sissy
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good snacks in the skimmer are muck and maybe bugs ,not the food you feed them
Koi dying in skimmer
- Thread starter Patty davenport
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Mmathis
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@Patty davenport
Ditto!
What are your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, KH readings — in numbers, not just saying “they’re good.” We prefer to use liquid drop tests rather than test strips.
Based on the size of your pond and current and past fish load, I suspect that you are having basic water quality issues — water quality is the number 1 one cause of fish problems. Your pond may have been running for 10 years with no problems = balanced. But your fish grow and they have babies. This size change and additional fish will alter that balance to the pond.
Can you show us some different pictures of your pond, overall? The ones you posted are duplicates of the same pics, and don’t really show anything.
I don’t think it’s a problem with your skimmer, but that there’s something going on within the pond. Please check your water parameters and get back with us with those number results!
Your pond water should read 0 ammonia. The fact that it is not tells us the pond is out of balance. Another indicator is the green water in the pond, in an established pond there should be enough filtration both bio and mechanical to keep nutrients under control. When it is insufficient it manifests itself with green water ( free floating algae) and string algae.
A 1000 gallon pond is a little small for much more than 1 koi. In all likelihood your pond is reaching a tipping point where the fish load is overwhelming the filtration system.
There is really no reason to add salt to a pond. It has its uses as a treatment, but not as a permanent living condition for a freshwater fish. I know many ponders recommend this, but it is unnecessary and many look at it as a cure all when it is not. I see you have plants in the pond, salt will effect your plants growth, even kill plants if it gets too high.
So if I have this right, you are down to 8 fish, 2 of which are larger over a foot, foot and a half, correct? PH is in correct range? And isn’t having big swings up and down? ( check morning and evening) How much circulation in the pond? You should have at roughly 2x per hour at your stocking level. Are there alot of plants in the pond? Only see lilies in the pics.
Your ammonia is reading just a bit instead of a lot because the green algae is consuming it. Ammonia can inhibit fishes gills ability to pull oxygen from the water. So in severe cases they will be piping/gasping, hovering in areas of higher oxygenation/circulation, near waterfalls or where there is water movement. In a weakened state they can be pulled into the skimmer. Poor water quality makes them more susceptible to disease, etc.
Getting your fish population down to an appropriate level, upping circulation if necessary, adding plants ( ones that grow quickly hence consuming more nutrients)eliminating use of salt, and maintaining good water quality are a start.
In your case, I would probably start doing water changes, (trying to improve water quality quickly while getting the pond back in balance) since you are losing fish, as long as your source water is good. Adding stress coat or a dechlor especially if on public water.
A 1000 gallon pond is a little small for much more than 1 koi. In all likelihood your pond is reaching a tipping point where the fish load is overwhelming the filtration system.
There is really no reason to add salt to a pond. It has its uses as a treatment, but not as a permanent living condition for a freshwater fish. I know many ponders recommend this, but it is unnecessary and many look at it as a cure all when it is not. I see you have plants in the pond, salt will effect your plants growth, even kill plants if it gets too high.
So if I have this right, you are down to 8 fish, 2 of which are larger over a foot, foot and a half, correct? PH is in correct range? And isn’t having big swings up and down? ( check morning and evening) How much circulation in the pond? You should have at roughly 2x per hour at your stocking level. Are there alot of plants in the pond? Only see lilies in the pics.
Your ammonia is reading just a bit instead of a lot because the green algae is consuming it. Ammonia can inhibit fishes gills ability to pull oxygen from the water. So in severe cases they will be piping/gasping, hovering in areas of higher oxygenation/circulation, near waterfalls or where there is water movement. In a weakened state they can be pulled into the skimmer. Poor water quality makes them more susceptible to disease, etc.
Getting your fish population down to an appropriate level, upping circulation if necessary, adding plants ( ones that grow quickly hence consuming more nutrients)eliminating use of salt, and maintaining good water quality are a start.
In your case, I would probably start doing water changes, (trying to improve water quality quickly while getting the pond back in balance) since you are losing fish, as long as your source water is good. Adding stress coat or a dechlor especially if on public water.
Mmathis
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@Jhn I must have missed the water parameters— sorry!
@Patty davenport Water lilies are wonderful for providing shade and cover, they do little for water quality as they feed from the substrate rather than from the water, so other plants (marginals, submerged oxygenators) would be more beneficial— except for the salt issue.
@Patty davenport Water lilies are wonderful for providing shade and cover, they do little for water quality as they feed from the substrate rather than from the water, so other plants (marginals, submerged oxygenators) would be more beneficial— except for the salt issue.
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No you didn’t, OP just said they were good except for ammonia.
Even w/o numbers, having an ammonia reading, green water, pond size, stocking levels, tells a lot of what is going on. However, exact numbers, overall view of pond, circulation/ filter system would definitely be of great benefit in being sure of what is happening with the pond and fish.
That is why my suggestions were about maintaining good husbandry practices and in this case even water changes (which I am not a fan of just for the sake of doing them)if the source water is decent.
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Losing the big ones first if they're otherwise healthy in an overstocked pond with a lot of decaying matter on the bottom plus lilies covering part of the water surface could cause an issue with oxygen depletion.
It would help to know the water temperature.
It would help to know the water temperature.
Mmathis
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True! Location and climate are factors! My water temp (Louisiana) is bordering on the 90’s
barefoot. Doing all I can with shade sails, aeration, etc.
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