Help!!!

[James99]

I'm new to this forum, but I need help! I've had a pond for 3 years now.... I built an indoor (garage) to winter my fish. It's roughly 900gallons. I was told that during winter, no filter was needed. Fish are not eating and the surface temp is 40*F. The outside temps get -30 in MN. I have lost 3 wonderful fish, an 18" Chongoi and a 24" Sanki....to what looks like oxygen loss. Now the WATER IS CLOWDY. Like if the was a phosphates change. I just changed 50% of the water and still CLOWDY. I hooked up a waterfall filter, and added carbon bag. Still CLOWDY.... I can't loose anymore fish!!! Help!

 

[Smaug]

Cloudy is a bacterial bloom and you are in danger of a total crash and fish loss. Get a hold of it with anot her 50% water change making sure to use a dechlorinating agent. Make sure the incoming water is the same temp and roughly the same pH. The fish always need some sort of filter and they woukd have been better off staying in the outside pond as it at least had established biofilm and aged water. Test your water,get a quality ammonia removing Chem such as seachems prime. Don't try to feed these fish as long as the water temp is less then 50 f and or they are sickly. Yiu need to get some sort of biofiltration going quick and that's gonna be difficult .

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I was told that during winter, no filter was needed.

Bad information! If there is no danger of the filter freezing, it should not be shut down. Metabolism, albeit at a low rate, continues for all aquatic animals at low temperatures which means Ammonia is being produced. Even though it is considerably less toxic at low temperatures a high enough level of Total Ammonia (TAN) will produce enough un-ionized Ammonia (toxic form) to be lethal.
The only time that a fish does not produce Ammonia is when it is dead!

 

[sissy]

I have an indoor for my baby fish and have a bucket of lava rock in there with a pump in it and just pull it out every 2 weeks and flush it out with the hose .100 gallon stock tank and 8 baby fish that will be going to there new homes when it is safe to do so .I have done this the same way for years and also keep some of my water hyacinth in it too .

 

[Smaug]

I have an indoor for my baby fish and have a bucket of lava rock in there with a pump in it and just pull it out every 2 weeks and flush it out with the hose .100 gallon stock tank and 8 baby fish that will be going to there new homes when it is safe to do so .I have done this the same way for years and also keep some of my water hyacinth in it too .

And that is a good way to do it but damn near impossible to build a bio filter in a crisis situation. Maybe op could beg some established filter material from someone with an established system. I wish people would stop bringing there pond fish in for the winter,they think it's a kindness but it's better to leave them out.

 

[sissy]

I only bring the babies in that I give away to protect them and make sure they are healthy when they go to there new homes .I am afraid aggie and bert will eat them also.They are hungry hungry hippo's .I need to fill some of the people here with ponds with fish .

 

[Faebinder]

Bad information! If there is no danger of the filter freezing, it should not be shut down. Metabolism, albeit at a low rate, continues for all aquatic animals at low temperatures which means Ammonia is being produced. Even though it is considerably less toxic at low temperatures a high enough level of Total Ammonia (TAN) will produce enough un-ionized Ammonia (toxic form) to be lethal.
The only time that a fish does not produce Ammonia is when it is dead!

Correction: Even when they are dead they produce ammonia..... as their body breaks down.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Correction: Even when they are dead they produce ammonia..... as their body breaks down.

The fish don't, but the bacteria do though on a lower level than respiration

 

[Dave 54]

Bad information! If there is no danger of the filter freezing, it should not be shut down. Metabolism, albeit at a low rate, continues for all aquatic animals at low temperatures which means Ammonia is being produced. Even though it is considerably less toxic at low temperatures a high enough level of Total Ammonia (TAN) will produce enough un-ionized Ammonia (toxic form) to be lethal.
The only time that a fish does not produce Ammonia is when it is dead!

Agreed Meyer I have a canadian koi friend who regulary brings in her koi each year with no losses filters and airpumps as well .
Where did you get your information from @James99 [the internet] ???? ... its far better to buy books on the twin subjects of the arts of fish keeping and the art of fish health and disease , study those books well because they may just save the lives of your koi .
This year will be our 30 year of koi keeping with hopefully many more to come , I have a large reference Library of Koi and fish health issues built up over the same period of tme , @James99 the point of this is that, I've found it most useful over the years !!!!........ as its given us many relaxing and peaceful years sitting by the pond helping out when an issue comes to the fore
See Article about it for titles ISBN numbers [where possible], lastly those all important authors names with a revue of each book :-

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/articles/our-updated-library-with-reviews.11/


This should help you out

Dave