Rachel,

I'm so sorry your fish all died. That is the down part of ponding. I don't really have any suggestions for you except I like azolla (fairy moss) as a floating plant. I'm sure people who know more will give some good advice.

Anne

Rachel,

I'm sorry about your fish and that you've had this bad experience.

A pond that size probably shouldn't have fish, and definately needs weekly water changes - 10, 20 or 30% depending on IF you have a fish or 2. That odor is decaying plant material and fish waste - stagnant water. You needed some sort of circulating water and/or filtration system to take care of it. And deadheading dying plant debris, etc.

I have a 300ga pond that has 5 goldfish/comets, 1 dwarf waterlily, 6 potted marginal plants, usually a couple bunchs of hornwort - oxygenators, I didn't put any in this year to discourage spawning - and water hyacinth which I remove agressively as they grow.

So divide that by 6 if your pond held 50 gallons. And then I have a 1260gph pump running through a 60 gal skippy-type filter. Constantly moving water.

I do have one 200ga stock tank that has 4 dwarf to medium sized water lilies and 2 3" goldfish - no pump, no filter, but I do a 25% water change every week. And once I had a goldfish in a 1/2 whiskey barrel with plants, but I don't think he was a happy fish - it was gross by fall and I moved him to the big pond where he finally started to grow. Plants provide oxygen and shade and filteration, but you're dealing with a very small pond. Again, I'm sorry, but I think you should get the plants going first and wait on the fish.

You might have been expecting too much from your pond.

Clean it out, put the plants back in, and either research a filter/circulation system for it, or just replace part of the water weekly and don't get more fish.

Just to add to what Sheepco has already said, a pond that size can freeze solid during a zone 6 winter. Especially since it is totally above ground level. You would probably have to winter your fish indoors.

You could get a few rosy red minnows.

It's only 1 foot above ground, the other two are below. (Just for clarification.)

So I probably have too many plants, you think? The hyacinth and duckweed did really multiply well...nothing dead in there, though I do think the fish were overfed frequently by my two young boys...so probably lots of uneaten food.

Plants: 1 hardy water lily, 1 clump parrot weed, several strands of parrot feather (which also multiplied well) and the 2 hyacinth, which became 12 and are back to two again. (they're monsters!)

I'm going to leave fish out of the equation while I balance this out.

I really don't want to add electricity. If I can find a solar pump to circulate/filter water, I'll do that. Otherwise I'll do the water change weekly.

Is old pond water good for the flowerbeds?

I also used to dump my aquarium water on my plants. They always seemed to do fine. I guess the fish poop is fertilizer.

Not parrot weed...pickerel weed. Man, I'm either really tired or really distraught over the fish. (Actually I am really upset over the fish. I could've taken them out last night when I saw them struggling and I'd poured a giant bucket for a changeout the next day...could have put them in there.)

I guess live and learn...but I'd rather it not be at the expense of other lives!

bah!!!

Rachel:

Please don't beat yourself up over the fish. Mistakes are part of learning to pond. When I first started ponding I picked out four of the most beautiful shubunkins in the world. The sales clerk at Trickers was very patient and made sure I had the one with the longest flowing fins. I was so proud of my babies. Unfortunately I didn't have a pre-filter on my pump and I found pieces parts of these beautiful fish in the pump where the intake valve sucked them in. I cried over these fish for almost a week.

I am sure once you get everything cleaned out, and do water changes every week your pond will flourish. One thing I can testify to when you pond you learn something new everyday. The majority of what I have learned I learned right here on this forum. You walk amongst a great group of people here.

Hang in there. You have been bitten by the pond bug, and it will be a never ending, rewarding hobby.

Jenny

I'm really sorry about your fish.

I'm just curious but what did y ou use for soil in your plants?

A number of years ago I tried the kitty litter to plant the plants in and it made the pond smell like a sewer. My husband and I couldn't figure out where the smell was coming from outside and we finally figured out it was the pond. We lifted the plants out and oh my word, the kitty litter stunk beyond belief. We had to dump everything out and start over.

So, I just wondered if by chance you had used kitty litter.

No...I didn't. I bought them at a pond plant greenhouse. I have no idea what he's got them planted in but I don't think it's litter -- seems too dark for that. I do have a big (heavy) bag of pond plant soil so I am going to repot these in it.

I can't stand the smell of kitty litter. I switched to horse bedding (pine pellets) and wow...what a difference. Love the stuff and it costs a fraction of what kitty litter did :)

You've chosen a nice variety of plants, not too many until the WH took over :) Flower beds love old pond water! And when you do water changes don't just overflow the pond, try to siphon/pump water from the bottom out, then replace.

With all the plants and a solar pump that will actually circulate the water all the way to the bottom you shouldn't have much algae. Keep searching, I don't know anything about solar pumps.

Good luck!

Also, with the cinder blocks in there it could have been them leeching out lime if you didn't soak them before hand for a few days. That would have killed the fish as well.
Just a thought,
:) Fran