HELP!!
Backstory...
We have an 10,000+ gallon, over 15 year old water garden with koi that we built and dug by hand with info learned in this forum.
Last 4-5 years the house sat empty 90% of the time, due to my child hospitalized out of state with several open heart surgeries, then caring for father in another state and husband works out of state. Regardless of our reasons, sadly our pond was left unattended and 100% pure neglect due to life circumstances. Haven't been in this group in about 7 years. Couldn't access my account and started new one.
Now that we are back here living we saw a heron coming a few times but I hadn't seen fish in a long time. Caught a raccoon on our camera's. Caught a 4' plus water snake on pond edge. We assumed neglect and predators wiped us out.
So we decided to get in and bring it back to life, add a net, extra filtration, new pumps, clean up plants, muck and eventually add koi this year.Even added hotwire and a new deck prepping for a beautiful summer.
No bottom drain. One of those... wish we would of..... after the fact.
(have a couple koi given to us in a QT tank. But they are not the problem).
After most of a day inside the pond... "mucking" the bottom with muck net (poo, leaves, sticks etc), trimming lilies that completely took over and created island, adding two 12" round aerators, bio bead filter, new uv, cleaned out bog and also have savio skimmer with mats....we spotted fish. SHOCKED!!
We decided to stop stirring things up any further, let it settle, then finish mucking later with Oase vacuum from outside instead of inside with muck net. It was almost clean at this point anyway. I was worried we just stirred up way too much crap (parasites? bacteria? etc ... believing we didn't have fish)
It cleared up pretty quickly and found koi and comets still alive. None of our original, but clearly fish had survived and spawned SOMEHOW???
We did not drain it as we thought if we mucked it by hand, then let filter, it would regain life/cycle quicker than 100% starting over with city water.
If I knew we had fish, I would of went the drain, net and clean route.
We've had severe thunderstorms and now it's not clear again but spotted 2 fish with white marks visible to eye. Looked too big for ich. Visually looked "fuzzy"
and pimple size, lead me down fungus/bacteria ?? Moving so quickly, water movement and sun glare can't get a good look.
One other is flashing up out of water (but no white marks) taking me down the poor water quality and/or parasites route.
All our equipment has been weathered and aged sitting outside in 0-100 degree temps over the years. Trashed it all. Not even thinking we had fish alive.
I've ordered fresh PreForm-C, Prazi, Prime, XL net and test kit. Should all be here Wednesday. Crossing fingers.
I do not have a scope. Have never used one. Never even needed one (until you do).
And being a "water garden" hard to get any fish caught. It's odd shape, lots of caves and tons of plant pots.
At this point, afraid to get in and stir up anything more and not even help catch them. Want to be slow and carefully vacuum rest of muck. After we figure other things out maybe use one of the "muck products" to help after very good vacuum..
Anyway.... I got the best photo I could of one of the fish with "white marks".
In photo they looks NOTHING like what I thought I saw looking into the pond. I "thought" it was fuzzy pimple (in size). Photo shows irregular shape.
When bigger net gets here this week I will attempt to catch fish but not confident.
Then, I don't have a scope (husband is looking online right now but doesn't help us TODAY) live in the boonies far from any pond experts.
Hate to shotgun my pond with chemicals. But am about to that point if I can't catch them.
Kills me to use best (un)educated guess to treat and start doing water changes when order gets here this week. But here I am.
And the story always goes.... what would you do????
What does it look like in the photo?
I have my suspicions that have changed in the last 24 hours but.... I'm here being "one of THOSE people" asking arm chair experts to make (uneducated) guesses without being scoped