I have a natural pond (no filters or lights etc) its around 8 x 6feet in diameter and 3feet deep. I have had gold fish and golden orf in it over the past few years and never had any problems before (apart from the Heron!). But over the last couple of months Ive had loads dieing on me. The pond is cleared regularly and has some plants in it along with a sturgeon who I havnt seen in yonks! its been great and my goldfish have had numerous babies and there has even been some rare speckled newts. Whats with the sudden deaths, I know its abit anal but I do care even if they are only fish??? can anyone assist. :confused: :help:

Try www.pond-doctor.co.uk or www.fishdoc.co.uk...the home of fish health!!!

Are there any symptoms or are they looking fine till you find them belly up?
I have had a few DOA(home from work) this winter, Mostly goldfish not my Koi, thank god my bank balance couldnt take it.
But they seem to have died of several differing causes.

Im wondering if its the dodgy winter weather one minute warm next minute iced over.

I have one goldfish that has been swimming upside down for nearly a year now we call him Aussie, I have tried treating him with everything you can buy off the shelves. But still hes upside down seems healthy other than that.

I also had a stugeon but they really dont like blanket weed, it gets stuck in there gills so that might answer where hes gone.

Oh I forgot to mention it might be over crowding, if you have too many fish compared to your surface area they wont get enough oxygen.
This could be caused by icing over or hot summer conditions(obviously not your problem)
we lost loads a couple of summers ago when our pump broke down and it was really hot.
Iv put an oxygen ball in now just in case.

Also they could be poisoning there own water with fish poo(nice) a water change is the only option here.
There is some stuff you can add to the pond called Bactalife, it balances the good and bad bacteria which helps breakdown the fish poo. Making your poison levels better. try it, it works!

Great, the sturgeon was lovely too - maybe hes at bottom but not feeding. I hope not. although to be honest I never saw him anyway. The fish generally look fine I did wonder wether there was some kind of bacterial problem. Ive left the pond over winter and not treated it because your suppose to leave them to their own devices apparently and not change the balance of the water. However maybe I need to do something. I understand there will always be casualties but not this many and in such a short time.:loopy:

It might be teaching a granny to suck eggs,but all through the wionter and early spring,I only feed wheatgerm pellets to all my fish.Apparently fish find it easier to digest and doesn't get stuck in their guts ,which can cause death.
So far all my fish look great and at last I can see my rudd at the bottom of the pond.I lost a great golden orfe last year which was due to lack of oxygen ,now have airstone in pond that runs all the time.
I always buy some baby fish every year just to enjoy watching them grow plus it's cheaper than buying fully grown ones.Also if one dies on you,you've only lost what it cost you £1 to £2 .

Originally posted by feederfil
It might be teaching a granny to suck eggs,but all through the wionter and early spring,I only feed wheatgerm pellets to all my fish.Apparently fish find it easier to digest and doesn't get stuck in their guts ,which can cause death.
So far all my fish look great and at last I can see my rudd at the bottom of the pond.I lost a great golden orfe last year which was due to lack of oxygen ,now have airstone in pond that runs all the time.
I always buy some baby fish every year just to enjoy watching them grow plus it's cheaper than buying fully grown ones.Also if one dies on you,you've only lost what it cost you £1 to £2 .

whats a AIRSTONE.... does this need electricity as my ponds right at the bottom of the garden and I dont fancy doing excavation work!! I dont feed my fish at all in the winter and probably wont start until the frost goes so it doesnt freeze in their bellies.... Maybe if my pond is not the right dimensions Ill have to fetch them all out in the spring and deepen my pond to 5feet -LOADS WORK THOUGH!!

I have a pond only 6ft by 3ft diameter and a mere 18 inches depth, in 3 years only have TWO dead fish. The current population is all goldfish of various ages, around 30 of them, crowded but they dont seem to have a problem with it. 2 deaths in 4 years is not bad going. We started with 4 adult glodfish which bred within 3 months to a healthy circa 30 fish, some of the baby fish obviously got eaten, but many survived. Simple air pump at the bottom keeps the air bubbling through the water all year round.

