I have a 250 gallon outdoor pond and i have about 15 comet goldfish in it. I recently drained the water and put new water in it and conditioned and everything and put the fish back in and they are dying off really fast. I tested the ph and its about 7.2- 7.4. The rest of the goldfish ( the older mature goldfish) aren't as lively as they were before the water change. they just kind stay still towards the bottom of the pond and don't move at all. They also won't eat either. im really annoyed because i can't figure out what's happening and im starting to lose some of my bigger fish that i've had for 2 and half years. please help.
2007-07-28 16:48:18 · 3 answers · asked by vikingfootball32 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
Odds are good it's due to high ammonia. Check the ammonia levels in the pond and change some water to drop that ammonia level. You will need to watch it closely until the cycle recovers from the pond being emptied and refilled.
MM
2007-07-28 16:52:08 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Partial water changes and regular cleaning of the bottom of the pond are usually better than changing all of the water in a pond. Changing all of the water can shock (and kill) the fish, especially if the nitrate and ammonia levels are much different than before. Next time, stick to partial (twenty to thirty percent) water changes, and go with fifty percent if you really feel a need to "clean out" the pond.
2007-07-28 19:48:46 · answer #2 · answered by Demon L 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i agree partial water changes are better then cleaning the entire pond i was told by a very good petshop that a full cleaning takes away things that fish need and they'll have to cycle it back in resulting in alot of fish dying the only advice i can give is either let them cycle it back to how it was and from now on to a partial water change or talk with with local petstore to see what you can get/do to get the levels normal again
2007-07-28 22:25:20 · answer #3 · answered by jerry l 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