Help! My pond fish keep dying.
#13
Dear all, please can someone help- I have an 8ft by 3ft railway sleeper pond which is lined and is 3ft deep. It has an OASE NEPTUN 5000 85w pump, a FISHMATE 15000 UV+bio pressurised filter, and an OASE AQUA-OXY 400 air bubbler. I also have 2 floating pot-plants. However, over the 2yrs the pond has been in use, all the fish have died, most with no obvious signs of problems. I had goldfish, koi, shibunkin, orfe, tench, grass carp, and ghost carp. These fish all lived happily in a much smaller pond I had dug in the ground at my old house with much less powerful equipment. They also survived for several months in a large paddling pool while I built the existing pond! I had the water tested a while ago and was told it was high in nitrates, so I reduced feeding and introduced the plants and carried out regular water changes. None of this helped. The pond is now empty and has developed a large stock of weed. Any ideas why I can't maintain a viable eco-system? I love having fish, but I'm considering turning my pond into a veg patch if I can't keep them alive! All advice welcome. Thanks.