In desperate help. Fish wont survive In my pond

[Lindsaykay]

Everything looks perfect u did well ,only doubt was pump.
Can be fish were sick or stressed from journey and they died after sometime?
Did u feed them?

Yes after the 24hr mark. Im not positive both ate. It was right after i fed a second time that the first fish started to die.

 

[Lindsaykay]

If you really want to take control of your pond, get your own master water test kit, including nitrate, KH and ammonia.
You need to be able to track your water quality parameters yourself so you can understand and react to adverse changes in the water quality.
You also need to be able to identify, by make and model number, all the components of your mechanical filtration and water circulation.
Get rid of the barley. That doesn't help anything.

can you give me information on why the barley is bad? Ive read so many great things about it darnit

 

[MitchM]

can you give me information on why the barley is bad? Ive read so many great things about it darnit

There are no scientific studies that demonstrate barley as helping to clean a pond, there are only anecdotal stories out there.
It's like me saying that I wear an onion on my belt because it keeps polar bears out of my yard - and I know it works because there are no polar bears in my yard.

The barley straw is simply going to decay and also trap detritus, causing you nutrient control problems over time.

.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Was your water tested before or after you added the first fish?

 

[Mmathis]

I took my water to a pond shop and he told me the levels were all good but the PH. i dont know what all the levels were tho he didnt say. I was going to buy i test kit but i have a ph kit so thought that woukd be enough. But i didnt dechlorinate since its been sitting since june i figured all the chlorine would be completley gone at least the pond guy said it would be. The barley bag has only been in for two days and doesnt start decomposing for a month so that shouldnt be a problem and there is plenty of algae growth along the sides and rocks...

Like @MitchM said, get your own water test kit. Telling us that "the water is fine," isn't telling us anything -- we need to know what the actual numbers are. You should test for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates, as well as pH and KH (at the bare minimum). And you need to understand how these all work together. Do some reading on the nitrogen cycle to help you.

And is there a possibility that any chemicals such as from lawn sprays, etc., could have gotten into the pond? For example, does rain water flow into your pond?

Please take the pump out and have it replaced!!

 

[Lindsaykay]

Like @MitchM said, get your own water test kit. Telling us that "the water is fine," isn't telling us anything -- we need to know what the actual numbers are. You should test for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates, as well as pH and KH (at the bare minimum). And you need to understand how these all work together. Do some reading on the nitrogen cycle to help you.

And is there a possibility that any chemicals such as from lawn sprays, etc., could have gotten into the pond? For example, does rain water flow into your pond?

Please take the pump out and have it replaced!!

There is no lawn sprays nor run off. We were careful where we put it and how it was designed. Im not actively saying im not getting the tests thats been said i will do so. But If he said all levels are normal then its clearly not the problem thats killing the fish. Though its something i will be getting in the near future to better watch the levels myself. Going to him was a quick fix to see if i should be worried about other levels besides PH cause i have a tester for that. But again why would they be so important right this moment if they are normal according to him and his testings?

I have noticed each morning a slug falls into my pond and i fish him out and throw him away. Could this be bad??

 

[Lindsaykay]

Was your water tested before or after you added the first fish?

Right after they died i collected it early that morning and went straight in to test it. I have a PH tester but not the other levels so i was worried maybe the others were bad too but he said they all looked great just the PH was a little high though that shouldn't have been my problem because Koi can stand above 8.4

 

[Usman]

can you give me information on why the barley is bad? Ive read so many great things about it darnit

Lol u love barley bag alot , ithink its for green water some did observed tht it stops algae growth of some type , but it rots and releases some chemical to control algae and it may take oxygen or kill ur fish if overdose.,we dontknoe if theres no green algae thn it may b considered as overdose, u just started idont thing u need u dont hv alot fish load or too much algae , uhv UV light too so it may not benefit , can create more problems , ithink u shudnt feed much either just feed very little twice a week , few little fishess dont need alot of foodc, they will find in pond from algae and organisams

 

[Mmathis]

@Lindsaykay How is the newest batch of feeder fish doing? Are they acting OK so far?

 

[Lindsaykay]

@Lindsaykay How is the newest batch of feeder fish doing? Are they acting OK so far?

I got 6 very tiny guys and two larger goldfish. So far doing great except one tiny one passed.

I have replaced the pump (did so this morning after little guy died) and dont feel any more shocks so hopefully that was my problem. Crossing fingers they are all alive still in morning.

 

[mrsclem]

I got 6 very tiny guys and two larger goldfish. So far doing great except one tiny one passed.

I have replaced the pump (did so this morning after little guy died) and dont feel any more shocks so hopefully that was my problem. Crossing fingers they are all alive still in morning.

I have been following your thread. Anytime you feel shocks in your pond water its bad and could be deadly not only for your fish but for you as well. I lost almost all my fish early on from a voltage leak from a pump. The water looked like it was boiling and had I gone in the pond- well, don't want to think about it. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Lisak1]

Fingers crossed you found the issue @Lindsaykay !

 

[Mmathis]

I got 6 very tiny guys and two larger goldfish. So far doing great except one tiny one passed.

I have replaced the pump (did so this morning after little guy died) and dont feel any more shocks so hopefully that was my problem. Crossing fingers they are all alive still in morning.

OK. Good to know! As long as these fish are doing fine, don't add any more for a while.

So, let's start all over here....

Go ahead and get your test kit and start watching the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels. It will take weeks, but you're going to see the ammonia level rise, then the nitrite level, followed by the nitrate level. This is how you get a cycled or mature pond. Don't add any chemicals -- this is a natural process and it has to go through these stages, and you have to have the fish in there for it to happen. If levels get too high, you would do water changes to bring the level down, but I don't think you have enough fish for that to happen. But just remember, if the levels do get too high, it's water changes, not chemicals that you want to do.

(Then, whenever you do add new fish, always quarantine them in a separate tank before adding them to your pond. Opinions vary, but usually the minimum time to QT is 4 weeks. Fish from even the best places can bring diseases or parasites that could upset the balance in your pond. Even just having too many fish will cause stress that can lead to diseases.)

 

[MitchM]

I am concerned that your GFCI didn't trip.
It may be defective. Replacing it will be cheap insurance.
It could even be wired incorrectly.

 

[Mmathis]

I am concerned that your GFCI didn't trip.
It may be defective. Replacing it will be cheap insurance.
It could even be wired incorrectly.

Very good point!