Goldfish Dying... Someone Help!

[Calley]

Welcome to our forum, Calley. No one has mentioned the possibility of toxic runoff. You say your water was overflowing; what did that overflow come in contact with? What did it flow into/onto? Could the runoff have leached fertilized soil, weed killer, or other toxic substances into your pond? Even manure or compost in your landscape introduced into the pond in large enough quantities can deplete available oxygen levels or result in rapid Ph swings.

And when I meant overflowing, I meant that the hose was filling up the pond and spilling over the side all night. But there's no way that any of the runoff water could have come in contact with the pond again.

 

[Calley]

I always trickle water into the pond, and we've all been there with the long running top offs Heck I left mine on all night once, and I have chlorinated water and don't normally treat it. ( that time I did after the fact though, fish were fine). Key is to trickle water, very very slow.
I know you said you have a waterfall, but sometime that is not enough. I've had to add a spitter from the pump to really hit the water hard getting the o2 moving. At night the algae in your pond sucks O2 out of the pond to replenish. Oxygen is the key
View attachment 73027

View attachment 73029
See the spitter? I have a spill over from my bog to the right of the spitter and the water fall.
My water fall was not putting putting enough movement in there so I added this and no more gasping at night.

Ok I like your ideas, I could try those!
I'm just thinking though, those fish have been alive in that pond for 5 years.... so apparently my pond has been getting enough oxygen then, right? This overnight thing happens and they all start dying. I mean I very well could be wrong, but if the fish were never getting enough oxygen in the first place, they should have died a long time ago.

 

[Calley]

I always trickle water into the pond, and we've all been there with the long running top offs Heck I left mine on all night once, and I have chlorinated water and don't normally treat it. ( that time I did after the fact though, fish were fine). Key is to trickle water, very very slow.
I know you said you have a waterfall, but sometime that is not enough. I've had to add a spitter from the pump to really hit the water hard getting the o2 moving. At night the algae in your pond sucks O2 out of the pond to replenish. Oxygen is the key
View attachment 73027

View attachment 73029
See the spitter? I have a spill over from my bog to the right of the spitter and the water fall.
My water fall was not putting putting enough movement in there so I added this and no more gasping at night.

Also, your pond is very gorgeous! It looks so tranquil and happy!

 

[Priscilla]

That's crazy. No clue what could have gone wrong. I agree with you, maybe the well water was much colder than the pond? But even then, depending on the size of your pond the fish should have had time to adjust.

So sorry. If you ever find out what happened please update us. Good luck with the remaining fish.

 

[Calley]

I'm just coming to the conclusion that they went into shock. My pond isn't huge, maybe 90-100 gal? And maybe the fish would have had time to adjust.... if the water was turned off when it was full. I think that with the constant filling of the cold water, the water never had the chance to adjust to the air temperature, shocking all the fish. I think I'll have four left, the 5th one doesn't look like he/she will make it. Thank you all for the good advice!

 

[Dave 54]

That's crazy. No clue what could have gone wrong. I agree with you, maybe the well water was much colder than the pond? But even then, depending on the size of your pond the fish should have had time to adjust.

So sorry. If you ever find out what happened please update us. Good luck with the remaining fish.

I'm just coming to the conclusion that they went into shock. My pond isn't huge, maybe 90-100 gal? And maybe the fish would have had time to adjust.... if the water was turned off when it was full. I think that with the constant filling of the cold water, the water never had the chance to adjust to the air temperature, shocking all the fish. I think I'll have four left, the 5th one doesn't look like he/she will make it. Thank you all for the good advice!

I dont think cold water would kill them off Priscilla this is sounding more and more like catastrophic oxygen depleteion the U S and the UK both have the weather fronts for it and a pond will just flip and your fish are dead.
I'd like to know just what test kit your uing Cally if its a test strip get rid of them and buy an API pond test kit .

https://www.addl.purdue.edu/newsletters/1997/summer/oxydep.shtml

Looking at it Its the only thing that fits the kill rate that we have seen in Cally's pond what do you think ?

