Stress Coat details

[Dogcatlady]

I am just about done constructing my pond. 2 days ago I put in a generous amount of Stress Coat (API) per instructions, and 24 hours later got my first 2 fish. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to find shubunkins, and I won't have the rest of them for another 4-5 days. Do I need to add more? What exactly is in there and does it degrade? How fast?

THANKS!!

 

[JamieB]

From what I’ve gathered, stress coat has salt and such, stuff to encourage the fish to have a healthy slime coat. Of more concern is that you say the pond was just filled a few days ago. The pond needs time for the nitrogen cycle to run its course and establish the bacteria that break the fish waste down into less toxic forms. Watch your two fish closely and test your water several times a day, don’t add more fish yet. Read up on the nitrogen cycle, it’ll save you money and heart ache when fish die from ammonia poisoning.

 

[Dogcatlady]

Thanks, I appreciate it! I actually filled it a couple of weeks ago....I've been finding and fixing little problems for at least 2 weeks. Then I added just 2 tiny fish in a 2000 gallon pond so I think I have some wiggle room with the ammonia. But I will watch closely. What do you think of the bottled bacteria I've seen at Petsmart? Or I could get a bucket of water from a friend with a pond. I actually meant to do that but I forgot!

I also have tons of frogs already so I want to believe they are a possible bacteria source. How long does it generally take for things to get up and running? I have a bog garden but the plants are small and pathetic...

Thanks again for your help!!

 

[JamieB]

The bottled bacteria is a waste in my opinion. You develop it over time naturally, but seeding some from an established pond that you know has no parasites is good. 2 fish in 2000 gallons with tadpoles already is probably good, the tadpoles are a good indicator that there’s no chlorine, or other pesky chemicals, and at that dilution, you should be ok! You’re original post didn’t say how big your pond is, so you’re good!

 

[LarryM]

I had a hard time finding shubunkins as well. Then I noticed a company selling them on Amazon. Toledo Goldfish. I ordered a combination of six shubunkins and six sarasa goldish. The cost was 49.95 INCLUDING shipping. When I got the fish they sent not 12 fish, but 16. They only sent five shubunkin instead six. The sarasa were not as good as I would have liked, but for the price and the extra fish they sent I wasn't too upset. When Amazon asked me for a review, I mentioned the errors in the shipment and quality of the sarasas. The very next day they emailed me apologizing for their mistake and promptly re-shipped my entire order for free, even though I told them it wasn't necessarily. The new fish they sent were very nice. All the shunkins in both shipments were very good quality. I heartily recommend this company for anyone looking for good shubunkins at a good price. They really made sure I was happy.

 

[Dogcatlady]

Do you have a Pet Supplies Plus near you? I have one nearby and the manager ordered some for me. He had me call on Saturday when he places his order and he was able to look at what his supplier had available at that time, and he ordered me exactly what I wanted. They are beautiful! He told me to pick up before he had to put them in with his water system which I greatly appreciated!

Much money saved!!

 

[Lisak1]

We did the same thing today @Dogcatlady - they told us they were ordering shubunkins on Friday and that they would hold some out for us to look at before they put them in their tanks.

 

[LarryM]

Do you have a Pet Supplies Plus near you? I have one nearby and the manager ordered some for me. He had me call on Saturday when he places his order and he was able to look at what his supplier had available at that time, and he ordered me exactly what I wanted. They are beautiful! He told me to pick up before he had to put them in with his water system which I greatly appreciated!

Much money saved!!

No we don't have any good fish suppliers in our area. You'd think an area the size of Little Rock one could find some decent fish but that is not the case. There was a very good company in town but they went out of business several years ago, so when I want new Fish I'm stuck with paying big shipping fees. Fortunately I don't buy fish very often.

 

[Dogcatlady]

That is really surprising! I bet a Persmart would order them for you...if you asked....they have shipments all the time, right?

One of my brand new fish just turned up dead outside the pond so I'll be repeating the process next week.