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10-08-2018, 09:10 PM #1
Lost 3 fish in the past week - help / suggestions please!
Hi,
Not the best reason for a first post but I'm hoping someone can help.
I've recently stocked my 9000litre pond in the last 4 weeks. My pressurised filter (rubbish, I know) and pump have been running for about 3 months now, both have more than double the capacity for the pond.
I've stocked my pond with 12 3/4 inch koi and 3 9-10 inch koi.
Sadly over the past week I've lost 3 of the smaller fish in slightly different circumstances. The first was an ogon white koi which acted strangely from when it was first brought home, it went straight to the bottom and kept itself away from the rest of the pack. After two weeks or so he started swimming on his side, stopped eating, and then finally died at the bottom of the pond after a further week.
Then a small kohaku died on Tuesday. I had noticed that it was at the surface the night before but did not seem to be visibly gasping although it did jump the surface two or three times, but it had been eating.
Finally today a sanke(?) passed away without warning. It had been eating fine and did not show any signs of gasping etc.
I've been taking readings religiously and they all seem fine. Current readings are:
Ammonia - 0.1
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
PH - 8
KH 195.8ppm
GH 462.8ppm
Oxygen levels seem to be somewhere in the region of 8-11.
I've attached pictures of today's dead koi, and a picture of the pond so you can see the waterfall setup. I've ordered an air pump which I hope to be fitting tomorrow, although I am sceptical as to whether oxygen is the issue. There have been no visible injuries on any of the fish.
The other fish are eating (albeit very fussily - they will only eat 3mm floating pellets that are pushed under by the waterfall). I am feeding once a day at present as they haven't been clearing everything.
I don't have a microscope so I can't do any swipes - but the fish haven't been flashing so I doubt it is parasites?
I'm stumped! Is it likely to be simply natural selection because they are little koi?
I don't want to miss anything!
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks
IMG_2952.jpgIMG_2953.jpgIMG_2955.jpg
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10-08-2018, 10:00 PM #2
Hi,
First year with a new pond is the most difficult.
Not sure of the stock levels? 12 x 2cm fish and 3 x 25cm?
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10-08-2018, 10:35 PM #3
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11-08-2018, 05:05 AM #4
Gasping at the surface normally indicates not enough oxygen.With this years temperatures,the water would deoxygenate very quickly especially at night.Our pond is like a boiling cauldron at the moment,two 2" airstones,waterfall & oxygenated water from the filter,all this in a 2.500 gall.pond.The first one sounds like a swim bladder infection.
Ray.
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11-08-2018, 10:02 PM #5
Hi
Not sure where you are in the UK?
There is a range of potential causes, all you can do is go through a process of logical diagnosis steps;
The base water parameters look OK.. I am guessing you will see some upward spikes soon as the maturation process starts.
Do you use dechlorinator or a carbon filter for water changes. Need to tick chlorine off the list.
lack of O2 could be the cause, but in general smaller fish survive lower O2 levels than the larger one. The only route with this one is by accurately testing the O2 levels and this test can at times be a bit tricky. Or by making sure there is enough going in and hoping!
I would not dismiss Parasites, fish react in differing ways to different critters, an absence of flashing doesn't give you anything positive. With a new pond and a stock of new fish and the added stress of them adapting to the environment it is prime time for some of the more dangerous critters such as Whitespot. The only way to tick this off the list is by mucus scrapes.
My suggestions would be to try and get a scrape done; your local dealer, an experienced local hobbyist or a koi health specialist.
If you can tick off all the above and problems continue then it is time to look at other causes.. Pollution etc, these are somewhat more tricky to pin down.
Hope this helps
Dave
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12-08-2018, 03:13 PM #6
Thanks Dave. I’m in Hatfield Peverel, Essex.
I’ve been using dechlorinator, and according to my test strips chlorine isn’t a problem either. I’ve been doing weekly water changes of 10%.
I’ve now added an air pump with 4 air stones.
Another one of the little guys seems to be on his way out. I found him sitting on the surface with his fins tucked in. He didn’t put up much a struggle when I netted him.
I’ve isolated him from the others and he’s now sat in a large tub of pond water with an air stone. I’ve tried to feed him but he’s not having any of it.
The others are a bit more active and are eating a little but still not clearing everything. I will have to see if I can do a scrape and find a local specialist to examine them for me as I’ve not got a microscope!
Thanks
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12-08-2018, 03:46 PM #7
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12-08-2018, 07:39 PM #8
Not got any from swallow aquatics recently have you?
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Running heater at low temp?
Covering the pond with polycarb should be enough to stop water temps dipping below 6C for the most...