Test Fish Disappearing after about 2 hours.

[Eyezik]

Welcome to the GPF @Eyezik !

Fish are excellent at hiding - we had one that would disappear for weeks at a time and then suddenly pop back up. One fish in particular may feel more vulnerable and less likely to want to show itself. Are you testing your water?

We'd love to see pictures of your pond!

Also as far as tests, I tested the water RIGHT after putting it in for a baseline and it was a PH of 7.4. Everything else was obviously at 0. I will retest today once I am out of work.

 

[Eyezik]

I have a in pond filter box so I dug a mini hole in the lowest point point of the point. I had filled the gaps with rock and out rock on top of the filter to hold it in place. I would like to assume after your guys feed back, he has managed to dig himself down in there to hide. Ima probably go for a swim and see if I can see him down there with some googles. Wish me luck

 

[Eyezik]

 

[Eyezik]

I’ll probably end up doing another post else where with a full project build.

 

[Eyezik]

What type of liner do you have?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/smartpond-120-in-L-x-156-in-W-Black-PVC-Pond-Liner-500-Gallon/1000862972

 

[mrsclem]

I thought it looked like pc. I know it séems like a great place to save money but the life expectancy for pc liners is short. Hopefully it will hold up.

 

[Eyezik]

Hello and welcome!

Ditto what everyone else said, but I would advise against using “test” fish — it’s like you are expecting the fish to be expendable. Get a water test kit and keep up with your water parameters. Give the fish places to hide (tunnels, plants, etc.). Add additional fish gradually.

Also, adding tint to a pond is not necessary. Good filtration and plants will go a long way toward any “benefits” of tints.

How big is your pond — total gallons, dimensions (besides 2’-3’ deep)? What kind of filtration do you have? Where are you located?

I understand why you advise against it. I thought about it long and hard but I plan to add the 5 goldfish that I have had for over a year to the pond. If they were to die I would be heartbroken and I do not want to risk it.

 

[Eyezik]

I thought it looked like pc. I know it séems like a great place to save money but the life expectancy for pc liners is short. Hopefully, it will hold up.

NGTL do not know what you mean by "pc liners" but I would love to learn. How should I be checking my liner for wholes or deterioration?

 

[brokensword]

https://www.lowes.com/pd/smartpond-120-in-L-x-156-in-W-Black-PVC-Pond-Liner-500-Gallon/1000862972

oh, oh, wait until @poconojoe finds out...

 

[Eyezik]

oh, oh, wait until @poconojoe finds out...

uh oh, what did I do

 

[mrsclem]

Sorry- autocorrect- PVC liner. We have a member who saved money on liner. Got pvc, had to replace it VERY quickly. As I said, hopefully you will get a few years before you have to redo it. It does have the reinforce mesh so that should help. Your liner is 14 mil, most good quality liners are 45mil. I'm hoping your fish is just hiding.

 

[poconojoe]

oh, oh, wait until @poconojoe finds out...

Uh oh!
Yeah, I had a bad experience with PVC liners which I also bought at Lowe's.

I was a newbie. I didn't know any better and actually bought a second one when the first one sprung a leak. It had a tear on the bottom.

The second one was a worse situation because that one sprung a leak in the dead of winter. I couldn't change the liner until the Spring, so I kept adding water until then. 300 gallons every week.

Both liners were only a few months old and had gotten extremely brittle. I'm guessing from the sun's UV light. I live in northeastern Pennsylvania, not Florida or Arizona, so the sun shouldn't have been a factor.

Anyway, I hope you have better luck.
If you have problems, switch to a 45 mil EPDM with an underlayment or HDRPE, those are the materials of choice.

 

[Lisak1]

@Eyezik - that pond tint won't keep your fish safe from predators, if that's what your goal was. If you can see them, so can they. And if they can't see them they can smell them or use their spidey senses to find them - nature has her ways! A better cover is floating plants where they have a chance to hide or a cave where they can retreat. And even then... fish still get taken by a smarter or more patient predator. It happens.

You do your best, but when you put them outdoors you understand it's a risk. We've all been there, and while it's sad, I like to think of the far superior life my fish are leading in an outdoor pond vs an indoor tank - a much finer way for a fish to live if you ask me!

 

[Jagsfan]

@Eyezik , im a newbie as well, but i would recommend that since you havent rocked in your pond yet, that you consider getting a 45 mil EPDM liner and replace it now. i know its $60 bucks wasted, but it will save you money in the end and you could possibly sell the liner to somebody else since its new for half price and recoup some of the money. One thing i keep seeing in these posts is "whatever you do, dont go cheap on the liner." it really is the most important part. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Eyezik]