What percentage of pond water did you top up? I routinely top up mine with the hose without adding conditioner, and have never noticed any detrimental impact on the goldfish. The top up is only maybe 1% of the total water volume though, so any effects would be highly diluted.

Recently, I accidently left the hose in overnight. This likely turned over the entire pond volume. I thought I must have killed all the fish, but could only really identify a few missing afterwards. My friend in the aquarium business suggested that the temperature change would be a concern, if not the chlorine.

David

It could also have been lack of oxygen. As water gets warmer, it looses it's ability to hold oxygen. Larger fish suffocate before smaller fish, which could explain why the goldies died and the little fish did not. Or another possibility is hydrogen sulplide gasses. Did you notice any rotten egg smell?

I have a pond that is approximately 500 gals, more or less. Because of some stupidity on my part, the outlet in the skippy plugged up with some padding which naturally made it overflow. When I went out the next morning the pond was almost empty. Just enough water for the fish to 'sorta' swim around. The pump was in just enough water to keep it going---lucky it didn't burn out, with the luck I've been having. There's going to be some gasps here, I know, but anyway, I refilled the pond with town water. So far I haven't seen any dead fish in there. I have goldfish and koi in there of all sizes. And I will also tell you that I have added water many times, do not even think of what percent is added, don't add any conditioner whatsoever at all, do not even have a test kit of any kind. Now for a little humor---I have been fighting algae for weeks and weeks. When the water got so low and I could see the piles of it in the bottom of the pond I got the rake out and took out bunches and bunches of the doggone stuff. What is so humorous is, I had bought some new pillows, didn't have any filter material for the pond so I cut the old pillows apart and used the stuffing around the pump and in the skippy. I went out this morning to feed the fish and the water is clear as crystal!!!! I am so happy, for the first time this summer I have been able to see the bottom and all the fish. but I will wait for another bloom to happen but I guess it pays to recycle---anything!!! Yeah!!!

David, the link below is an article about not using a dechlor. Goldfish and Koi are highly suseptible to chlorine poisoning.ALso, most water companies have started using Chloramine because of stricter enforcement by the EPA on water quality standards. Chloramine, for the purpose of disinfection is More "cost effective" then chlorine alone. I don't agree with it's use, but "they" to really listen to us as individuals.

Here is a link that might be useful: Chlorine, Chloramine & Ponds

Thank you all... Now I am even more confused... So was it the chloramine or the lack of oxygen? I dont dare to buy any more fish without knowing what went wrong... Right now the pump is running in the morning and evening... Maybe I should run it longer?

And no there was absolutely no bad smell... but the rocks at the bottom are covered with algae... could that be a reason?

No, algae on the rocks is normal.

It is hard to say why because you can't verify what our oxygen saturation was without a test. How much water did your husband replace as far as percentage wise? Really without tests it's hard to really say. I am going to send you an e-mail via garden web.

annaca, I haven't been on Garden Web for a while and am not familiar on how to send an email anymore. Use the link below and join the forum if you wish. The members there will walk you through things step by step. Everyone is pleasant. Asking questions will get you what you want to know. Most of the members have had ponds for quite a few years but not so "old school" that they don't except new ideas.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Pond Forum

Whoa!

Flabbergasted..

...at that last post in its entirety but particularly the parting shot -

QUOTE: "Most of the members have had ponds for quite a few years but not so "old school" that they don't except new ideas."

Diggery???

That was not meant as a shot. Sorry if you took it that way. I guess it didn't come out like I meant it, so I'll explain. I have joined quite a few pond forums and there is a good deal of generic advise that really doesn't help. When you ask a question or have a different point of view, you get that "I've been doing this for 40 years and blah, blah, blah". That's all I meant. Sorry for my poor choice of words. If I could edit that and rewrite it I would. All Apologies!

FYIW, using chloramines instead of chlorine is NOT cost effective. It costs much more, requires much more lab testing and qualified personel, and is a pain to do. Just having ammonia on site is a pain in the behind because it's used to make meth. But EPA requirements make it a necessity.

cweathersby,
It sounds like you have first hand experience with water treatment. If you do I have some questions for you about it. Oh, as far as chloramines being more cost effective, that info came from the EPA's website, I think, maybe another source. They said it was more cost effective because it lasted longer as a secondary disinfectant. Maybe that is deppending on the particular distance from the treatment plant? Don't really know anymore then what the .gov's and .edu's tell me.

I have a pond that is about 1300 gallons, in three pools. There are about 50 goldfish in the pond with some at least 8" or more.

We routinely replace over half of the water in the pond with city water, and have had no problems with fish die off. At times we have replace much more than than half.

From a chemical point of view it is one thing to change half of the water in a 30 gallon tank with minimal natural debris, but quite another thing to change half of the water in a pond of 1300 gallons that is sitting in the back yard. There is much more material to react with the effective chlorine in the the natural pond debris, than required to react with the 3 to 5 ppm of effective chlorine in the city water.

knuttle,
I am guessing you are saying you don't use a dechlorinator? Either way, the bottom line is - Your pond and fish, your decision.
But what I'm about to say is if your not using dechlor, and this is only pertaining to not using dechlor. I'm not sure what you are saying that you use it or not. But, if you are not using dechlor it's still a fact Just because you don't see a reaction from the fish, doesn't mean they aren't affected by it. The first thing the chlorine attacks is the organic matter, then what ever is left over if anything, will last quite a while if it is Chloramine, not so much if it is just Chlorine. You may very well not kill your fish and they may never show any affect's. It all depends on your particular water chemistry. I find it hard to beleive the fish are not affected if you are using untreated chlorinated water and doing over 50% water changes. Then again you do have 50 fish, some over 8" in only 1300 gallons? If it is a 30 gallon tank or a 3000 gallon pond, percentage is what matters. People can smoke for years without any ill effects or any noticeable differences, do you think they are any healthier for it?

woeisme, no harm no foul

Was just a lil taken aback at your words. Many here have forgotten more than I will ever know about ponding but the experienced ones always taken time to walk new ponders through problems. My puddle is flourishing because of them and I appreciate it. Very much.

