Fish Seems Unable To Eat

[Meyer Jordan]

The foam is created by the waterfalls effect of agitating the water. The foam itself is accumulated organics in the water and unless it is really thick I would not be concerned as it should dissipate on its own.
With an Ammonia reading of 0.00 there is no need to add Prime to your pond.
Nitrate level seems high. Do you have enough plants?
Phosphate level is borderline. May cause string algae problems later.
How recently did you add the crushed oyster shells and coral? Did you thoroughly rinse them before you added them to the pond? They could easily be the source of the cloudiness,

 

[LibraKoi]

The foam is created by the waterfalls effect of agitating the water. The foam itself is accumulated organics in the water and unless it is really thick I would not be concerned as it should dissipate on its own.
With an Ammonia reading of 0.00 there is no need to add Prime to your pond.
Nitrate level seems high. Do you have enough plants?
Phosphate level is borderline. May cause string algae problems later.
How recently did you add the crushed oyster shells and coral? Did you thoroughly rinse them before you added them to the pond? They could easily be the source of the cloudiness,

I put the shells and coral in when we first opened a couple months ago--It was crystal clear and then got all dirty with foam build up--so that is why we did the cleaning, but it is the same as before we used new water. Do you think the organic matter is from to much being in the filter and there not being enough breathing room or water movement room? We do not have enough plants in there as they have been destroying them. We have a bunch of cat o nine tails that some roots are in the water. Purchased a few floaters and waiting for them to grow--but again, I have to keep them in a DIY ring made of screen and piping so they don't eat the roots of those. Do you know if they are just as effective being in the ring and not in the pond floating freely? I did grab some few stems from a plant we had in there and it grew out of the pond. I put it in some old water garden soil that I had--so I am hoping it will take and spread. If I put plant fertilizer in there now--that will make the phosphate levels even higher? Or is that something I could do to try and help them spread quicker?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

The cloudy water isn't caused by your filtration.
Some Koi are really destructive when it comes to plants. The plants should do just fine in the rings. Considering the Nitrate and Phosphorous levels, there is more than adequate nutrients available for the plants. Fertilizer is surely not needed.

Try to describe the color of the cloudiness. Is it dark brown, tan, milky, pale green or?

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Prime is sold at most fish or pond stores. And it will help with the nitrite (nitrite shows up after ammonia and is toxic to fish) Nitrate isn't necessarily toxic although long term exposure to higher levels can cause issues for some fish.

 

[LibraKoi]

The cloudy water isn't caused by your filtration.
Some Koi are really destructive when it comes to plants. The plants should do just fine in the rings. Considering the Nitrate and Phosphorous levels, there is more than adequate nutrients available for the plants. Fertilizer is surely not needed.

Try to describe the color of the cloudiness. Is it dark brown, tan, milky, pale green or?

It's really hard to describe--so I took some photos. If you put the water into a plastic water bottle--it looks clear. To me the cloudiness is milky--my boyfriend says green.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Couple of questions concerning the above photo.
-Is that quilt batting in the right hand side of the skimmer?
-Is that foam floating in the pump chamber?

 

[LibraKoi]

Couple of questions concerning the above photo.
-Is that quilt batting in the right hand side of the skimmer?
-Is that foam floating in the pump chamber?

That is foam that is coming from the waterfall spill and being sucked into the skimmer

 

[Meyer Jordan]

That is foam that is coming from the waterfall spill and being sucked into the skimmer

Is that quilt batting?

Also lets go back to your water test results. You posted a Phosphate level of 5.0. Is that correct? Who manufactured the test kit?

 

[LibraKoi]

Is that quilt batting?

Also lets go back to your water test results. You posted a Phosphate level of 5.0. Is that correct? Who manufactured the test kit?

No that is not quilt batting, it is foam that is being sucked up from the pond. In some of the other photos, you can see the foam that accumulates.