Dave

 

[dieselplower]

Wow you had 23 fish in 100 gallons for 5 years?!

 

[Dave 54]

Wow you had 23 fish in 100 gallons for 5 years?!

Thats alot of fish Cally and is asking for trouble to say the very least
Cally when was the last time you vacuumed the pond bottom is there a layer of detritus dead leaves etc ?
If so you need to remove it , what is your maintenance routine like filtration wise ?
Sorry for all the questions but its the only way to get to the bottom of this .

Dave

 

[Calley]

Where can I get an API pond test kit?
Yes I had a lot of fish in my pond, they weren't huge though, most were small (besides the koi). Before the pond that we have now we just had a lined pond, and some of the older fish came from there. It wasn't all 23 fish in it for all 5 years though. We were given more fish when one of my relatives had trouble with blue herons eating theirs.
We usually vacuum the pond once a year, in the summertime. We haven't yet this year though. There really isn't much at the bottom, maybe a half inch or so of grime?
I don't mind all of the question asking. I appreciate the concern!
@dieselplower @Dave 54

 

[Dave 54]

It's pointing more and more to Catastrophic Oxygen depletion being the thing that happened in your pond and thats what killed your fish Cally.
It's the only thing that makes sense at the moment .

Dave

 

[Calley]

It's pointing more and more to Catastrophic Oxygen depletion being the thing that happened in your pond and thats what killed your fish Cally.
It's the only thing that makes sense at the moment .

Dave

OK I read the article on it. So my pond was stratified and the hose flowing into it stirred up the water, releasing the O2, resulting in oxygen depletion, right?
That's strange that it happened so suddenly. I hope I never experience that again!
I'm going to go buy an aerator of some sort.

 

[Dave 54]

They do very good Airpumps at koi dealerships Cally they come with a multi gang head meaning you can add up to 12 of the large pond airstones too it and it will power them all with no lopss of pressure they are built for the outside in every aspect of the design we run two Airtec 40e airpumps one supply's air to my filters the second and third filter have three each and th bio filter has six running in it .
The other airtec 40e supplies my bottom drain bubbler , we always turn the bubbler up a notch in this typ of weather Catastrophic Oxygen Depleteion is very sudden Cally its that quick
Heres a link into what I'm talking about infact my airpumps are like this one :-

http://www.azponds.com/New_webpages/New_air_pumps.html?select=9

I hope this helps you Cally ?

Dave

 

[Fishylove]

Also, your pond is very gorgeous! It looks so tranquil and happy!

Thank you hun I love my pond.
Yes unfortunately Mother Nature will 'thin the herd' so to speak if perameters are not right, servival of the fittest. No you may not have been O2 deprived all this time OR you may have just been teetering on the edge of it and these weather fronts with the barometer pressure going up and down ( I remember when I was a little girl and went fishing with my dad, we would get minnows and put em in a minnow bucket and the would be fine. But some days when the days were really hot and it was going to storm later that day, the poor things wouldn't make it all day. It's something I never forgot, dad told me when the pressure in the air swings fast or is very low, the oxygen will not stay in the water very good so the fish are having a hard time breathing. At the time I though ' that's funny, fish breathe under water??' But I get it now lol)
Honestly Calley, you may never know exactly how it happened, but I'm 99% positive it was O2 related. May have been a mix of things together, but you caught it and saved a few good going. That's a great thing in my book. So keep that pond well oxygenated some how and you won't have to worry the next time.
Now.... On a more positive note thought you might wanna see the new baby red ear sliders I just got ?

Ain't they cute?!

 

[Tula]

Very cute!

 

[cnyle]

I'm sorry to read of all your troubles today Calley, I'm sure its been a stressful day to say the least. But who can't smile when they see the little turtles from Wendy.