Jump to content

Some of my fish died today but not the goldfish!


Tyke

Recommended Posts

Ive had my pond around 3 years and only lost the odd fish in all that time.

Today i lost my beloved golden orfe that i had had from 1 inch long.

I lost my Tench, common carp, 2 rudd and a gudgeon. :(

All 9 goldfish survived!

We had a storm last night and had a power cut and it knocked the pump off.

Never realised till 10 oclock this morn and it was too late by then.

The water has been green for ages even with a 4 watt uv light and barley straw.

Looks like the 4 watt uv isent powerfull inough.

I know you shouldent change the water but i needed to make sure the water wasent contaminated plus get any other dead fish out that was on the bottom.

So its clear now and the goldfish seem happy but im worried it will go green again.

Any idea why the goldfish and 1 gudgeon survived but the others died?

 

df.jpg

 

{Just amended the image link - Elton}

 

[ 18. July 2003, 09:28 AM: Message edited by: Elton ]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 27
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Just checked the pond this morning and all the fish are alive and well and swimming around taking food.

Maybe i should have changed the water before as ive been told that the algea uses up a lot of oxygen.

Ive also been told that if you put fresh water in it will go green very quickly again.

Maybe now the water is clear the uv will have a chance of keeping it like that rather than it being pea green when i first put the uv in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yes its best to use straw as a precaution rather than a remedy it should go in in the spring well before any green starts to show , the same is true for uv ,if you think about it water is a VERY good uv stopper add to this the green and it probably only "fries" the nearest to the actuall uv source the "middle" algy probably are "sheltered" by their friends :) in power ,more is better as uv tubes decline fairly fast in output and as the power is rated when new even after a few months is markably less :)probably the goldfish survived because their tough little chaps the gudgeon also :D

you dont say how big your pond is but its strange they died in the first place :confused: as so few fish should happily survive in a pond without any assistance ,does it have any filtration or is it just the uv , i know that filters with carbon in can become so "full" of toxins they suddenly (well the carbon) suddenly "eject" the toxins at a fast rate , if the filter is a bio one (it uses micro organisms to "eat" the toxins) if the water flow stops they die and themselves become toxic , the water should always pump to a filter and the filter should drain by gravity then if the electric fails the pump is still submerged if its the other way around there is a chance that the water will drain in the opposite direction and if the power comes back on the pump wont prime and burn itself out :( a friend of an old employer had his filter (a huge one ) running so that the water ran to the filter by gravity where the pump (in the last filter chamber ) pumped it back to the pond ,one morning on his stroll he discovered his pond almost empty ,there had been a power cut overnight ,the water had dutifully proceeded to the filter but the pump never sent it back (it overflowed from the filter to the soil), it was swiftly changed and had a auto valve fitted if the power vent off the valve closed :)

 

[ 18. July 2003, 09:21 PM: Message edited by: chesters1 ]

Believe NOTHING anyones says or writes unless you witness it yourself and even then your eyes can deceive you

None of this "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" crap it just means i have at least two enemies!

 

There is only one opinion i listen to ,its mine and its ALWAYS right even when its wrong

 

Its far easier to curse the darkness than light one candle

 

Mathew 4:19

Grangers law : anything i say will  turn out the opposite or not happen at all!

Life insurance? you wont enjoy a penny!

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical." Thomas Jefferson

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the reply chesters.

The pond is not a very big one and at the deepest its about 2.5 feet.

The pump sits in the pond on a raised basket just above the bottom.

From there it is pumped to a bio filter where the uv light is then it goes into a header pond and down a waterway back to the pond.

I have had barley straw in since april but did not put the uv light in until may/june.

The water was well green by then.

The pump filter blocked every 2 to 3 days due to the amount of dead algea that was getting in the pond.

I reaaly wished i had changed the water a couple of weeks ago when i realised the uv could not cope.

The pond is still crystal clear as i speak but it upsets me that my most cherised fish died.

One gudgeon did survive but one also died.

And i was shocked the tench died as i thought they would survive almost anything.

Last week i was thinking this is not right as no fish come to the surface when i feed them...................i really could kick myself. :mad:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ah but the bright side is lesson learnt :D ,did you notice if fish were dead before power back on?? as ofcourse when the power came back on the now dead "bio" beasties will be pumped into pond :( there used to be a concoction of beasties in a bottle that "kick started" bio filters back into action ,they also can be used willy nilly to improve silt breakdown :)

Believe NOTHING anyones says or writes unless you witness it yourself and even then your eyes can deceive you

None of this "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" crap it just means i have at least two enemies!

