Lost my whole school today

[JasPR]

Hi Vee, I understand and I'm sure the wind has been taken out of your sails. But you seem to really enjoy what you are doing so again, hope you can pick up again.

So The pond was not crazy over stocked, but if they were spawning and gravid they must be a decent size so 12 for 2000 gallons is kinda crowded.
The thing I did notice is that the water change was two weeks ago but the fish spawned a week ago- the ammonia must have been off the charts from that?
The pH is also on the low side. What is the pH right from the tap? JR

[Tamianth]

Cleaning the filters with a hose also, seriously not good! You need to rinse the filter media in a bucket of discarded pond water. The chlorine or chloramines can seriously knock the heck out of the filters.

[Brady Brandwood]

Was there aeration running in the pond at the time - fountain running, air stones?

How warm was the water?

Best Wishes,
Brady

[VeronicaM]

pH right from the tap is 6.0.

As for the ammonia....my test strips didn't read this so I went out and bought another kit.
I got a reading of 5ppm.

V

Originally Posted by JasPR

Hi Vee, I understand and I'm sure the wind has been taken out of your sails. But you seem to really enjoy what you are doing so again, hope you can pick up again.

So The pond was not crazy over stocked, but if they were spawning and gravid they must be a decent size so 12 for 2000 gallons is kinda crowded.
The thing I did notice is that the water change was two weeks ago but the fish spawned a week ago- the ammonia must have been off the charts from that?
The pH is also on the low side. What is the pH right from the tap? JR

[JasPR]

ahhh, I see. Is this well water? If so we need an 'intermediary reading' so we can see the water from the well, after it is aerated ( but before the biology of the pond has at it) and finally the pH after it has been in the pond a while. It would have been good to know the pH After you found the fish dead, but I'm sure you had other things on your mind at that point.
In a perfect would I would also get a reading and therefore the nature of your KH at each point as well. JR

[cppond]

Originally Posted by VeronicaM

pH right from the tap is 6.0.

As for the ammonia....my test strips didn't read this so I went out and bought another kit.
I got a reading of 5ppm.

V

I'm sorry, is this a current reading?

[JasPR]

Ok Vee, so we have a potential for both a pH and a crashing filter . What we don't know is if the ammonia was peaked after the spawning or the crash and subsequent deaths lead to the ammonia reading. It is a bit of the chicken or the egg, as to which caused the final conditions.
Ironically, the low pH could have saved your fish from the ammonia longer than otherwise as this kind of pH reading is like what you would see in a shipping bag. Ultimately it could be a dynamic rather than a single factor that lead to these deaths. JR

[schildkoi]

Were the tips of the fins "fried"? Whitish and possibly frayed?

Steve

[VeronicaM]

We actually have a water fall and a dual aerator system.
The water temp was about 80 before the rain.
I didn't check the next day.
But the weather here in Monroe has been unstable.

V

Originally Posted by Brady Brandwood

Was there aeration running in the pond at the time - fountain running, air stones?

How warm was the water?

Best Wishes,
Brady

[Brady Brandwood]

Thanks V, I was curious if the storm had tripped any GFIs - a storm, heavy bio-load, night time, and warm weather all rob the pond of oxygen.

Sorry for your loss.

Best Wishes,
Brady