What is this??

[Karen]

OK....I know I have "Run-Off" from the hill that created my waterfall. I'm going to have this problem until my plants all grow in. So, yes I have dirt in my pond, on my liner, etc....But the filter clears it up within days so I don't mind it too bad. But what is this??? It looks like little worms, but it's really dirt (or so I think). When I touch it, it just dissipates. It's all over the liner, on my rocks, on my drift wood, pots, etc....anything that is sitting in the water. Any idea??? I'm hoping it's not some parasite...YUK....I do remember seeing this at the lake on rocks, etc...when we go camping. Thanks.....

 

[fishin4cars]

Karen, You kind of right, they are worms that are very very small, they are actually part of the eco system. most garden ponders have those, You will eventually see some small red worms that live in the filter and under rocks too, those are a different species but do the exact same thing, eat fishy poo. The only thing with the red ones is you don't want a huge amount of them, periodic cleaning of the mats and filter will help reduce #'s and the fish love to eat them. they won't hurt the fish but two many in the filter will cause some to die off and that can cause a slow deterioration in water quality. But for now your fine, after a few months and the pond gets stable most of what your seeing now will be under rocks and in the plants and the ones you see out in the open your fish will feed on and clear away.

 

[Karen]

Karen, You kind of right, they are worms that are very very small, they are actually part of the eco system. most garden ponders have those, You will eventually see some small red worms that live in the filter and under rocks too, those are a different species but do the exact same thing, eat fishy poo. The only thing with the red ones is you don't want a huge amount of them, periodic cleaning of the mats and filter will help reduce #'s and the fish love to eat them. they won't hurt the fish but two many in the filter will cause some to die off and that can cause a slow deterioration in water quality. But for now your fine, after a few months and the pond gets stable most of what your seeing now will be under rocks and in the plants and the ones you see out in the open your fish will feed on and clear away.

Oh wow....well, I have a LOT of them!!! This is normal? My fish are still dieing, found a dead one today, so I may have 3 out of the 7 left....and no longer seeing any turtles. So, I know that I'm a long way away still from the pond being stable. I think I need to go buy a few more feeder/starter fish, I seem to have a lot of poo eating worms, but no poo...LOL...Thank you ALWAYS "fishin'4cars"....:regular_waving_emot

 

[Karen]

Karen, You kind of right, they are worms that are very very small, they are actually part of the eco system. most garden ponders have those, You will eventually see some small red worms that live in the filter and under rocks too, those are a different species but do the exact same thing, eat fishy poo. The only thing with the red ones is you don't want a huge amount of them, periodic cleaning of the mats and filter will help reduce #'s and the fish love to eat them. they won't hurt the fish but two many in the filter will cause some to die off and that can cause a slow deterioration in water quality. But for now your fine, after a few months and the pond gets stable most of what your seeing now will be under rocks and in the plants and the ones you see out in the open your fish will feed on and clear away.

Oh...one more question....I thought that you were not suppose to clean out the filter, because you don't want to get rid of any of the good bacteria, etc.....do you clean the mats out only and not the other (bags of scrubbies, etc...). Or clean everything???

 

[fishin4cars]

When you do need to clean them it's best to do them in a bucket or cooler with plain pond water in it. Back flushing a filter with pond water is the best method but not all filters have that capability. I try and clean mine in the early spring and late fall, one good cleaning at those two times as in the spring you haven't been feeding through the winter and the fish aren't producing as much waste, same thing in the fall, you want to do this once the water has gotten to the point that you are not feeding anymore regular feedings, (Water temp below 55, I prefer to wait until water is below 50) Most of the bacteria aren't doing much then anyway and cleaning now will allow for good mechanical filtering while the bacteria aren't eating as much. One more thing, If your cleaning a filter during the active months it's best to do one layer and leave the rest, such as clean the foam but not the scrubbies, next time clean the scrubbies but not the foam. this allows for the rest of the filter material to keep a good load of bacteria in the filter and what you clean will regrow very quickly as there is still going to be a good amount attached to what your cleaning as long as you use pond water to clean them with, NEVER use the water hose that may contain chlorine or chloramine to clean filters, You will kill all the bacteria and that causes you to have to cycle the filter again, ALWAYS clean them with pond water! OH and when done put it in your favorite plants pot or near the roots, that stuff is super great for fert. house plants and garden plants!

