Help! Fish Emergency...

[Smart Red]

What kind of fish do you have? Goldfish are very dirty, water changes are important. I have city water and have used stress coat for many years.

My goldfish are not dirty, they are just very good at making fertilized water for my wintering plants. When I change their water I set a bucket beside them for long enough to make the temps the same, move the fish to the clean water. Water my plants with the old water. Toss the extra into a garden bed. Clean the old container and replace the fish. Since my sun room stays around 40 degrees (F) at the coolest, I don't need to feed the fish every day as I would in a warmer place. I'm changing their water twice a month or less through the winter.

This way I have managed to keep fish alive for several years. I even took Methuselah to the Vet when my son didn't wait for the water temps to equalize one spring. Poor guy was swimming on his side with bubbles forming all over his body. a couple of the fish did die, but we managed to save most of them. Then I had to start over the summer of 2012. DH wanted to let the spring rains fill the pond so I didn't add more than half a foot of water. Er. . . that was the year of our great drought. What spring rains? Some happy fly-by fowl noticed the fish in the shallow water and made a meal out of each and every one.

 

[bobm]

I wouldn't worry one bit about your fish, especially gold fish. That swamp cooler only has water in it and may contain algae or other natural organisms. Chorine and fluorine are natural chemicals found all over this green earth and water organisms do just fine living in those areas. At our ranch I always had goldfish in a 200 gal stock tank year round with algae growth, sheep and horses' feces, wool and hair, dust, animals drinking from it right after eating their hay, grain, right after being wormed, any number of natural bacteria, water bugs, snails, etc. that may enter the tank. Never lost a single fish. I also had a cement lined "L" shaped 10' x 16' fish pond to house koi in town year round. After cleaning it out in the spring, I used fluoridated and chlorine treated city water from the garden hose to refill it and nothing to treat those chemicals. Our kids played near it throwing all mater of dirt, toys, food into it, not to mention water bugs, natural bacteria, snails , worms , bird droppings, frog and toad droppings, etc.. Never lost one in over 10 years. My brother had a 12' x 24' year round koi pond and had no fish loss. His father in law bred koi ( some about 2 ft. long ) in 3 different huge au natural ponds and raceways for 30 years in a large town ( pretty bad smog too) with city treated water without any issues. I recommend a " spot of tea" and not worry about it.

 

[GardenGeisha]

That makes me feel so much better. I took your advice and am enjoying a spot of brew... Tomorrow is to be nice -- 73 F, so I don't think I'll bring the fish inside yet.

What concerns me is that the water turned an odd shade of gray after the hose from the swamp cooler leaked water into it? What would cause water to turn gray? Dust?

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

do you have any plants in your pond? i'm thinking you may have had some sludge that naturally settles in the bottom of the pond that could have been kicked up when the fluids ran into the pond.

 

[897tgigvib]

This is the time of year ya can't trust there will not be a frost or not.

 

[GardenGeisha]

Chickie'sMoma,

I have only floating water lettuce and floating water hyacinth, and when it rains, water comes down the spout into the pond and stirs up the pond, but it never has looked gray when it rains. Only with this water leaking out of the hose to the swamp cooler.

Could it be sediments? Calcium deposits?

 

[GardenGeisha]

The fish have a lot more room to swim in the pond, so I don't want to bring them inside sooner than necessary. It will be a long winter... They won't be able to return outside until March. I get cabin fever, and I'm sure they will, also. I was planning to wait until the end of the month to bring them inside, until this hose with icky water busted.

 

[897tgigvib]

A friend of mine uses an aquarium vaccuum every once in awhile. Not sure if it would work for you to do that though.

 

[bobm]

Chickie'sMoma,

I have only floating water lettuce and floating water hyacinth, and when it rains, water comes down the spout into the pond and stirs up the pond, but it never has looked gray when it rains. Only with this water leaking out of the hose to the swamp cooler.

Could it be sediments? Calcium deposits?

All of the above ... from the swamp cooler... decomposing algae, bacteria, hard water deposits, as well as what that leaking water picked up from the ground ( fertilizer, decomposing vegetation, soil organisms, dirt, etc.) as it traveled to your pond . What type of roof do you have ? If asphalt shingles or tar / gravel roof, that water coming down that spout will also have dislodged gravel from them, leached oils, as well as particles from air pollution, dirt as well as bird / animal droppings and any type of air born bacteria. Time for fermented grape juice !

 

[GardenGeisha]

It is a tin roof...