The pond seems completely self clearing, we have a selection of pond weeds which have grown and developed under their own steam, plus some proper water snails which seem to keep the whole thing very healthy. I used some water clearing stuff only once, last year, when the pond went bright green for a few weeks, and then it was fine. The water has never been changed as such, although in the summer it needs topping up with a couple of watering cans full each hot day due to evaporation.

maybe your pond needs a good clean out this year because if you have rotting vegitation at the bottom that can cause fish deaths

you could also post on here
yorkshire koi society (http://www.yorkshirekoi.co.uk/)

You say that the pond is natural, I take it that by this you mean it has no liner and is filled by water either by a natural spring or that the water table is very high in this area. If so have you considered contamination from things like pesticides etc, do you have any farmland or sewwrage plats etc nearby. As you say over winter generally fish do not need feeding although I have fed ming a little during milder days. During periods of prolonged frost where the pond is iced over it is important to keep an area of the pond ice free to allow gas exchange. This can be done by floating a ball in the pond.

The pond does have a liner and has various plants in, although I did take quite a few out last year so they didnt take all the oxygen. I dont have any electricity to the pond and last year decided to get a solar fountain to create some bubbles/oxygen but had to send it back cause it was crap!!! considering we dont get much sun. I dont think it could be contaminated although our house backs on to the Crematorium. Also the water table is really high and the bottom of the garden floods so water from the garden could have spilt over. Its something to consider. I actually got into the pond myself last year to clear the bottom (by hand) and nearly ended up on my jacksee after a massive toad swam to the top to see what I was doing!!!:hihi: :hihi: I know Ive got to get something to airiate it but want something which doesnt require electricity.
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THIS AIRSTONE IS/DOES????

CHEERS

an airstone is just a stone with a hole & an air line to it.
if its an established pond u shouldn't need air - when was the last time u saw a fishing pond with a fountain.

upside down fish is usually swim bladder - could survive for yonks, one of mine is just at it now.

be careful feeding in cold or changeable weather (whegerm is ok in winter) the fish dont digest the feed pellets in cold weather and they rot in their intestines and poison them.

it could be loads of things affecting the fish but if they aren't swimming to the top gasping all the time than oxygen is ok.

could just be their time to go.

Originally posted by technophobe
whats a AIRSTONE.... does this need electricity as my ponds right at the bottom of the garden and I dont fancy doing excavation work!! I dont feed my fish at all in the winter and probably wont start until the frost goes so it doesnt freeze in their bellies.... Maybe if my pond is not the right dimensions Ill have to fetch them all out in the spring and deepen my pond to 5feet -LOADS WORK THOUGH!!

Its not the depth that could be the problem its how much surface area of water you have per fish.
So I wouldnt worry about making it deeper.
Do they look fat?
there's a disease that makes them swell up and look fat then they die.

I havent seen an airstone that doesnt need electric but ill keep an eye out, Im going to my local fish place tomorrow so ill ask them for you.

I havent seen an airstone that doesnt need electric but ill keep an eye out, Im going to my local fish place tomorrow so ill ask them for you. [/B][/QUOTE]

Thanx hun would appreciate any assistance.

Try on this site, http://www.realgoods.com/shop/shop6.cfm/dp/606/ts/4400072
There a bit expensive but free to run once its bought.
Normal shops dont seem to stock them, they all seem on line.

I just put Battery powered pond air pumps in google and quite a few came up.