 

[shakaho]

Karen, you need to figure out why your fish are dying before you get more fish. I don't know how long you have had them, but if they are just unhealthy fish, they die pretty quickly. What are the results of your water tests? With such a big pond and just a few tiny fish, you shouldn't have a problem with ammonia, but something else might be wrong.

Three fish is just fine until your pond is established.

 

[mogsie]

to my knowledge these arent from worms exactly, tho some are called worms (eg bloodworms), they are actually the larval form of a variety of fly's/ midges, they spend the early part of the life cycle living on the bottom of your pond before eventually making their way to the surface and shedding their skin and turning into a midge/fly/gnat/mosquito, i discovered these in my pond and filter and researched them extensively on the internet,the red ones are the larvae of gnat midges and are called bloodworms

 

[fishin4cars]

to my knowledge these arent from worms exactly, tho some are called worms (eg bloodworms), they are actually the larval form of a variety of fly's/ midges, they spend the early part of the life cycle living on the bottom of your pond before eventually making their way to the surface and shedding their skin and turning into a midge/fly/gnat/mosquito, i discovered these in my pond and filter and researched them extensively on the internet,the red ones are the larvae of gnat midges and are called bloodworms

I did say worms and I think you may be absolutely right. I just wanted to assure her that what she was seeing is ok and naturally occuring and not a parasite.

 

[mogsie]

f4c i wasnt trying to correct you, i agree with the info you gave, and most are called "worms", just sharing some of the info that i spent hours reading through when i wanted to know what they are, yes hours spent researching midge larvae !! must get more excitement in my life lol

 

[fishin4cars]

f4c i wasnt trying to correct you, i agree with the info you gave, and most are called "worms", just sharing some of the info that i spent hours reading through when i wanted to know what they are, yes hours spent researching midge larvae !! must get more excitement in my life lol

LOL, wasn't saying you were correcting me.... :lol: I understood what you were saying, but yea, studying midge fly larvae for hours, hmmm kind of bugging you huh??? :fish:

 

[Malak]

Did you two play chipmunks in a cartoon? You first. No I insist, you first. lol

 

[Karen]

So, should I do anything about them? Brush the liner, change some water, anything? Also....I think I no longer have any fish or turtles. I haven't bought a pond testing kit yet, not sure where I can buy one where I live, may have to order it online...but I used my pool testing kit and according to that, I have a high PH....might be the reason my fish are dead. Should I do anything yet (buy more fish? change the water? add more plants? Too many plants? Etc?....or is this the cycling process that just has to take place and will eventually balance out???

 

[Malak]

The test kits can even be bought at Walmart as the aquarium tests are the same thing.
You should have 1/3 to 2/3 of the surface covered with plants.
I would drain 3/4 of the water and start over adding powdered bacteria. Add a small number of fish to provide a source of waste to grow the good bacteria and slowly add more as the weeks go on. As soon as you see a good algae coating, you can order trapdoor snails to help keep the algae under control.
Ebay is a source for any supplies needed also and saves you gas money, time, and sales tax.

 

[fishin4cars]

The test kits can even be bought at Walmart as the aquarium tests are the same thing.

True!
You should have 1/3 to 2/3 of the surface covered with plants.
True
I would drain 3/4 of the water and start over adding powdered bacteria.
False
Add a small number of fish to provide a source of waste to grow the good bacteria and slowly add more as the weeks go on.
True
As soon as you see a good algae coating, you can order trapdoor snails to help keep the algae under control. ??? that's a personal choice, how effective is questionable, pro. vs Cons. research
Ebay is a source for any supplies needed also and saves you gas money, time, and sales tax.

True

No more than 20% water change tops and right now I would want to see what the water parameters are before doing that.
adding bacteria supplement could do some good but I would wait and add once the pond is for sure settled down.

 

[Malak]

My thinking is that all her fish died so there must be a TON of waste in the pond already. Better to start with a cleaner slate.