Summer time for your pond can be stressful to your fish here are some signs to look out for:
Gasping: If your fish are gasping at the surface of the water in the morning this is a sign of an oxygen deficiency. This is usually caused by having too many fish and not enough room. Quick fix is to take a bucket and start breaking the surface of the water. You can add an aerator into the pond to maintain a higher volume of fish. The general rule of thumb is one inch of goldfish per 10 gallons of water and 200 gallons of water for a full grown koi 14-16″.
Lethargic: If your fish are acting very lethargic and not eating this could be a sign of high nitrite or ammonia. Test your water to identify if it is a water quality issue. We do free water tests and most pet stores do as well. If you have high nitrite levels do at 25-30% water change and use Water Garden Zip beneficial bacteria. High ammonia do a 25-30% water change and then treat with Ammonia Remover (this will detoxify the ammonia and take the chlorine out of the water). It is a good idea to use the Water Garden Zip beneficial bacteria for high ammonia.
* If your water test is normal the fish may have a bacterial infection and need Broad Spectrum treatment.
Flashing or Jumping: Fish could have lice or anchor worms these are parasites treat with Lice and Anchor Worm Remover. This can also be a sign of high ammonia see above for treatment.
Spawning: Fish reproduce it’s the way of life…no we do not have birth control for fish. Signs of spawning include: fish ganging up or chasing another fish (these are the males pursuing the females), jumping: females will jump out of the water to escape the males, your water may get cloudy or foam when they spawn due to the excess proteins the fish are emitting. Females will rub their bellies to lay their eggs to have a higher success rate with hatch-lings surviving use spawning mats or hornwort. This offers a place for the females to lay their eggs and then a spot for the fry to hide from the other fish.
Feel free to contact us at the shop 281-391-4769 if you have any other questions or concerns.