fish death

[poconojoe]

Stephen Noble in my opinion is one of the top experts here. He knows what he's talking about when it comes to pond chemistry and has given you great advice.

Take your time and read through the many informative threads on this site. It's a wealth of information.

And yes, the weather has a lot to do with it. Where I am it's the dead of Winter. Everything is covered with 3 feet of snow. So, the pond is dormant and so am I! There's nothing I can do until Spring.

My pond is about 1800 gallons and it's very overpopulated due to the fish multiplying. Even with that, it's healthy and due to my bog filtration, the water is crystal clear.

Keep us posted and don't hesitate if you have more questions. We are a friendly bunch.

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our forum! All great advice above. My 2 cents, with a pond that size I would stick with small fish, like fan tails. They don't grow big, tend to make fewer babies and will do great in your beautiful pond.

Check your PH I killed off a lot of fish when I first put them in my pond. My well water ph was 5.4 or so, the fish got put into a acid bath. Felt horrible but learned.

I have fantails in my 300 gallons old hot tub pond. They are thriving. (we freeze here right now a layer of ice on all of the ponds and they still do well)

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome, but so sorry for why you are here!

Fish deaths are devastating for every ponder, but probably more so for a beginner, since everything “pond” can be overwhelming. I won’t try to add anything. There are multiple things that could be in play here, and it could be any one or a combination of many.

 

[Lisak1]

"It was freezing" tells me maybe you shocked them to death. Not on purpose of course! I just mean they were perhaps not properly acclimated to the temperature of the water. It's rare that someone will try to introduce fish into an icy cold pond.

 

[j.w]

@alandc14
Very sorry on the death of all your fish. Do cycle your water and wait to add fish till your #'s are good. I would only put 2 or 3 fish in there and watch them grow. Later on perhaps you can dig a bigger pond that will hold more fish. Your pond will give you many years of enjoyment!
Patience grasshopper

 

[Tula]

I agree with @addy1 about testing your PH, especially as they died over night. You've received great advice and testing your water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, Ph etc will allow us to help you more