How Do I Clean My Pond of Possible Disease?

6 years ago

I have had an established 300 gal preformed above ground pond for several years. Nothing new was added, but 15+ inches of rain this spring. I started losing fish. I tested water, medicated, partial water changes, but nothing helped. Sadly I have finally lost the last one. I would like to drain & clean to possibly eliminate any disease before restocking, but what about my water lily & biological filter? How do I handle whatever germs could still be lurking in those? Thanks for your suggestions.

Featured Answer

lmjk1221

6 years ago

A lethargic fish is sometimes a symptom of a pH crash and one possible cause of a pH crash is heavy rainfall. I'm not a water testing expert, but I'd be willing to bet that's what happened. I wouldn't worry about any disease carryover in your pond or plants - I think you'll be fine to start over.

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Comments (10)

lmjk1221
6 years ago
Ok - before you decide your pond is "diseased", it would be helpful to know certain things. For example, how many fish did you have? When you say you "medicated" what were you treating your fish for? Did they have signs of disease that led you to believe they needed to be treated?
cinnamon1
6 years ago
Help! I have a point pond about 700 gals. I have tea colored water. I have a 850 gal pressurized pond filter, a UV light a small 600 gal. pond filter and a 900 gal. Laguna power jet filter. I have water lilies, hyacinth (3), creeping Jenny, black elephant ears ( planted in clay), a fountain, and two waterfalls. The pond gets morning sun only and only for 4 hours(daybreak till 10am or so)

I have lost to of my fish to dropsy in the last month. Water tested good, all within limits. I have done a quick clean of the small filter, but left the big one alone. I have salted my pond, used pimafix and melafix, added good bacteria, partial water exchange (20%), and I am afraid I will lose more fish and be left with plants and a tea colored pond.

I live in the Poco o Mtns. in Pa. and we have a small window for summer, and have had a ton of rain this year.

Can someone give me advice! First time mommy to koi, dumb!

ANY advise will be great. Thanks
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lmjk1221
6 years ago
You should really post this on a separate thread - you posted in a comment on another poster's thread.

But I'll throw this in there - tea colored water is caused by tannins. So leaves and other debris that gets in the pond and leach color into the water. It's harmless and not the cause of your fish illness or death. I am not an expert on water parameters - we stopped testing years ago so all that stuff got purged from my brain - but were these new fish that you added? How many fish do you have? How long have they been in the pond?

Start a new thread and you'll get more help I'm sure!
kkayc123
Original Author
6 years ago
I had 8 or 9 goldfish fish that each were several years old. One would seem to become lethargic, not eating and a couple of days later would be gone. A week to two later another would do the same thing. There were no other symptoms . I keep one 900 gph pump with a canister filter/uv unit and another 900 gph pump that splits part into a biological filter & part that bubbles at the surface. I also have an aerator going. I treated the water with a "Pond Fish Treatment" (don't know if I am allowed to post brand names-but is a name brand) that treats & prevents parasites, bacteria & fungus. It just seemed very strange to me in an established pond with nothing new added that this happened.... Thanks for any help.
kkayc123
Original Author
6 years ago
Oh thanks! I have been so worried & didn't want to put any new little guys in there without checking things out first. I appreciate the assistance. :)
lmjk1221
6 years ago
No problem - hope things go better this go around!

One further suggestion - with a 300 gallon pond, you should keep your fish load low. Goldfish are a good choice for a small pond, but they will multiply quickly. Start with two - if you get a male/female pair, you'll know relatively quickly! Goldfish do well in these smaller ponds, but they still have their limits. You will often hear "I don't understand - these fish have been in this pond for several years... what went wrong?" Typically it's just that the fish got bigger, or multiplied, and the increased waste production affected water quality - the pond tipping point.
ademink
6 years ago
^ Bingo - I think lmjk1221 hit the nail on the head w/ pH crash. Rain is acidic and that much rain probably crashed your system and your KH was depleted and couldn't keep up.

Please make sure you purchase a KH testing kit and read up on what it is. KH is the parameter that indicates how STABLE your pH will remain. It's not the number of pH that matters as much as the stability...you don't want it to swing.

The way you maintain a good kH of around 150 is through the use of good ol' baking soda. You test your water...use an online calculator to figure out how much baking soda to add to raise your KH. You do it slowly over a few days until you reach around 150 +/- (not an exact science) and then you will start to learn how much to add each week to keep that parameter stable.

Many people ignore KH because they don't understand it but I think it is the single most important pond water parameter to understand, test and maintain.
kkayc123
Original Author
6 years ago
I have always heard of pH levels, but KH is a new one for me. I am in the process of ordering some new supplies & will certainly follow up on a testing kit. This way all can be checked before introducing any new inhabitants! Thanks for the guidance!
ademink
6 years ago
This is a great read to explain pH, KH and their relationship. It's in terms that are easy to understand! :) http://www.jnfkoifarms.com/thescienceofwater/theimportanceofkhph.html

How Do I Clean My Pond of Possible Disease?

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