newbie floundering/fish at risk

[Chrysalis~]

Hi all,

I live in a small town in Hawaii. When I decided to build a small Koi pond I went to the local aquarium store. He's given me little guidance so I've made some mistakes and lost some fish, poor things. I need a bit of advice to save the last two, Dusty (Kio) and Angel (Comet).

I wasn't advised to treat the new pond water with algaecide so in the space ot 3 weeks it was a zoo. I finally got some ph test strips today and find it's really low so I set out to treat for that. Then I started to do some algae clean-up only to find the more I scrubbed the more it became loose and floating in the water. I then decided to do a start over so I've emptied, scrubbed, refilled (tap) and treated.

My question: Will my two small fish survive 24 hours in a 5 gallon bucket without any aeration while I wait for the new water to cure? I have a couple floatie plants on them too.

Thank you for helping me!

 

[Chrysalis~]

Also.....lol is it an absolute that tap water must stand 24 hours before introducing fish or is there a way of speeding this process, I have it treated and waterfall falling. What's in tap water that has to leach out, is it chlorine?

I'm blowing bubbles into the bucket with my fish periodically. I'm not asking for a guarentee here, just a best guess.

 

[koidaddy]

City tap water has chlorine and or chloramines in it. You can buy products that remove it like Prime or the like.
I would go get yourself a small airpump for your bucket. They need air.

 

[koikeepr]

correct, you need to get a dechlorinated product, to treat the water. Standing 24 hours does nothing--as you need to be doing 20% water changes every 2-weeks (every week if it gets really hot).

Are you doing water changes? That's certainly a cause of death of fish.

Give us the exact water parameters your tests are showing.

 

[Chrysalis~]

Hi and thanks for the help. The pond was new only 3 weeks old and I had done a water change but only in the last couple of days ot try to save the fish. I'm using a 5-in-1 test strip from 'smartpond' and the numbers are approximately:
ph - 6.5
alkaline - 150
hardness - 100
nitrite - 0
nitrate - 10

When I treated the water yesterday I added algaecide, a pond clarifier with 'good' bacteria and baking soda to bring up the ph.

My fish have survived the night in the bucket with me blowing into it periodically. There was no place for me to get a pump yesterday. I'll dechlorinate the water on my lunch break in appx 6 hours from now. Can I introduce the fish immediately after dechlorinating the water or wait. I suppose the product will tell me. Thanks again.

 

[Chrysalis~]

My fish have been in the new water for about 10 hours now and aside from the fact that they appear terrified of me, they seem to be in good spirits and health. Does anyone see anything in the numbers that I should be concerned about?

To answer your question Koikeeper, it's between 78 and 88 degrees here during the day...everyday...all year. :yikesu:

Is baking soda a realistic ph raiser? I saw there are products to increase ph. The baking soda doesn't seem to be doing much. I've added several times in small quantities and it's still low.

The guy at the fish store told me it was okay to let my garden sprinklers 'add' to the pond. I was prepared to turn them down so they couldn't reach it but he said, 'No it's okay and will help to renew it.' Obviously it's tap water in small doses. Any thoughts on this?

 

[koikeepr]

You are missing the most critical testing figure---and that's ammonia. Does your test kit have an ammonia read? If not, then you ned to get a test that does.

Do you do weekly water changes?

 

[Chrysalis~]

The test strips I have now don't test for ammonia. I'll get a test for that and monitor it. It's my understanding that ammonia is a byproduct of the fish so will accumulate over time and is less of a factor in a new pond, is that correct?

I plan to do weekly water changes of only 10 gallons and adding any chemicals neccessary, weekly at this time. I guess my pond is closer to 80-90 gallons. I underestimated the size before.

Thoughts anybody on the irrigation issue and using baking soda for ph up I mentioned before. Thanks!

 

[jason081180]

The test strips I have now don't test for ammonia. I'll get a test for that and monitor it. It's my understanding that ammonia is a byproduct of the fish so will accumulate over time and is less of a factor in a new pond, is that correct?

Ammonia is a byproduct of fish, mainly from breathing but also from matter decaying in the pond. Ammonia is one of the most poisonous chemicals in the water. Ammonia breaks down into nitrite and then into nitrate. each is less poisonous than the last. the beneficial bacteria in your pond do the breaking down. So in a new pond with none of the bacteria present it is a huge factor to monitor ammonia levels. Even a little can kill fish. The nitrates are what the plants use to grow, so they absorb them. That's why its so important to have plants and/or do 20% water changes.

 

[Chrysalis~]

Okay, I got an ammonia test kit and I register 0 ammonia. I also got some ph up solution and boy does it work fast, I only hope I don't stress the fish! The guy at the fish store told me that city water here is usually ph high and I figure the recent rain and run-off I need to divert is the cause of the acidic water. It explains why my plants are 'burned' or brown at the leaf edges. We have that damn volcano that gives us acid rain and so much more. I rarely get rain but when we do it's highly acidic and when it rains, it pours.

I think I'm on the mend thanks to all the good advice. I may be able to fish up by the end of the week and the two I have are returning to their playful ways.

 

[Chrysalis~]

Boy do I feel silly. I've been chasing ph based on these test strips I bought at Lowe's and come to find out, they're defective. I've been raising my ph based on bad data and drove it up to 8.0. I bought a solution kit and am now easing it down. These fish I have are going to be tough cookies once I'm through beating them up.

Are ph meters reliable for ponding? I've used them in my job. Do most of you use a solution kit or a meter. I have a conductivity meter which is reputed to be just as reliable as a ph meter if you establish the relative numbers.

I'm going to search the forum for this but may as well put it here too. My water plants (don't know what they are....air sacks, leaves and babies on the end of tubes, look like an airport terminal) have had a rough go too. There are leaves that are turning brown and decomposing in the water. Should I trim and discard this matter or leave it be? When plants decompose into the pond is it a good thing or should I get it out of there?

Thanks. :bouncycig:

 

[koiguy1969]

always remove dead plant mater...you plats sound like hiacynths to me. and keep them trimmed up. pruning dead foliage off your plants helps keep your plants thriving.

 

[DrDave]

If you want to check a PH strip, use distilled water. It should be nuetral at 7.0 PH.

 

[Squidhead]

Test strips are very easy to use but they can get expensive. I prefer reagent test's. These are the tests with a test tube and small bottle of chemical to drop in the water sample. API makes a freshwater master test kit that has everything you need to monitor your pond until it is established, or you can just get whatever test you need, In your case pH and Ammonia, those 2 are most important for now. API seems to be the best for me. It lasts you the whole year. The color cards are esy to use compared to some other tests and it is inexpensive compared to others. Also you need to dechlorinate your water when you first fill and change the water. Leaving it out for 24 hours is great, but a good dechlorinator also removes other toxins to fish. Someone mentioned Prime, that is what I would use. I hope I am not violating any forum rule by giving you a link to a website that explains what you need to do. Although it is an aquarium site, the process is still the same http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html

 

[koikeepr]

I agree with Squid. Liquid tests are more accurate, and Prime is an excellent dechlor.