Hello Everyone,
I have not been on the forum in a while...we had a major project going on indoors for last month or so, so my time was limited as far as visiting the forum and posting. :(

The snow and ice has finally melted on my pond and for the first time this past weekend I saw a Robin! Yey! Sure sign of spring being just around the corner. I was finally able to go and check on my fish as well. :rolleyes: The bad news is that I lost one more fish since my last post in January. :o I also have a huge algae bloom. The water is so green that I can not see any of the remainig fish. I am fearing the worst and thinking that maybe they have all surcumbed to a fungul infection.

The current water temperature in the pond is 40 degrees. Is that is still to cold to start up the waterfall, filter and UV? Once I clear up the green water (5-7 days maybe?) and if my fish are still alive, I would like to start treating with Melafix and Pimafix. Has anyone used this before and is it ok to use in cold water temperatures?

This pond stuff is way too stressful! I am afraid to even go near the pond now for fear of finding more dead fish. Prior to owning the pond, spring was my favorite time of year...now I have become a springtime worry wart. :unsure:

Claudette

I leave my waterfall and filter going every day of the year even with the pond mostly iced over. So 40 degrees F is not too cold to start up your filter as long as it's not going to get super cold again (below freezing). I've used MelaFix (not PimaFix but I have some) in my aquariums and ponds. It will cause foaming and lower the oxygen levels so be sure to aerate well. Other than that, it's safe. It should work in colder water but will take longer to have an affect as everything is slower when it's cold.

Think of your pond as a being in and of itself, greater than the individual parts (species and individual fish, etc.). I try not to stress over losing a particular fish; I lose half a dozen goldfish a year on average. It's hard though when one of my more rare fish die (orfe, koi). Good luck!

The salt level in the pond is currently at 0.05% maybe higher, so I think I am ok with the salt.

We will start the filter and UV on Thursday. We cannot start up before then since we just purchased a new bead filter and it will not be here until Thursday. As soon as it arrives its start up time!

Should I wait until the water clears to start the treatment? I was told that teatments will not work in green water, that I have to clear the water first then treat the pond. If that is the case I will concentrate on clearing the water first, then treat the pond this coming weekend. I have at least seven Koi that I really hope I do not, or have not lost. They are at least 20 inches long and have beautiful flowing tails. I will be devastated if they did not make it.

In your experience with finding dead fish, did you find most at the edge of the pond, or did you find them at different depths in the pond. The two that I found were at the edges of the pond in two feet of water. I am hoping that not seeing any others is a good sign. I walked the parameters of the pond tonight and did not see any more dead fish.

I am hoping for the best and can't wait for Thursday! I will keep you posted on further developments.

Thank you Robyn!

P.S. I can't wait for the day when I can have positive posts on the forum and not these "sick koi" posts!

Hi Claudette! Gosh I know what you mean about Spring time worries with the pond. I have not seen a fish since mid October and I am worried to say the least. I am sorry about your two losses and I hope you don't have anymore. I have very large Koi too and that would just devestate me to say the least. My water is so green I can't see anything either. I hope your new filter works well. We are supposed to get -20 this week again so I doubt I will be putting mine in for another month :-( Good luck and keep us posted. I guess we have to remember that fish loss is part of being a ponder, but I can't wrap my head around that. Nice to have you back on the forum. Elaine

Hey KK I have never had a problem with Green water only string alge which disapears in summer for the most part. Since my current pond location is shaded more in the winter than summer I don't have your problem, if you consider it one. Far as I understand it green water does not harm the health of your fish,especialy if you have your pond aerated. Of course it makes it pretty tough to see if you have an injured fish. My new ponds will be just the opposite situation which will be a whole new ball game. :blink:

Froggy

My pond is in 100% sunlight as we don't have any trees :-( Once we start getting 21 hours of daylight everyday, I don't have a hope in H*** of keeping the algae down. I am going to build a pergola over the pond to create some shade and I am going to build the biggest filter I can. Probably around 4x4x8 feet. I do have excellent aeration and I actually think the fish love the green water, worst problem is that my pond is 9 feet deep so I can only see my guys at feeding time :-(

KK, does that monster tent have big flaps that open on the sides? Or could they be cut into it and tied back like window drapes, allowing you to control the amount of sun hitting your pond? Then next winter just tie them back down....just a thought. B)

Derrick

Wow that's a lot of sunlight. Partial shade would help alot. A filter no matter how big, will only remove dead algae after your UV light does it's job, Since you have koi and they love to eat plants, makes it difficult to take the nutriants from the algae. Plants like hornwort are supposed to inhibit algae growth and I don't think Koi like to munch on them.
Nine foot deep you say.... watch your step or they won't find you till ice out! :unsure: :unsure:

Froggy

Wow KK it sure does get cold in your neck of the woods. I don't know that I could own a pond with temperatures that cold. I have a hard time getting through 4 months of winter!

Like yourself, at this time of year my pond gets 100% sunlight. Once the trees get their leaves I probably get about 5 hours of sunlight at best on my pond so my algae problem is mostly in March, April and May. Still long enough to cause grief though. I know that algae is not harmful to fish, but as frogman stated, it makes it hard to spot potential problems in our fish. I will feel a whole lot better once I can see what is going on down there in my pond.

You said that you were expecting -20 this week. :o When does it actually start to get warm out your way? October through now is such a long to not be able to see your fish. My pond does not usually ice over until mid or maybe late December so I do not have as long a wait as you do. It must be torture for you.

I hope all your babies come through ok for you. I will let you know when I can finally see mine and what condition I find them in as well. Gosh, Thursday seems like a long time away when you are waiting. I cannot wait to come to the rescue of my poor fish! :(

Moran439, in my experience, dead fish sink wherever they happened to die, or they get pulled to near a suction (pump) intake if the suction is strong enough. Dead fish usually only float once they've been dead for weeks and start to decompose. How much or your pond can you visualize? Since you don't see any casualties, hopefully, there aren't any!

I checked the pond again tonight and did not see any other casualties, so I hope you are right! :) I can't see past 18 inches of water. I have some hardy lilies in the pond and can barely make out the pots. I did mange to see a couple of little Comets swimming on the back side of the pond though. :rolleyes: When they saw me, they scooted off to deeper water. I did not see any other signs of life though. Once I start the UV, I should find out in about 3 days if my Koi are still alive and what condition they are in. Keeping my fingers crossed! and hoping to have good news to report!

Derrick, I can't fold up the side of my tent cause it would blow away. We have such strong wind here. I have about 60 very large rocks holding it down now. I am definately going to have to go with a wooden shelter, one that is cemented well into the ground.