R.I.P. All My Fish :'(

[RoyalFeather]

I went out to the pond this morning and all the fish were belly up!

Half the pond was drained out and I had to fix the leak. I refilled the pond, but must not have added enough declorinator to the water.

I'm pretty upset with myself. I loved my fish and was really starting to get to know them.

R.I.P. Pearl, Cali, Lucy, and Fred.

 

[sissy]

oh no so so sorry rest in piece little fishies

 

[fishin4cars]

So sorry to hear, I guess it's a part of learning but I know how bad you must feel. It's hard losing pets but hopefully it's a lesson learned and some new ones will have even a better home next time.

 

[j.w]

Now that is a real bummer and so sorry this happened to your beloved pets :sad:

 

[DrCase]

tough loss sorry

 

[RoyalFeather]

I checked the water temps yesterday and it was at 100*F! what makes the water that hot? It was only 95 that day and it's a 300 gallon pond.

 

[CometKeith]

Royal, I'm so sorry about your fish. Most of us have had learning mistakes which was no fault of our fish and they paid the price. It's important to shade the pond with plants or other devices to prevent it from getting too hot. It might have been a twofold problem of water being too hot and chlorine damaging their gills if you didn't add enough declor. My guess is the hot water temps affected them more than anything else by reducing the levels of dissolved O2 in the water. Also the air temps might have been 95 but the sun could have made the water hotter than that and that is why the water temp was so high.

 

[Mmathis]

So sorry to hear! I know how excited you were when your new fish arrived.

 

[richyd]

Sorry for your loss Been in a similar situation and know its heartbreaking

 

[RoyalFeather]

Got a bit of shading plants planted around the pond and in the pond, so the water temps have been holding at a colder temperature now.

My friend from before who was moving and giving me her fish moved out yesterday and now they are my fish. Trying again with fish now and being more careful about reading the instructions for the declorinator.

I'll post pictures when I get a chance. I have 3 shubunkins and 7 Comets all 6"-7" long. They all have names, but don't ask me what they are LOL. 10 names is too much for me to remember.

 

[Waterbug]

I checked the water temps yesterday and it was at 100*F! what makes the water that hot? It was only 95 that day and it's a 300 gallon pond.

It's sunlight (thermal radiation) that makes the water hotter than the air. Dark colors absorb more, shinny materials reflect more.

I have a black EPDM tarp outside in the sun. I put a thermometer under the EPDM... 160F when the air was 103F.

 

[jhenkel]

Shalom - try picking up a metal tool that's been setting in the sun for even a few minutes - this is where a waterfall and an airstone all help cool the water

 

[Craig58]

I also wouldn't totally rule out the temperature of the water as part of the cause. If you took out half the water, and added half back in, and it was only a 300 gallon pond, the temperature change could have been significant. With only 150 gallons at say 100 degrees, and you add 150 gallons at say 70 degrees, the temperature could have dropped 15-20 degrees in a very short time and then, being a small pond could have quickly climbed back to 100. .

I'm not saying it wasn't the dechlor but a drastic swing in temperature probably wasn't helpful either.

Very sorry for the loss of the fish. Never a good feeling. :-(

Craig