 

There is only one opinion i listen to ,its mine and its ALWAYS right even when its wrong

 

Its far easier to curse the darkness than light one candle

 

Mathew 4:19

Grangers law : anything i say will  turn out the opposite or not happen at all!

Life insurance? you wont enjoy a penny!

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical." Thomas Jefferson

Link to comment
Share on other sites

june%202003.jpg

 

This is a pic of the pond in june 2003.

To the left its 1 foot deep then in the middle its around 2 feet deep then 6inch to the right.

I wished i had gone 4 feet in the middle but was not sure the liner was big inough, my mate who was helping me was rushing me to get to the pub so i thought this looks deep inough.

4feet would have been better.

He dident really earn his beer that night and i was a fool to be pushed and rushed by him. :mad:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

just a thought , the plant in the center is a foxtail? it may be worth (on a very slim chance) looking at the possibilty its petals (that are now falling) may contain digitalis and "may" have helped in the fishes demise ,as i say its a slim chance ,any botanists out there :)

i expect the water gets a bit warm as well and lowers the oxygen levels maybe a bit more cover is needed :)

it maybe also usefull to have a waterbut on the nearest drainpipe (the overflow could be piped to the pond) its usefull for partial refills

 

[ 18. July 2003, 10:39 PM: Message edited by: chesters1 ]

Believe NOTHING anyones says or writes unless you witness it yourself and even then your eyes can deceive you

None of this "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" crap it just means i have at least two enemies!

 

There is only one opinion i listen to ,its mine and its ALWAYS right even when its wrong

 

Its far easier to curse the darkness than light one candle

 

Mathew 4:19

Grangers law : anything i say will  turn out the opposite or not happen at all!

Life insurance? you wont enjoy a penny!

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical." Thomas Jefferson

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You said you had a storm that night, did that involve thunder/lightning? Those conditions can literally knock the oxygen out of the water, and if your pump is out of action too, that will mean oxygen is no longer being put back into your pond. Unfortunately, the largest fish (generally) will suffer first, and it is not uncommon to wake up after a thunderstorm to find all your large fish floating on the surface, with the small ones swimming around happily.

 

As I well know

John S

Quanti Canicula Ille In Fenestra

 

Species caught in 2017 Common Ash, Hawthorn, Hazel, Scots Pine, White Willow.

Species caught in 2016: Alder, Blackthorn, Common Ash, Crab Apple, Left Earlobe, Pedunculate Oak, Rock Whitebeam, Scots Pine, Smooth-leaved Elm, Swan, Wayfaring tree.

Species caught in 2015: Ash, Bird Cherry, Black-Headed Gull, Common Hazel, Common Whitebeam, Elder, Field Maple, Gorse, Puma, Sessile Oak, White Willow.

Species caught in 2014: Big Angry Man's Ear, Blackthorn, Common Ash, Common Whitebeam, Downy Birch, European Beech, European Holly, Hawthorn, Hazel, Scots Pine, Wych Elm.
Species caught in 2013: Beech, Elder, Hawthorn, Oak, Right Earlobe, Scots Pine.

Species caught in 2012: Ash, Aspen, Beech, Big Nasty Stinging Nettle, Birch, Copper Beech, Grey Willow, Holly, Hazel, Oak, Wasp Nest (that was a really bad day), White Poplar.
Species caught in 2011: Blackthorn, Crab Apple, Elder, Fir, Hawthorn, Horse Chestnut, Oak, Passing Dog, Rowan, Sycamore, Willow.
Species caught in 2010: Ash, Beech, Birch, Elder, Elm, Gorse, Mullberry, Oak, Poplar, Rowan, Sloe, Willow, Yew.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting thread this one.

 

One more point is that if your pond was heavily greened with algae, the 'right' conditions will kill the algae quickly which also produces an Oxygen crash, this would of course be exaggerated by the pump not working.

 

Ask at your local pond center about algicidal pads, I've used these this year to great effect, no algae & the plantgrowth has not been affected at all.

Peter.

 

The loose lines gone..STRIKE.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tyke - a thought for you. Take a look Here for a possible solution to your green water problem. One that will not require more UV treatment or more straw. In fact, it does better if you put the UV stuff in the garage and leave it there.

 

Also, check the Ponds & Aquatic Plants forum and do a search for "green water". Lots of good info there or you can post a question and get some real expert advice.

" My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!" - Harry Truman, 33rd US President

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We and our partners use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences, repeat visits and to show you personalised advertisements. By clicking “I Agree”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit Cookie Settings to provide a controlled consent.