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| Hello again everyone. As I mentioned in my previous post, imam really new at owning a pond. Our Pond has been in place for probably about 10-12 years but we just purchased the house in November. To make a long story short, the previous owner 'closed up' the pond for the winter assuring us that we didn't have to do anything so we didn't until spring when we had to scoop out 10 dead koi fish. We emptied the pond, refilled it and treated it with a water conditioner. We waited a few days, added 10 feeder goldfish and then a couple water hyacinth. We also ended up using filter floss because the water was a bit brown even though all the levels tested fine. It's now pretty clear so today we bought 3 small koi fish and added them as well. After adding them we noticed that 2 of the goldfish were dead so we removed them. My question is, all of the fish seem really scared and just 'hang out' at the bottom of the pond in a little group. Is this normal or does it sound like something is wrong with them? I originally thought that maybe they were just nervous but it's been about a week. Any ideas? |
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| Feeder goldfish are not kept to any decent standard so it is not uncommon to loose some. One batch of 16 I got once I lost 1 the first night and 1-2 over the next month. I still have the rest of them. The fish in there are probably just pretty scared as you think. It is a new place for them and they don't know what the threats are. I give mine some hiding places under some big slate slabs I have. Once the water lettuce gets into gear and covers most of the surface the fish are happiest. They tend to stay under cover but will come out for food as "safety" is just a swish of the tail away. Do keep an eye on the water quality (ammonia, nitrite) as you still need to grow the bacteria that handles the fish waste. Water changes are the best way to handle that, as are squeezings from the filters of healthy established ponds or aquariums. That gets seed bacteria into your pond. |
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- Posted by buyorsell888 Zone 8 Portland OR (My Page) on Mon, May 9, 11 at 16:30
| Fish cluster together and hide at the bottom when they don't feel secure. They need plants or something to hide under or you'll be serving them up to herons or other fish eating birds. |
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- Posted by sleeplessinftwayne z4-5 IND (My Page) on Mon, May 9, 11 at 17:51
| You say you used filter floss and I wanted to make sure you weren't using the short trimmings. You may have to trim the batting sheets or fold into layers but the fibers don't get wrapped around the pump impeller. |
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