disinfect pond

[mr ag]

hi in october we lost all 10 shubumkins to some sort of fungal disease which we never found what it was
so now i need to restart our out of ground small pond which is about 3500 -4000 ltrs using a all in one blagdon pumpwith uv filter

i need to know how to disinfect the pond ready for fresh stock .any ideas ..

thankyou


tony

 

[MitchM]

Welcome!
Fungal infections are typically the result of poor water conditions and fungal spores will always be present.
Personally, I wouldn't disinfect the pond, I would start it up using a fishless cycle and make sure you purchase healthy fish and quarantine them before adding them to the pond.

If you really want to disinfect, you could spray down all submerged surfaces and equipment with a 10:1 water/bleach solution.
Maintaining healthy water conditions should be your main focus.

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome! I’m so sorry to hear about your fish and I know you must have been devastated! I know how I feel if I lose a single fish — can’t even imagine losing all of them.

I agree with what @MitchM said. Poor water conditions can sneak up on you! Healthy water isn’t necessarily crystal clear water!

Just out of curiosity, do you recall what symptoms your fish were having?

• Be sure not to over-stock with fish (a common mistake). And over-stocking is as much about size of the fish as it is about numbers.
• Add fish gradually, especially as you are re-establishing.
• Get a water test kit and keep up with your water parameters*, especially early-on, and periodically as your fish grow or you add new fish — more on that when you get to that point — no need to overload you. *ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, pH, etc.
• And when you start back up, also follow the first 3 steps above as your pond cycles. Let us know if you need more info on cycling a pond (either with or without fish).
  
• Have good biological filtration, adequate for your fish load.
  
• Avoid using chemicals to “balance” the pond — nature will do that for you

Keep us posted on your progress! We are here to help! Oh, and we LOVE to see pictures of our members’ ponds, fish, etc! Best wishes!

 

[RobAmy]

You have some good advise with the above post. Fully cleaning a pond does not always solve the problem. Sorry about your fish. Pictures are always welcome

 

[Lisak1]

fungal spores will always be present

That's such an important point. Keep your water conditions good and your fish will naturally be able to avoid fungal infections - just like humans. If the conditions are right, fungus will thrive.