i sure hope someone here can help me--

i purchased five comets last monday to put in my new pond-- the pond is about 2'deep..has fountain...it is a pond kit-- has filter and a pump for about 200gph...

i put oxygen plants in and also a plec to eat algae-- i put declorinator in the water before i put the fish in the pond...

i am feeding them the kind of food that falls to bottom and only feeding once a day in the morning...

they are active and swim about- hiding in the plants ....


the fish have been fine up until yesterday when i found one floating on surface and tonite another--


i live in florida - and have provided shade to the pond by floating plants on top of water

the dead fish do not appear to have any bulging eyes or any defect at all really..they just look like regular little goldfish--

i hate that they are dying and dont have a clue as to what may be causing this-- i feel terrible--

anyone have any ideas -- i hope i have provided enough info..thanks in advance

Have you tested the water's pH, ammonia, and nitrite levels?
Is the pleco okay? Are there any other animals in the pond? How many gallons is the pond? Did the comets show any symptoms aside from just dying? They may have been ill when you got them if your pond water is okay. It's a good idea to quarantine fish before adding them to your pond and to treat them for parasites and bacteria. My health page at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/health.htm has sections on fish health and a list of reasons that fish might die. I hope things improve!

I had a problem a few weeks ago. I lost about 10 fish in a matter of a few days. My water tested fine, so I put some medication in the pond for 5 days and now I havent lost any suspiscious fish. I did lose one that had a chunk taken out of him, so something must have gotten a hold of him/her.

During the time I was losing fish, I notice lots of small looking flies/bugs flying landing on the liner of the pond. I didnt know if they were there because of the dead fish or were somehow linked to the dead fish, but after treating the water, no dead fish and all the little flies/bugs are gone.

i have talked to a few other pondes who think i may have parasites-- perhaps from plants i got at pet store??? i havent lost any more fish- plec is fine--

i am going to get a water testing kit today--

does anyone know where i can buy
Potassium permanganate???

a friend gave me bog plants from the wild and i want to treat them before i put them in pond

there are no flies or anything on water-- fish dont have any signs of weirdness after death- -they look totally natural--

thanks for help--

To JarrodRossi: I think the bugs on the liner were just a concidence. Aquatic insects often molt into adults in groups. Remember that parasitic insects, crustaceans, etc. will not be swimming around the pond but will be inside or on the fish. They don't live long without a host.

To Norrash: Added pond plants can bring in parasites but normally the larger ones which are more obvious like fish lice. If your pond had parasites, the fish still wouldn't have died in just days; it takes the parasites a while to be deadly. I could never find KMnO4 (potassium permanganate) at a pet store myself so being a chemist, I got some from work. I've heard that you might be able to get it from some pond suppliers. You can just presoak the new plants in parasitic fish medication, something strong like malachite green or something. Some such "meds" may harm the plants in high doses. I used to treat new plants but stopped doing that as I decided the risk was pretty low for the effort.

They have it on Ebay.....


http://search.ebay.com/potassium-permangan...ojsZ1QQfromZR40

least expensive is: 6.60
Most expensive is: 31.20


Adreamer2