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  • Results 1 to 16 of 16

    Thread: Help with Stressed Koi in New Pond

    1. #1
      akarinz is offline Junior Member
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      Help with Stressed Koi in New Pond

      I had a 3000 gallon cement pond with 8 koi. I have had these koi since they were 3 inches long and now they are 25+ pounds. Due to the cement pond having numerous problems, I had it demolished and a new liner pond built. The new pond is 4500 gallons. The fish were removed and placed in two holding tubs for about two weeks before they were transferred to the new pond. While they were in the holding tanks, water was tested daily.

      The fish were placed in the new pond one week ago. This water is also being tested on a regular basis. They are showing signs of what I believe to be stress. All 8 of them are laying on the floor of the pond and hardly move. They appear lethargic and do not show any interest in anything. We did a 20% water change yesterday and there is maybe a 5% improvement.

      I do not have any experience with this kind of problem. I feel bad that now they have a much nicer environment, they are just laying on the bottom of the pond. Can someone give me any ideas on how to deal with this situation?

      Thanks much...Karin

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    2. #2
      MikeS's Avatar
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      Ammonia, Nitrite, PH?
      Mike & Sharon Shaw
      Jonesborough TN

      https://www.koiphen.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=437164

    3. #3
      akarinz is offline Junior Member
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      Mike, I am at work right now, so I don't have the specific numbers, however all numbers in the new pond are consistent with the numbers in the old pond. I'll re-test tonight and post the number later in the day. The largest koi is struggling the most, where she won't even swim around. I don't know the right terminology, but I will try to explain something of note. On the left fin (pectoral?) there is a separation between the largest "bone" and the rest. She keeps that fin tucked in. We don't know if this "rip" happened during the transfer, or if this is a symptom of something else. I am feeling so frustrated, as these fish were so healthy before. I am making the assumption that this is due to the new pond and stress, but maybe it is something else?

    4. #4
      cindy's Avatar
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      Sounds like a water problem since you haven't added any new fish. MIke is right, we need numbers, something has changed, my guess is the ph is flunctuating. Do you have kh (total alkalinity) test kit? Its a big one. The kh helps to buffer the ph and keep it from flunctuating. Also what declor/ammonia binder are you using in the new water? Plenty of air? What type of filtration?

      Also the liner you used, was it pond liner or roof liner?

      Did you save bacteria from the old filter? If not you will have about 4-6 weeks for the pond to balance ammonia and nitrite. Go light on feeding.
      Last edited by cindy; 06-21-2011 at 12:37 PM.

    5. #5
      nytwinskoi is offline Supporting Member
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      Start giving abx meds buy from AQUAMEDs . Rick will go thru step by step. I had the same problem in March 2011. I add new water , I went two professional places to test water all normal! Stress out !!! I hate to say only 15 out of over 50 survey. Run extra air. I had 3000 gal new pond with 80 LPM bottom drain air plus 100 LPM extra and 2 filter pumps running.

    6. #6
      nmtsaki's Avatar
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      Also, do you have one end covered with a tarp, or something else, so that they have a place to hide? If they feel too exposed, they may just be afraid of their surroundings/predators.



      Side question: does cement add to kH, so it's more stable? Not sure if there was a constant leaching source.

      Hope you resolve your issue quickly,


      Nancy







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    7. #7
      cindy's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by nytwinskoi View Post
      Start giving abx meds buy from AQUAMEDs . Rick will go thru step by step. I had the same problem in March 2011. I add new water , I went two professional places to test water all normal! Stress out !!! I hate to say only 15 out of over 50 survey. Run extra air. I had 3000 gal new pond with 80 LPM bottom drain air plus 100 LPM extra and 2 filter pumps running.
      They should ask they same questions that we are asking. Can't do anything without w/out numbers. You can't just start adding things

    8. #8
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      I agree with the statements regarding water quality numbers. The changes in environments is a stressor, differing levels of filtration affecting water quality is a stressor. Netting the fish is a stressor. The cummulative effect of stressors is that the immune systems can be compromised and parasites can get out of check, so it would probably be a good idea to see if you could get someone to scrape and scope the fish to rule out a parasite explosion. The sooner the fish settle down, the better, but that requires good water on the front end.
      Zone 7 A/B
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      akarinz is offline Junior Member
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      I tested the water last night using Quick Dip 6 tests in One Strip. Not sure if that is a good one to use. The numbers are: Nitrate 0, Nitrite 0, Hardiness 150, Chlorine 0, ph 8.4 and alkalinity 180+. The test strip for alkalinity breakdowns are 180, 380. It was in between those colors. The contractor said the numbers were the same in the old pond.

      One thing that struck a cord is that their old pond was very plant heavy, particularly with lilies. And they loved it! The new pond starting over, has two new tubs with lilies, but they are still starting out, so they are sparse. Had I to do it over, I would have kept the lilies going in a side tub and then put them in the new pond. I can imagine that the koi feel very vulnerable now being out in the open.
      The liner is pond liner and the filtration system is the Ultima II. We plan on doing another water change tonight.

      Karin

    10. #10
      cindy's Avatar
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      I don't think its the plants. I'd keep doing water changes with an ammonia/chlorine binder.

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    11. #11
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      I would also look into getting a drip test kit. I don't trust test strips and how old are yours?
      Jerry

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    12. #12
      akarinz is offline Junior Member
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      What is a drip test kit?

    13. #13
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      it uses drops to test the water parameters. MUCH more reliable and acc.urate than the strips. I will use the strips for a quick readiing, but when things are serious I go for the drop tests

      Most pet stores around here carry the basic ones, petco/petsmart

    14. #14
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      Sorry about that, my post was a flyby from work and I always call it a drip test vs. a drop test for some reason....

      I would be testing for the following.

      Ammonia
      Nitrate
      Nitrite
      KH
      GH

      I don't think I'm forgetting anything.
      Jerry

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    15. #15
      akarinz is offline Junior Member
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      Just wanted to let everyone know the fish are starting to be a bit more active in their surroundings. Have been doing water changes every couple of days and monitoring them. I've been able to coax all but the big one to come up to eat. They are also foraging around the various plants. The big one (with the ribbed fin) was still pretty inactive, but yesterday saw her swimming at the other end of the pond. So it looks like things are progressing nicely. I was starting to get depressed about my koi being depressed. The water is still in transition, and is now in the "pea soup" phase. Hopefully this is all indicative of things going in the right direction

    16. #16
      nmtsaki's Avatar
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      I would still get those test kits. "stressed" is not really a diagnosis, rather an indication that something is wrong or out of whack, usually a water parameter. The drop kits (API) are very easy to use, and give fairly accurate results. Just watching their behavior does not really say if the problem is cured; it may creep back up on you. I'm glad your fish are being more responsive; it may have been a non-cycled system, which test kits would have resolved easily. Plus, if anything IS out of whack, there are different treatments that you can do. It's good to have them on hand for the next time, and there will be a next time (there always is!)

      Good luck!

      --Nancy







      Favorite Quotes:
      The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too. -- Samuel Butler.

      My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet. -- Edith Wharton.

      I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive. -- Gilda Radner

      Yesterday I was a dog. Today I'm a dog. Tomorrow I'll probably still be a dog. Sigh! There's so little hope for advancement. -- Snoopy

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