Dying Fish

I have noticed a lot of posts lately about fish dying. At the time I did not
read in that I didn't have that problem. Well....I have lost 5 fish in the
last 2 days. We have had an excessive amount of rain in the last week (6"+)
and haven't seen the sun in about 10 days. I tested the water and the
nitrites and nitrates were a little on the high side but not real high. pH
was about 7.2, water temp 83. The fish seem to be starved for air in that
they are near the surface. Water is clear, there are 2 spillways, 1 bubbler
and a spitting frog. The pond is approx. 2000 gal and to this point I have
had no problems. Please help..

Your fish are starved for oxygen... Please get some air stones in the pond!
Use an air pump with room for two or three air stones.
Run a KH test. Its cheap at pond stores... maybe
even PetSmart. I would put some baking soda in the pond water.
Use 1 cup for every 1,000 gallons. Dissovle the baking soda
in pond water and sprinkle around the pond.... then water it
in.
Good Luck!

Nedra
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836
http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118

"David Hahn" wrote in message
m...
I have noticed a lot of posts lately about fish dying. At the time I did
not
read in that I didn't have that problem. Well....I have lost 5 fish in the
last 2 days. We have had an excessive amount of rain in the last week
(6"+)
and haven't seen the sun in about 10 days. I tested the water and the
nitrites and nitrates were a little on the high side but not real high. pH
was about 7.2, water temp 83. The fish seem to be starved for air in that
they are near the surface. Water is clear, there are 2 spillways, 1
bubbler
and a spitting frog. The pond is approx. 2000 gal and to this point I have
had no problems. Please help..

"David Hahn" writes:

I have noticed a lot of posts lately about fish dying. At the time I did not
read in that I didn't have that problem. Well....I have lost 5 fish in the
last 2 days. We have had an excessive amount of rain in the last week (6"+)
and haven't seen the sun in about 10 days. I tested the water and the
nitrites and nitrates were a little on the high side but not real high. pH
was about 7.2, water temp 83. The fish seem to be starved for air in that
they are near the surface. Water is clear, there are 2 spillways, 1 bubbler
and a spitting frog. The pond is approx. 2000 gal and to this point I have
had no problems. Please help..

Shade cloth will lower the temperature and help with oxygen starvation.
A spray bar is a quick fix too. You have alot of surface agitation now
but I had my spray bar get about half clogged and I noticed it in the
fishes behavior though I am way overstocked.

Could be nitrite positioning. I see it all the time in my tanks when I do
something really stupid. Nitrite interferes with the bloods ability to carry
oxygen. So when fish get nitrite poisoning they tend to stay near the
surface gasping since that's where the oxygen is highest. In most cases
nitrite poisoning causes red areas on fish. Usually the gills are red or the
belly is red. It's very noticeable when they are dead.

I've noticed in my tanks that low dosages of nitrite over a span of time
will kill fish.

Sam

"David Hahn" wrote in message
m...
I have noticed a lot of posts lately about fish dying. At the time I did
not
read in that I didn't have that problem. Well....I have lost 5 fish in the
last 2 days. We have had an excessive amount of rain in the last week
(6"+)
and haven't seen the sun in about 10 days. I tested the water and the
nitrites and nitrates were a little on the high side but not real high. pH
was about 7.2, water temp 83. The fish seem to be starved for air in that
they are near the surface. Water is clear, there are 2 spillways, 1
bubbler
and a spitting frog. The pond is approx. 2000 gal and to this point I have
had no problems. Please help..

Another possibility (aside from the oxygen problem, which is evident): along
with the rain (acid or not) comes pollution washed from the air. If you've
had a lot of rain, you could have a pollution problem also - which won't
register on your standard testing kits. I received rain fast enough to get
"roof wash" over the gutters and into the pond. See if you can get some
activated charcoal - NOT the stuff you use for BBQ! You need 3 lbs. per
1,000 gallons, more if you can get it. Rinse it off really well, as it's
really dirty. I put mine in knee-high stockings (doubled), then put it in a
high flow area. It will absorb toxins.

So, add some baking soda to stabilize your pH (BS will raise it to about
8.3/4, but it will be stable!), which will prevent a pH crash. Get more air
into the pond. Add some activated charcoal. I would also do a 30% water
change, if you can - with appropriate dechlor - to reduce the nitrItes,
nitrAtes, and potential pollution before I did the other things. ANY nitrIte
is bad; protect the fish with .15% salt

Good luck.

Lee

"David Hahn" wrote in message
m...
I have noticed a lot of posts lately about fish dying. At the time I did
not
read in that I didn't have that problem. Well....I have lost 5 fish in the
last 2 days. We have had an excessive amount of rain in the last week
(6"+)
and haven't seen the sun in about 10 days. I tested the water and the
nitrites and nitrates were a little on the high side but not real high. pH
was about 7.2, water temp 83. The fish seem to be starved for air in that
they are near the surface. Water is clear, there are 2 spillways, 1
bubbler
and a spitting frog. The pond is approx. 2000 gal and to this point I have
had no problems. Please help..