Lost my koi :(

[joshk87]

My koi have been through 5 winters now with no problems. I head out back to check the pond yesterday since we're finally thawing out and I find every single one of them floating. But of course I can still see some of the young comets from last years spawn. Nothing like seeing about $500 floating in your water while the $2 comets swim around as happy as can be. I'm so sick over it that I'm half tempted to fill in the pond with a truckload of dirt. Are there specific diseases that can affect koi but not other breeds of fish? I noticed no spots or anything irregular on their scales.

 

[DrCase]

That's a bummer ...sorry to hear that

 

[stroppy]

so sorry to hear about your fish ;(

 

[j.w]

I'm wondering if since the Koi are much larger than the goldfish that they need much more oxygen during the winter to survive? Plants also do something at night I think depriving fish of oxygen. The pond needs to be balanced just right. Someone else will help you w/ this much better than I can. I just keep goldfish in my pond..........much cheaper, and still pretty to watch. I think they are much hardier than the Koi too so don't fill it in. Just think about keeping the goldfish if you want to keep your losses to a minimum.

 

[Shdwdrgn]

Plants produce oxygen in the sunlight, and CO2 in the dark, however I can't imagine plants would be an issue during the Winter months (since they usually die back).

A larger fish would certainly need more oxygen in the water. Do you keep your pumps running during the Winter, or at least keep some kind of aerator going in the water? And did you make sure to keep an open hole in the ice at all times?

Another consideration... was this Winter any harsher for you than previous years? Perhaps the water froze deeper than in past years, and it was just too much for the koi? I seem to recall that koi have a slightly lower tolerance to the cold, compared to the comets.

That really sucks to lose so many fish at once. Hopefully you keep trying though, it's such a great hobby. I'm a bit curious about your fish prices though. I buy 2-3" koi and shubunkins here for $3 to $5 (depending on the store). Most of my comets came from the feeder tanks for about 15 cents. So I have to wonder what kind of prices you are paying, that you lost $500 worth of koi?

 

[Johnnie]

Josh, I'm soooo sorry for your loss of koi . Your koi had survived a few heron attacks previously, but lately they're the victims of the old man winter Hey do you want some replacements? I should get some baby koi during this Summer and plan to give them away.

 

[DrDave]

Was the pond completely frozen over, or was there an opening?

 

[kirscp]

Plants produce oxygen in the sunlight, and CO2 in the dark, however I can't imagine plants would be an issue during the Winter months (since they usually die back).

That really sucks to lose so many fish at once. Hopefully you keep trying though, it's such a great hobby. I'm a bit curious about your fish prices though. I buy 2-3" koi and shubunkins here for $3 to $5 (depending on the store). Most of my comets came from the feeder tanks for about 15 cents. So I have to wonder what kind of prices you are paying, that you lost $500 worth of koi?

A 2-3" koi is $3-5, but a 12"-15" koi costs quit a bit more.

String algae will grow in the winter. If you had a lot of algae, it could have caused the problem.

I keep a 4 foot by 2 foot area open in my pond and also have a aerator. Once I turn the pumps off I add the aerator. Without any water movement, there isn't any oxygen being introduced.

 

[DrDave]

String Algae is just starting to grow in my ponds. It happens every year about now and by the end of June it is gone. I have never lost a fish during this period. I have had it so thick that large koi appear to be stuck in it. When I try to free them, they swim away, they were actually playing in it.

 

[addy1]

I would get a ton of string algae in arizona around june. Adding hydrogen peroxide to the water after scooping out what I could controlled it nicely. Within three days it was dead and gone. Then I would gather up the dead algae and that was the last attack until the next year.

 

[joshk87]

Pumps are shut off when it gets to freezing temps outside. My pumps are submersible and the lines come out of the pond so I don't want them to freeze up. I have a floating de-icer that constantly keeps a hole in the ice. I do not have an aerator and I'm starting to wonder if that was my problem. The sides of the pond have a decent covering of green algae. It's not string though, almost like a thin blanket of it on the walls of the liner. That's always been there.

Shdwdrdn - Like kirscp said the small koi may be cheap, but mine were larger and would easily cost me $500 to replace them all.

Johnnie - Thanks! That's a very kind offer, keep me posted!

Thanks everyone for the help, I'm starting to think better about this now that a few days have past. I'll look into an aerator setup asap.

 

[CJ's POND]

:frown:josh87
When I read your post & how you felt like filling in your pond, cause of the loss of your fish, I knew just how you felt, really I did. I too live in Ohio, Logan county. I have lost, in total, only 4 beautiful koi, who were very special to me. Seems as if here in Ohio, 4 winters was as long as I could keep my koi alive. My husband had to talk me into not filling in both ponds. The last koi I lost was almost my limit. Each year has been a learning experience. I keep trying cause my pond & fish are important to me. My place to get away from the world. I don't think it is absurd to be angry & sad over the loss of your koi, I was --very. Hope your dispare & anger will pass & you can go back to enjoying your creation.

 

[joshk87]

Thanks CJ. Im slowly starting to overcome it and have decided to keep the pond going. I mostly made the comment to fill it in just out of anger at the time. Here's a pic of my favorite koi by far who was lost in this mess.

 

[digginponds]

My koi have been through 5 winters now with no problems. I head out back to check the pond yesterday since we're finally thawing out and I find every single one of them floating. But of course I can still see some of the young comets from last years spawn. Nothing like seeing about $500 floating in your water while the $2 comets swim around as happy as can be. I'm so sick over it that I'm half tempted to fill in the pond with a truckload of dirt. Are there specific diseases that can affect koi but not other breeds of fish? I noticed no spots or anything irregular on their scales.

SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did the samething ,but it wasn't my koi,it was a goldfish

 

[Shdwdrgn]

Addy - interesting technique... do you know if the peroxide is harmful to any of the fish, or if it would be safe for aquarium use? And what dosage do you use?