If the fish was fuzzy all over, it was almost for sure a fungus called Saprolegnia, or SAP for short. It is nasty. It usually attacks skin that is already damaged in some way....parasite bite, sore, scrapes, bacterial skin or fin issues, etc. SAP lives in all ponds. It is the fuzzy stuff you see on uneaten food. Keeping the pond clean goes a long way in reducing the levels of fungus in the pond. When SAP does get on a fish, it sinks roots into the fish's skin and releases toxins, making the fish feel bad and eventually killing it. Treating it by pouring something in the pond is practically useless and will probably damage the bio-filter, which will cause ammonia problems. The most effective way to deal with SAP is to sedate the fish (8 drops of clove oil in one gallon of water, wait until fish is calm and begins to roll over, then he can be handled). Place the sedated fish on plastic wrap and cover his eyes with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. Carefully scrub the SAP from the skin with a Q-tip in peroxide. Be careful not to get peroxide in the eyes or gills!! Then dab a little malachite green directly on the treated area and seal it with denture powder. Place the sleeping fish back in the pond over aeration (I usually hold them in the net for this step, until they are away....takes about 5 minutes). Watch the fish very closely for a recurrence as SAP often comes back. But before you do this, please make sure you get me a picture first....it may NOT be SAP, and I'd hate for you to take such a drastic step in treatment if the fish does not need it.

Thank you very much for your advise, I am so disheartened at this point as to almost give up my little pond. But I have to try to keep it going and struggle on to bring it back to the right condition. It was bought for my handicapped son in 1998, who loved it so much, and who passed away some years ago. But I still keep it up, as if he could still see it. I know this sounds silly, but his happiness and joy over this little pond was a great gift to me. It's not as beautiful as some of yours, I looked at some pictures, some of you have some gosh-awesome beautiful ponds w/water falls and little streams. and wonderful plants in it etc. I wouldn't even know the terminology for all those things. -------- Clorax seems a strong chemical, that's why I tried it on the worm, but the WH I dipped in clorax are in a separate container just to see if they grow and stay alive. I have not put clorax in the main pond, except when I cleaned it out, and after that it was really rinsed out good before I put the water back in, and then put the chlor-out in. Dianna, thanks for the idea of the salt. I am actually very stupid and not very knowledgable w/ ponds. It worked so well before for several years, and I had no problems, so there was nothing to worry about. But now I'm at a loss. I will try the salt also. The 'bugs' are very small, but w/good eyesight you can see them. They look like dust clouds falling off the WH when I pick them up out of the water and they stay in the water and multiply like crazy, and finally you can't see the bottom or anything in that water. Also green algae forms on the sides of my preformed pond. These bugs are swimming like mad, dancing like they had Huntington's Chorea, in the water, killing the snails and frogs don't go in anymore. I wonder if the 'bugs' are also in my lotus bucket, which sits in the ground right next to the pond. I see a lot of brown, dying leaves this year and the water surface is not covered w/ leaves as it used to be. A few stalks make it and it produced 2 blooms, but not like before. / --- Glenda, I wouldn't be surprised if some fly laid eggs in there and the worms came from that. Maybe my fish then couldn't see passed the murky water to catch the fly. These bugs were so plentiful that they made the water very murky and dark. Are these worms bad? Or are they just fish food? -------------- Sandy, where can i buy these chemicals Praziquantel, Anchors Away and Dimlin? is that their name and what company makes them? I will try everything. I'm watching the WH I dipped the roots in clorax to kill any of these bugs to see how they grow. they are, of course, in a separate small bucket, and they are still alive, and looking as if they are getting new growth on top. Because if there are still eggs alive after this radical treatment, and if 'bugs' can hatch , then I am in real trouble. Also my water lily, which did not get a clorax cleaning, is doing better in a separate bucket. but I think if I cleaned the pond, and put fresh water in it, I would be afraid to use the old plants. Maybe there are some eggs somewhere. I am so paranoid about this at this point, one thing I have learned these last 2 1/2 years while I was battling this problem, I have to use all new stuff and also new equipment, like my new bio filter, it took me 4 hours to clean it, and I am not convinced it is 'bug' free. that thing cost me $100 alone. I thought if I used this, the 'bugs' would be caught in the filter an die. that was not the case. they infiltrated and contaminated everything. --- Scott, that Thuricide HPC, does that work when put in the water? Where can I buy it and is it in a spray container or is it liquid to pour out? Do I spray the plants, like w/the organic aquatic aphid killer spray? which by the way did nothing to stop the 'bugs'. The large Merrifield Garden Center, who has a program on local TV how to do everything in the Garden, had advised me last year it might be aquatic aphids. They were also stumped by what I explained to them. Well, I have called several Water Garden places and all of them had no idea what i was talking about. After I bought all this aphid spray, they told me that the aphids would not be able to live in water without the plants. my 'bugs' do. -- If i get this pond back up, this time i will make sure my water is clean and there are no bugs and my plants do not die before I put fish in. I wonder if there are eggs that stay in the stones around my pond, i have these flat slate stones on top all around the pond. As far as I know they cannot live in the surrounding plants, they cant survive on land. But I will try to bring a sample to the Merrifield Garden Center plant clinik. Thank you so much for your answers. You have given me new hope, maybe this time I'll be lucky w/ some of the items you all mentioned to treat the water. Ursula

I have had an excellent outcome, rather unexpectedly, regarding toenail fungus. I have a farm and often have to wear rubber boots. That's when the problem started. I, too, tried everything. Then I got leather boots and thick cotton socks, and within 6 months it's almost gone. My feet sweat, there's no getting around it, but they were in rubber or plastic, nonbreathable shoes. They are in a natural, breathable shoe now, and it's very different. The boots are extremely comfortable. And good shoemakerrs will tell you, never wear a pair of shoes two days in a row, so they can dry out. It makes all the difference. I think it's the vinyl, rubber, plastic shoes, along with synthetic socks, including women's nylons that are causing the problem for most people. Our feet can't breathe. The trick about getting leather boots, shoes and sandals to fit you correctly is to wear them, and get them wet, then keep wearing them for a couple of house. It's not too hard to do if you are hiking or working outside. I know, it might seem freaky, but they conform to your foot exactly as they should if they dry on your foot. I do it with every pair of leather shoes and they always becomes my favorites.

Thanks for the additional pix. Is the rootball hard to the touch? If so, that means it's potted in mostly peat which when totally dry, actually repels water & prevents the roots from getting any water. I don't grow this plant, but recognize possible rootball problems. If it's as I suspect, someone else will have to guide you to changing the mix. I'd be likely to just crumble the mix off w/ my fingers. Am guessing once you change the soil to whatever mix is good for them which others here may suggest (after washing & drying out the same pot) you may be able to keep the same pot.