The test kit is from Mars. I took the readings again today and they are as follows:
PH 7.8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite .25
Nitrate .70
Phosphate 5.0

Thank you

 

[Meyer Jordan]

No that is not quilt batting, it is foam that is being sucked up from the pond. In some of the other photos, you can see the foam that accumulates.

The test kit is from Mars. I took the readings again today and they are as follows:
PH 7.8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite .25
Nitrate .70
Phosphate 5.0

Thank you

The test result color was dark blue/green?

 

[LibraKoi]

The test result color was dark blue/green?

Yes

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Yikes!!! When I first read your test results I just thought that the 5.0 was a typo and was supposed to be 0.5. Then when I saw the photo of your skimmer, I thought that I should confirm that original test result. The ideal level for Phosphorus (Phosphate) is less than 0.05 ppm. Your Foam is Phosphate based. Only a Phosphorus binder such as PhosLoc, PhosOut or similar product will correct this problem, It could also be a source of the cloudiness in the pond. I have deal with elevated Phosphorus in many ponds over the years, but I have never dealt with one with a level this high.
I would address this issue ASAP.
Have their been any applications of pesticides/herbicides near the pond recently? Also I would test the source water to eliminate that as a point of origin for the Phosphorus.

 

[Dave 54]

Sadly you were unlucky with your koi but what I cant understand is how long had this been going on for it to get so thin ?
Do you know how to anethitize your fish so that in future you can check yourself for obstructions in your koi's mouths rather than pay vets bills .
I've had koi from time to time with obstructtions in their mouths and its a simple matter to anethatize your koi pop a pair of tweezers in its mouth gently opem it and look inside , then if your koi's mouth is obstucted its a simple matter of hooking it out.
Heres an article I did on the various stages of anesthetics and how to use them :-

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/articles/the-various-stages-of-anaesthetics.5/

Hope this help in the future ?

Dave

 

[LibraKoi]

Yikes!!! When I first read your test results I just thought that the 5.0 was a typo and was supposed to be 0.5. Then when I saw the photo of your skimmer, I thought that I should confirm that original test result. The ideal level for Phosphorus (Phosphate) is less than 0.05 ppm. Your Foam is Phosphate based. Only a Phosphorus binder such as PhosLoc, PhosOut or similar product will correct this problem, It could also be a source of the cloudiness in the pond. I have deal with elevated Phosphorus in many ponds over the years, but I have never dealt with one with a level this high.
I would address this issue ASAP.
Have their been any applications of pesticides/herbicides near the pond recently? Also I would test the source water to eliminate that as a point of origin for the Phosphorus.

I spoke with the water dept. and the phosphate at their plan is between 2.9 and 3.5. I tested it today from the hose and it was more blue than green. So maybe 3 or so. We don't use any fertilizers or herbicides on anything in the yard. I am wondering if it is from the oyster shells I bought as I bought them from the grain supply place and it is kept in the same holding facility. I will give them a call.
So how would I go about adding a product to lower it without affecting PH? Do I just put it in a sock and toss it in my filter or waterfall? And would I have to use it all the time or just until the plants started to grow? Will it stop the plants from growing and become a vicious cycle? Thanks for your help

 

[LibraKoi]

I spoke with the water dept. and the phosphate at their plan is between 2.9 and 3.5. I tested it today from the hose and it was more blue than green. So maybe 3 or so. We don't use any fertilizers or herbicides on anything in the yard. I am wondering if it is from the oyster shells I bought as I bought them from the grain supply place and it is kept in the same holding facility. I will give them a call.
So how would I go about adding a product to lower it without affecting PH? Do I just put it in a sock and toss it in my filter or waterfall? And would I have to use it all the time or just until the plants started to grow? Will it stop the plants from growing and become a vicious cycle? Thanks for your help

I called the grain store and she assured me that the oyster shells are kept with the feed and no where near the chemicals. But it's in the same warehouse--so not sure what to think there.
I read in a search about Phosphate that you can add a tiny amount of stump remover to help your plants grow without added phosphate. Has anyone heard of this and done it?