Please point it out to me if anybody as already told you this? But have you any frogs in your pond? because i have heard that frogs can kill your fish, they cling on to them around the gills and suffercate them. Sorry if someone has alreay pointed this out :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :) :) :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Im a koi keeper myself, although as with many koi ponds, its installed with everything (though we do have a veggie filter that attracts dragonflies). One major thing that no-one appears to mention so far is TEST YOUR WATER. anyone owning a pond containing fish should at least own test kits for ammonia and nitrite. Pond pH can also adversly affect your fish, particularly with green 'natural' water, which is more prone to pH swings particularly in warm weather as well as depleation of oxygen at night. If you dont want to buy test kits, take a sample of water to your nearest koi dealer, who will gladly test it for you, either free or for a small charge. If you live anywhere near me, i will gladly test it for you for free. that could be the main cause of your problems, but could be a whole host of other things, but defo check your water first. AIRSTONES: how about a solar powered version?, no electricity required. check out this link
http://www.watergardeningdirect.com/outerframes/dynamicouterframe.htm?http://www.watergardeningdirect.com/acatalog/Pond_Air_Pumps_185.html

Ive had a pond for a few years now and I thought that I knew pretty much everything there was to know about them.
I was very very wrong. This thread has taught me things that I wouldnt have imagined!
Thanks everybody!
I hope this thread lasts because Its brilliant.

I thought I knew all about fish when I built my first koi pond, I knew about filters, ammonia, nitrite, pH etc. I was very, very wrong!. for a start, my pond was niether big enough or deep enough for koi, which can grow to some phenominal sizes. I put five koi in the pond, and lost four of them. then I mentioned my new hobby to a workmate, who happened to be the secretary of our local BKKS branch. Now, 3 years down the line, i have a bigger, deeper pond with a filter system the size of a small sewerage plant, a whole range of test kits, a professional spec microscope for doing parasite scrapes of the fish and a range of chemicals and additives any branch of boots chemist would be proud of. Pleased to say my fish are now thriving and i embarked on the world of koi showing this year, with great success. We get trips out to visit koi ponds and dealers in other areas, nights out at the pub once a month and a whole host of information from the many and varied members of the club, all for a very reasonable £20 a year. for anyone serious about fish, well worth it!
If anyone is interested, the link to our club website:
http://www.eastpenninekoi-club.co.uk/index.html

Hijacking the thread for a moment...

My pond is being attacked, Im getting up in the mornings to find the lilly pad leaves all smashed.
Anyone have any ideas what might be doing it? I thought that a cat might be swiping at the fish and tearing the pads as the claws rip through them but there are no muddy little paw prints on the lining at the side of the pond, plus the pads are split, not shredded.

tricky one! dont know much about lillies as my pond is strictly fish and water (as koi ponds often are). could it be large birds??? Or perhaps its the warm weather, ie: extra warm water temps causing fast plant growth and natural splitting of leaves. just a thought!. do you have large fish in your pond and are they jumping or spawning?, would also damage your lillies.

tricky one! dont know much about lillies as my pond is strictly fish and water (as koi ponds often are). could it be large birds??? Or perhaps its the warm weather, ie: extra warm water temps causing fast plant growth and natural splitting of leaves. just a thought!. do you have large fish in your pond and are they jumping or spawning?, would also damage your lillies.
I dont think its any of the above, the leaves look as if they were swiped hard but the only animal that swipes is a cat and cats simply arent powerful enough to do the damage to a lilly leaf. Im fascinated to know what it is and I might just lurk in a dark corner of the garden tonight to watch...

Does anyone know of any pond fish that I can get that actively seek out and eat leeches?
My pond is becoming infested with the horrible things.

I suggest you have a good look at: www.watergardenersbible.co.uk

There is a complete section on algae and how to control it or manage the different types from your pond. It looks like a great site:

http://www.watergardenersbible.co.uk/category/algae/

Hope this helps

Billy

I suggest you have a good look at: www.watergardenersbible.co.uk

There is a complete section on algae and how to control it or manage the different types from your pond. It looks like a great site:

http://www.watergardenersbible.co.uk/category/algae/

Hope this helps

BillyI think it maybe sorted now 2006 last post