well water and dying koi

[vedalissa]

well water and fish deceased

Posted 1 Hour Ago at 12:59 PM by vedalissa
has anyone had problems with koi in well water? The water is greenish and the bottom of the pond cannot be seen. the pond is about 1 1/2 month old and DID have 3 5" koi and 1 larger goldfish. The pond is about 1200 gallons with a center that is 30" deep and a more shallow shelf on the rim. We have a bio filter with mesh media going down to a fall, lily pads and aqua grass in baskets with sphagum a and river rock. We used the black pond liner. It is part sun for most of the day. On Friday the water went really dark and we got some liquid clear up from the local fish store and applied accordingly on Saturday. Sunday A.M. one of the koi was flashing severely so we went into conservation mode and moved him to a seperate tank. Better. Then yesterday the other 2 koi went into flash mode. Put them in 2 other tanks w/ quick cure, 1 died and the other is now having what appears to be a reaction to the med. So we will probably empty the pond and start over, but with well water, will we continue to have problems? If so is there a way to combat it? It is the same water we use in the house and runs through a filter. We monitor the ph, ammonia, alkalinity regularly and did add salt thinking it would help ......

[mstrseed]

Sorry for your loss. Welcome to the forum.
Well when ponds go green it due to not enough filtration (or immature filters), overfeeding and sun.
I would more suspect the "liquid clear up" you got from the fish store for the loss.
Make sure your test kit is current (not old).
Test water to get a baseline parameters.
Well water is usually better...........depending.

[CarolinaGirl]

I think Bill is probably right. What chemical did the pond store sell you?

[vedalissa]

i think it was algae fix, but at the same time we changed out the filter media. I'm starting to think we made the large mistake. We have a 5 gallon "bucket" with poly weave filter now.

[mstrseed]

A five gallon bucket is not enough no matter what is in it to filter 1200 gallons............

[vedalissa]

Can I use that in conneciton with one that sits in the pond and "fountains"? Maybe with the bio balls?

[CarolinaGirl]

Many have reported experiencing fish deaths after using algae fix. What usually happens is the algae fix kills off the algae FAST....and that depletes the pond of oxygen. The bottle says to provide heavy aeration while using it....a step that is often overlooked.

A 5 gallon bucket connected to a submerged filter is not even close to what you need for 1200 gallons. I would use nothing less than a 100 gallon stock tank "skippy" filter. Even that is not ideal, and certainly not good enough for even moderate stocking levels, but way better than what you have. The problem is, koi are VERY heavy eaters and waste producers. They are not large goldfish.....they are very different and have different needs. Your pond may be better suited to goldies.

[vedalissa]

I went and got a preasure, bil, uv filter that says it can handle up to 1600 gallons. Hooking it up now in line with the little bucket.


BUT, The 1 koi I have in the hospital tank has taken a turn for the worse. He is hanging with head down and has a spot near the tail that looks like a bruise, but is also swollen. Does any one have any idea of what I can do to save him?

[CarolinaGirl]

Can you post a picture of him? when you say he is swollen...are his scales sticking up like a pinecone? What is in his water now and what is his water temperature?

[vedalissa]

Here is a couple of pictures ... thanks!