| Mike, thank you, interesting stuff and I hope HenryC will weigh in on this topic at some point.
The source water is city tap water. There are a few labs in the area that can/will do more specific testing... might suggest this to the pond owner.
My thoughts when first seeing the water (and Ian's when he saw the pictures) were that the fish are dead. Have you ever seen a fish that has died and sat in a bag of water (or bowl) for some time? The water turns this red-brown colour and a fine sediment (body fluids?) covers the bottom surface once decomposition begins to take place . The only thing that wasn't present was the smell - that awful smell of dead decay, not even a whiff in the air... but then it's cold, not sure that makes a difference..? Today the air temp was +13C here. I truly hope my first impression is not the case and the koi are alive and well.
I've seen ponds in many different conditions, this however is new to me.
Kind Regards,
Terri |