[AquaticLife] Help..koi keep dying
First, understand that your 500 gallons is good for 2, maybe 3, koi as they are growing. Not knowing what the size of the fish are right now leaves us at a disadvantage.
Algae is a problem with all koi ponds. Many use UV to try to keep it under control. You will want some algae, since it will serve as a food source for your fish. Also remember that koi are “dirty” fish, like goldfish are, but they can grow much larger than goldfish.
I am not familiar with Algaefix, but reading the MSDS, there is this line: ” Harmful to aquatic organisms.” That would kind of raise a red flag with me. Also raising a red flag is that a lot of the risk categories contain the phrase ” is not thought to be”, which means that the product was not extensively tested.
Green Clean is another product I am not familiar with. In my search for info, I ran across this on one seller’s web site, ” Once added to water the dry granules lose their toxicity.” That kind of scares me. I was not able to find an MSDS on the product, and was unable to join the web site of the manufacturer to determine if there is an MSDS and what ingredients the stuff contains.
Your high ammonia and lowering pH can result from the algae decomposing in the pond, the number of fish in the pond, a failure to fully cycle the pond, organic matter from the yard falling into the pond, insufficient filter media to establish a large enough habitat for nitrifying bacteria, and maybe a few things I may have missed. Any one or combination of these things can give you problems with the proper nitrogen cycling that should be occurring in your pond.
Things that you can do to alleviate your problems: 1. Reduce your fish population to two or three fish. 2. Stop with the chemical additions to your water. 3. Reduce feedings to all your fish can eat in two minutes. 4. Do regular water changes just like you have done in your tanks over the years. 5. Ensure that your UV unit is clean and working properly. 6. Give us more information: a. Number and size of your current population. b. Information about your filtration–brand name may help as well as how it is set up. c. You mentioned you have plants in your setup. What kind? d. Numbers for your water parameters, so we know what you are working with. Measurements from the tap will help.
\Steve//
Category: Philippines Internet Koi Society
