Biological Pond Filters Are Essential To Prevent Fish Health Diseases In Fish Ponds
Bio Pond Filter Problems Cause Fish Stress
Familiarity is the secret to spotting distressed pond fish behavior. By regularly watching your koi, goldfish and other pond fish varieties you will start to notice patterns of behavior. Typical examples include observing how long they take to surface to feed, how they react to your shadow, noticing shy fish, who take longer to be noticed. Look out for tell tales of distressed pond fish:
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Fish Sulking - Fish that are constantly resting on the pond floor and don't try to flee when you approach them closely.
Fish That don't Appear To Be Eating - Fish that seem to have lost their appetite. Using floating pellet food is a good way to tell; count the number of pond fish that regularly rush for a meal as soon as you put food into the pond. If the number drops then this could be a symptom of distress and possible fish disease.
Notice Fin Shape - Healthy pond fish have fins that are well splayed, tight and erect. If the fins aren't erect and lie close to the fish's body then this could be a sign that something is wrong.
Bead Filters Are Best For Large Koi Ponds
Many of the issues that cause pond fish to become stressed can be attributed to inadequate pond filters or issues with the biofilters themselves. All fish ponds need biological filtration. The type of biofilter needed depends entirely upon the size of the pond and the levels of fish stocked. Box type filters such as Fishmate UV filters and pressurized pond filters such as the Hozelock Bioforce pressure filter and Oase Filtoclear pressure pond filter will be more than adequate for the majority of small garden fish ponds. However large ponds with lots of fish, particularly ornamental koi will need Bead Filtration Systems, such as Aquadyne bead filters or GC Tek Aquabead filters.
A pond filter is the heart of any pond and is responsible for not only removing pond solids but also for purifying the pond water in a process known as the Nitrogen Cycle or Nitrification process. Inadequately specified pond filters will lead to pond filter problems.
If all of your pond fish are reluctant to feed or are seen at the pond surface, gasping for air then the likelihood is you have a fish health problem, which may be attributed to your pond filter not working correctly.
Ammonia and Nitrite removal from a pond eco system is the predominant function of any pond filter system … Ammonia and Nitrite are potentially lethal to aquatic pond fish in high concentrations. When Ammonia levels are high and the pond water pH is high the possibility of dead koi and other pond fish is a real possibility. The decaying fish exacerbate the problem as the decaying fish give off Ammonia too. If you spot dead pond fish you must quickly remove any dead pond fish and carry out the pond water tests mentioned below.
The best way to test to see if your biological filter is pulling its weight is to carry out regular testing of your pond water using pond test kits from reputable manufacturers. Testing for Ammonia, Nitrite, pH, Total Alkalinity and possibly Hardness will quickly identify pond filter problems ... For a review of pond test kits click here.
What Should I Do When My Pond Water Tests Highlight Excess Ammonia And Nitrite?
Stop feeding your fish immediately and start to change the pond water. On a daily basis you must change between 20 to 40% of the total pond water volume. But beware of major temperature changes in the pond.
Increase the supply of oxygen into the pond. Oxygen is critical to the effective working of biofilters and the general health and well being of koi, goldfish and other pond fish. Low oxygen concentrations in ponds will also result in your pond fish becoming sluggish and continually surfacing, gasping for. Increasing oxygen levels in your pond is easily achieved by adding a pond aerator or increasing the water turnover. Remember that you can never add too much oxygen to a garden pond environment.
If biofiltration and pond aeration are under control and your pond water tests have revealed that the pond water is ok but you still have sick fish, showing symptoms of stress, then a fish health problem of some kind is the likely cause.
Typical pond fish ailments include:
Bacterial Ulcer Disease caused by aeromonas and pseudomonas bacteria. This bacterial infection is nearly always due to poor filtration and using the wrong type of biofilter system e.g. a sand filter ... never use a sand filter in a pond environment as the sand acts as a trap for bacteria and will certainly cause more harm than good.
Parasitic Fish Diseases such as gill flukes, anchor worm and ich or white spot. Dr Johnson from koivet.com recommends using pond salt, before you try anything else for parasitic fish infestations. He says "In most cases where fish are still dying off, especially smaller fish and more slowly, Flukes, should be suspected first.
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