Fish dying as water is turning colder

[WaterGardener]

What type of testing kit are you using? Is it a drop kit? I'm not familiar with a test that has that large a range of results.

If you are using the API KH liquid test kit, each drop equals 17.86 ppm so you would need to get up to around 11 drops (196.9)ppm. 7 drops with that kit is 125.3 ppm. As you can see, those are very specific numbers, not a range so I'm confused at your results.

 

[12cats]

Yes it

What type of testing kit are you using? Is it a drop kit? I'm not familiar with a test that has that large a range of results.

If you are using the API KH liquid test kit, each drop equals 17.86 ppm so you would need to get up to around 11 drops (196.9)ppm. 7 drops with that kit is 125.3 ppm. As you can see, those are very specific numbers, not a range so I'm confused at your results.

Yes, it is an API test kit. According to the chart that came with it, I arrived also at 11 drops is what I would need.

 

[12cats]

Yes it
Yes, it is an API test kit. According to the chart that came with it, I arrived also at 11 drops is what I would need.

I just found the chart you see were talking about. It was on the back of the paper.

 

[WaterGardener]

That's it. I'm glad we are on the same "page" now. I had no idea what you were talking about with those range of numbers. Glad you found the chart. They do make it a bit difficult to locate.

 

[GBBUDD]

I'm not sure I would agree with that assessment. They do slow down dramatically though so fish moving very slowly or even staying perfectly still at the bottom is normal and not concerning. Laying on their side is another story though and is definitely not a good sign.

Well considering the water temps can and often do drop down to 36 or 34 degrees and its just above 32 which is a block of ice and no fish i know can survive those temps in fresh water. I would say that is inches from death. its just what they do they go in a semi state of suspended animation at those temps they barely breath they barely move. if that's not inches from death i don't know what is . It doesn't mean they are going to die its just amazing they can survive.

 

[12cats]

That's it. I'm glad we are on the same "page" now. I had no idea what you were talking about with those range of numbers. Glad you found the chart. They do make it a bit difficult to locate.

K H level slowing coming up. It's up to 161 now. A couple more days should get it up to the 196.9 range. I can't really see the fish well now, as I had to get the netting on. I can only hope for the best now. The last large koi I have seems to be doing ok. It's sad I lost the butterfly and the other one. It was just a white shiney metallic looking one. Hopefully there are babies from them. It was hard to tell as the babies were small and didn't stay in one place long.

 

[WaterGardener]

If your pH is around 8, which it probably is by now, you can put in as much baking soda as is necessary to get the KH to where you want it to be. The pH won't go above 8.3, so it doesn't matter how much baking soda you add if the pH is close to that.

You need to go slowly at first, so you don't shock them with a large swing in the pH if that is on the low side. But if it's around 8, that small increase won't be a problem.

 

[Tula]

Really hoping for the best outcome for your fish. Now that you know the value of KH, it'll be pretty easy to monitor and adjust with BS....if your KH is stable, you won't have a PH crash.

 

[12cats]

If your pH is around 8, which it probably is by now, you can put in as much baking soda as is necessary to get the KH to where you want it to be. The pH won't go above 8.3, so it doesn't matter how much baking soda you add if the pH is close to that.

You need to go slowly at first, so you don't shock them with a large swing in the pH if that is on the low side. But if it's around 8, that small increase won't be a problem.

When I started my ph was 7.6. I will check it tomorrow.

 

[12cats]

When I started my ph was 7.6. I will check it tomorrow.

PH is holding at 7.6. KH up to 179

 

[callingcolleen1]

I forgot to mention the large Butterfly Koi that died did not have any kind of marks or signs that anything was wrong with it.

when the largest fish suddenly die off with no signs of sickness, then they most likely ran out of oxygen. Make sure the pond is not completely covered in ice and I keep all my pond pumps running all year round and underwater filters as well. Keep water moving like a stream or river if you can and that way a hole will remain open in the ice all the time. Position pump in pond half way down, and place hose above the ice, so it can run over ice and create a hole in ice all the time

 

[Tula]

Your test results seem to indicate a stable PH, which is good. I'm surprised since the KH was low, but it's still good to get your KH up. As @callingcolleen1 mentioned, O2 is very important, especially with larger fish. Have we discussed what aeration you have in the pond?

 

[12cats]

Your test results seem to indicate a stable PH, which is good. I'm surprised since the KH was low, but it's still good to get your KH up. As @callingcolleen1 mentioned, O2 is very important, especially with larger fish. Have we discussed what aeration you have in the pond?

I can't remember the name of the aerator,but it was rated for the size of my pond. I also have a small pump in my skimmer box that has a hose going back out to the pond and creating a flow across the water like callingcollern mentioned.

 

[GBBUDD]

you could have parasites do you see the fish flashing ? rubbing against the sides or bottom of the pond or rocks in the pond ?

 

[12cats]

you could have parasites do you see the fish flashing ? rubbing against the sides or bottom of the pond or rocks in the pond ?

No , none of that. All the fish were fine until the weather turned cold. But, most people are saying the cold probably didn't have anything to do with it.