need help with a fish problem!

punky · #1 (**permalink**) 15-06-2009, 07:59 PM

Hi don't know if anyone can help me out here or not. have had a pond for past 4 years with no major problems. we had a koi and some goldfish and shubumkins, and until today we had 2 golden orfe and 2 blue orfe all 4 were large and very colourful , yesterday went and fed them all and everyone was fit and healthy. today i went to feed them and found all 4 orfe had literally gone belly up :confused. am totally baffled. all the other fish are fine, there seems no damage to the orfe. We had a rain storm earlier and all was well then. has anyone any idea why all 4 of the same species have died within hours of each other when everyone else is ok????? HELP PLEASE
Punky

Naturenutz · #2 (**permalink**) 15-06-2009, 09:17 PM

Hi punky , could anything have leached into the water during the rainstorm ?
Brickwork or rocks cemented in place can cause fish to die,orfe would be the first to die as they are the most fragile fish to water quality changes. Its the lime in the cement that kills them i beleive when it leaches into the pond. I think something leaching into the pond is the most likely reason but cannot be sure . If it was lack of oxygen i am not sure that the orfe would suffer first , although it is often the larger fish that suffer from oxygen first .
Sorry to hear of your loss, keep an eye on the other fish for a few days for any late developing effects.

Wetnwild · #3 (**permalink**) 15-06-2009, 09:31 PM

Unfortunately it's classic for orfe to die during a stormy weather: warm weather with low pressure conditions means less dissolved oxygen in the water, and orfe are much more sensitive to this than carp/goldfish varieties. It may not have happened before because the fish are growing all the time and placing a bigger burden on the pond, so the oxygen levels won't have been such a problem before.

However, it would still be useful to test your water, just in case there is a problem with this rather than the oxygen.

You might want to re-assess the pond's circulation/filtration before thinking about replacing them. Orfe grow huge (as indeed do carp) and not many people have large enough ponds for them as they become adult.

punky · #4 (**permalink**) 16-06-2009, 04:22 PM

Thank you both for your reply.. I have spoke to some fishy people today and i think your right that the rain may have caused a problem resulting in low oxygen levels..
The pond is slightly raised so i don't think anything has fallen in.
All the other fish are fine today i was worried that the koi would have died but no he's still here thank fully..
I was just so surprised that 4 fish could die so quickly i've had them years and was rather upset to say the least. I wont be replacing them until am sure everything is ok. but thank you both for your advice.. Punky xxxx