that you added fish snd disturbed the eco system. If you don't have a test kit then you need to buy one immediately. If after testing the water you see any amonia then you must use a product to neutralize it. They sell a product call seechem safe, but any product that neutralizes the amonia is fine.. Your declorinator might also be able to neutralize amonia. You have to look on the bottle to see (not all do). If amonia is really high then you will need to do a 50 percent water change. Let us know the readings for amonia, nitrate, nitrite, and phosphorus. You might also want to pick up a tester for KH. If you don't see that tester ( sold separately ) then no big deal just pick up some armon hammer baking soda and throw 1 pound of it in the pond. That will keep your ph stable and keep it from crashing.