Lazy Fish Worries

If your fish hang out at the bottom of the pond, or act restlessand lazy, then it's likely that your pond is suffering from pooraeration.

When oxygen levels drop below 7 PPM it not only affects theability of your fish to breathe, but it also negates your pond'sbio filtration systems. That's because optimum bio filtrationresults require large quantities of air. When bio filtrationdegrades it results in the buildup of toxic ammonia levels. This,in return, causes stress in your fish which can result inlethargy and even death.

Your immediate first aid calls for increasing oxygen levels atonce. Unlike chemical treatments, you can't cause any problems byputting "too much" oxygen into your pond. The easiest way tomaintain oxygen levels is to run an aeration pump 24 hours a day.If you are already doing that, and your oxygen levels are stilltoo low, then either your pump is defective, undersized for thepond, or your water temperatures are so high that the water isnot capable of retaining sufficient oxygen. Treat whichever ofthese conditions exist.

Once you have cured the oxygen generation system problems, itstime to test your water for ammonia, nitrite, and pH. It's also agood idea to test for total alkalinity and hardness. Adjust anylevels that are out of normal ranges using pond additives thatare designed for each problem.

If you found multiple problems, or suspect that you have ageneral water quality issue, then you should commence a dailychanging of 20-40% of your pond's total volume until you haveturned the water over twice. Of course, you need to usechlorine-free water. After you have turned the water over twiceyou should perform all of the tests that I wrote about earlierand make any required adjustments.

If your fish do not recover, or you are experiencing kills, thenyou may have a parasite or other health problem. Check ourarticle archives for potential solutions.

**************************************************
Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several
other pond-related websites includingMacArthurWatergardens.com
and Pond-Filters-Online.com. He also publishes a free monthly
newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over
9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE
'New Pond Owners Guide' visit MacArthur Water Gardens today!
**************************************************

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