Unfortunately, it's too easy to misunderstand intent without the benefit of inflection and facial expression. We must be careful with our words. Apologies if I inferred something you didn't imply.

bless ya,
~digger

I don't use dechlorinator in the pond. I have never had the fish harmed by it. In fact, the fishies have always liked to swim around the hose. I watch them carefully but they seem happier for it. If I have to add a lot of water, I place a bubbler under the nozzle to speed up the dissipation of chlorine and other gases. Mixing the water with air from the bubbler is probably as effective as adding another chemical. Cooling the water is important in the temperatures we have been having and the exchange of warm oxygen depleted water with fresh tap water is the most controllable method so far as I can see. It is probably best to add the water slowly so the fish are not shocked by the change in temperature.

Perhaps there is a difference in our tap water compared to yours.

Tap water differs widely. I can smell the chlorine/chloramines in the water at my father's house- it turns out the treatment plant is two blocks away.

Renee

Annaca, you should be running the pump 24/7 for more reasons than one especially if the weather is particularly warm. First, the good (aerobic) bacteria start to die very quickly if not constantly supplied with oxygen replete water. That is a serious problem. Second, moving water reduces pockets of water that can produce toxic gases that can kill your fish. Third, turbulence adds oxygen. Forth, it reduces the presence of anaerobic bacteria. Fifth, the pump is the source of the water flow through your filtration system. Still water allows the formation of mulm on the bottom. Mulm is a mixture of rotting debris and poop. Without constant water flow through the pump and filter, the fish are swimming in a sewer. Sixth, oxygen is necessary to break down the mulm. Seventh, by turning off the pump you are reducing the amount of oxygen for the fish so they could be suffocating off and on.

I'm sure someone else can give a lot of other reasons.

If you have water supplied by a water company then by EPA standards you must have a minimum of .2ppm of free chlorine at your tap. If you have Chloramine, not required in words but other standards are almost forcing water companies to use it, then when the chlorine gases out you are left with ammonia. Yes your biofiltration will eventually take care of it, but it's like adding nitrate to your water. This is one thing you are trying to eliminate during water changes. If you have plants however they will enjoy feasting on the ammonia. Plants use nitrogen faster in the ammonia form then the nitrate. The thing is, dechlorinator is about $40 from an online store like fostersmithaquatics.com . It treats 40,000 gallons of water. Based on a 1000 gallon pond, doing a 25% water change every week, year round, the product will last you 3 years+. If you live in a cooler climate when your pond is basically dormant for winter (2-4 months) you add that much more to the investment. No, you may not see a reaction from the fish and yes they do love the current and flow from a hose. The fact is if your fish are getting the chlorine and ammonia in there gills it is poisoning them without a doubt. Koi clubs , the US EPA, The CDC ( Center for Disease Control, Water Companies, National Science Foundation ( NSF)and micro-biologists all reccomend using a dechlorinator if you use water company supplied water. I really don't care what anybody does with their own pond, but if you make a statement that it wont harm fish by doing it, that statement is wrong. Th chlorine and maybe ammonia is toxic to fish. From what microbiology studies I have come across with the study of chlorine affects on fish, there has to be less then .003ppm of chlorine to have no effect. Anything over that will start to cause stress to their body chemistry.

Thank you so much for all the advice... Our pond is 6'x 8' and around 700 gallons I think. My husband might have added just enough water to raise it by couple of inches... How do you test for oxygen saturation? Is there a specific kit for that?

To answer your Question. Yes, You can get an Oxygen test kit. They will be labled O2 test kit.

Do you need one? No. If your fish are in distress from lack of O2, they will be at the surface and gasping for air.
If your pond is 6X8 and 700G it must be about 2 feet deep?

There are quite a few ways to help Oxygenate the water.
A waterfall, fountain, or anything that agitates the water surface will helpThere are other ways but first, Do you have a waterfall, fountain or similar devise?

woeisme,
Yes, I work at a water treatment plant. Ask away.
Chloramines do last longer. We sell water to cities up to an hour away.
But if we used chlorine instead of chloramines we would be able to rechlorinate with booster stations.
As it is, it's hard to rechlorinate using chloramines because the guys that work at the smaller cities do not have the personnel required to keep a tight grip on the chlorine to ammonia ratio - which has to be almost perfect.

Actually our pond is 10' x 6' and 18 inches deep... I do have a stream and waterfall that I run for around 3 hrs a day, which I guess is not enough?... Another issue is that where the waterfall drops into the pond, major bubbles are forming and floating in the pond, just like soap bubbles. I am not able to figure out what it is...

Cweathersby, Thanks, I do have some questions , but I'll start a new thread instead of Hijacking this one. I'll just title it Chloramines Questions. Thanks Again.