Koi & Goldfish help

[LouisianaBigfoot]

Well I think I've discovered the problem...seems it may have been a algaecide that I bought from Lowes ( I PLEDGE TO NEVER BUY FROM THERE AGAIN FOR MY POND !!) A guy I work with bought the same thing from Lowes and has started losing his fish as well. So I am going to drain/clean my pond and start fresh..AGAIN..argh..Thanks all !

 

[RSFish1]

Repeat after me. "I will not put any chemicals in to my pond that do not have a specific use other than treating an illness."

Almost all other uses for chemicals can be obtained by other means. My one exception is a dechlorinator for removing chloride/chlorine from city water.

 

[LouisianaBigfoot]

RSFish, "I will not put any chemicals in to my pond that do not have a specific use other than treating an illness." ...Lesson learned... let me rephrase that HARD lesson learned. That was the first and LAST time I used an algaecide.

 

[RSFish1]

If you have issues with algae, please come on the forums here and let us all help. There are causes and affects for everything.
Algae can really make a pond look bad. And it can be an indicator of water issues. Get yourself a test kit. The take a look at your pond.
Algae thrives on heat, sun light and fertilizer (fish waste and excessive fish food).
UV sterilizers, proper filtration, shading can all help to reduce algae. Many algacides say they are safe for fish. And they probably can be if used properly. But algacides can also mess up the environment in your pond very quickly. The dead algae can set your water parameters spiraling in to the dead zone very quickly. And in the end, they are treating the end result, not the cause, and your problems still exist.

This is one of the reasons to shy away from chemicals in a pond. There is a reason that the pond gets to point "C" where you need a chemical. "A" + "B" ="C" . "A" and "B" need to be corrected.

 

[LouisianaBigfoot]

RSFish, in hindsight...i shouldn't have added it as the algae really wasn't a problem, the pond was only 2 weeks old (1month old at this time) and had the first onset of light algae..and from the past pond i had quickly became a problem..I was tryin to keep it from taking over...I actually knew better and went against my gut telling me not to do it. So should I completely drain it and start over, or do a water change as I've been putting startup bacteria in it the past 3-4 weeks..any suggestions? Thanks

 

[RSFish1]

My suggestion at this point is to drain it out since there are no fish in it. Refill and dechlorinate the water if needed. Wait a week and then put some "canary" fish in there and plants. Let it get cycled for a month with the fish and plants in it. See how the parameters do. There will most definitely be an algae bloom in there along the way. The water will probably turn pea soup green. Just keep your filtration going and let the pond mature and the biological ecosystem develop.
Patience on getting it up and going is difficult. Trust me, many of us have not been patient. I hate to guess how many fish I really like that I might as well killed myself the first year.

But once everything gets up and running smoothly, there are years of enjoyment. I know you have been doing this for awhile from your signature. So take your past experiences and others suggestions as they come. You will be good to go.

 

[DrDave]

How many times do we have to say it.
NEVER PUT CHEMICALS IN YOUR POND, INCLUDING FERTILIZERS.

Think about what you would want in your drinking water before you put it in theirs.