Unfortunately I cant help you cuz Im a newbie too with a one-year old pond.
But I just wanted to say that Im sorry for your loss. He looks a lovely fish.

Take care.

Thank you, solsort1. It's very kind of you to comment even if you don't have advice. Here is a pic of him just days before, swimming as usual and hogging the food. He really was a pretty guy. My DH didn't even want fish but then he met Blueman. Now he comes home every evening and wants to go see the fish. We love sitting on a bench near the pond, watching those little guys. : )

{{gwi:221040}}

I'm thinking he got overheated in the skimmer. The pond has some shade even in full sun in the afternoon but the temps went up really quickly. So far the other guys look ok.

I've read that running water slowly from the hose into the pond can bring down the temp. Has anyone tried that?

I wouldn't advise running straight "city" water into your pond as it probably contains chlorine or worse and needs treatment to be fish safe. Adding a shade cover is probably better, but 78 degrees is not very high at all.

My guess is the bumps are some sort of infection, but beyond that I have nothing to offer.

Sorry about your loss of Blueman. I don't know anything about fish diseases or causes of death, so I can't help there.

I don't add cold water in hot temps, but a friend does and swears by it. If you want to do that by adding water directly from the hose, and are on municipal water, I recommend a chlorine filter that is designed for campers. It screws onto the hose. It claims to remove chlorine and other chemicals. I use it for topping off the pond.

Anne

i'm so sorry for your loss. i have no idea since i'm new also. i too lost my first fish today. and myb wonderful butterfly koi is fading fast. BIG HUGS. i know we love our fish.. laura

Thank you ALL for your kind words and advice. I'm feeling better today after seeing the other fish this morning acting normal. : ) I just came home from a late lunch with DS2 and girlfriend, who's mom has huge koi ponds. She said she thought he probably just got stressed from trying to get out of the skimmer. We are going to try and put something in front that will not block the water flow but keep the other guys from going in. So far they have no interest in it but I don't want to take any more chances.

Ernie, thanks for the water temp input. I read the same last night on a couple other koi sites. I think I was worried because it went up so fast. Also, I live in a small foothill community that gets it's water primarily from one aquifer and partially from another, then it's supplied through wells and miles of pipe. All the contaminate info is well below regulatory action levels. I also use a water conditioner each time I top off the pond.

Anne, thanks for the info on the filter. I will get one soon. That would be much easier than having to buy and use the conditioner each time. I don't know how much chlorine our water has, if any, so maybe I should find a test for it.

Laura, I'm so sorry for your loss, too. : ( I hope your butterfly koi makes it. I had no idea I would become attached to these fish so soon. I may not be cut out for this if it happens much more. DH didn't even want to visit the pond last night. Sending hugs your way, too.

Thanks again for all your responses! : )
Diana

So sorry for the loss of your cute Blueman. You know I think it was the skimmer that got him. He gets trapped int he skimmer and I am sure this panics him. He gets an increased metabolic rate due to this fear which starts a whole host of changes in his body. His heart rate increases, his body starts producing more stress hormones, his need for oxygen increases and so on. A type of respiratory acidosis sets in and his young body cannot compensate.

The pond seems fine. Sounds like Blueman was needed on the other side. Sorry for your loss.

Lisa

Thank you, Lisa! So nice of you to give your thoughts. I think you're right. And I think he was just too curious for his own good. That was not the first time I had to fish him out of the skimmer.

Thankfully, the other fish have no interest in it. They will swim up to about a foot away from it, then turn around and swim off. Even if there is food that has floated that way, they ignore it. Not Blueman. He would just keep eating all the way into it. Reminds me of Drew Barrymore's line in ET, "Is he a pig. He sure eats like one." : )

Thanks again everyone!
Diana

I lost a fish when he got trapped in the skimmer. After that, I cut a piece of grate slightly larger than the skimmer opening and laid it in front of it. I haven't had a single problem with fish getting in since, although it does not stop the tadpoles. Don't want to go with smaller grate size as it would restrict the water too much. It also helps stop the big stuff too.