Quote:
Originally Posted by paulexige  the pond is not heated so i have not been feeding i bought some sludgebuster but didnt know if it was worth putting it in with the water being so cold wether it would even work , shall i put it in any way and do you think i should change any more of the water thanks for your help |
You MUST get the Ammonia and Nitrite to ZERO !!! BY ANY MEANS YOU CAN !
and QUICKLY TOO !!!
Your poor Koi's immune systems can NOT cope with that in low temperatures for very long at all ! Besides which they are in agony !!!
It's not the water you need out,
it's the solids / sludge / decaying leaves you need out from where ever it is ..... pond bottom ...... bottom drain lines ........ skimmer line ........ Nexus ..... everywhere and NOW !
PURGE 1 bottom drain at a time / and hoover the pond if you can see anything...... I can not stress how important it is to get those readings to Zero ....... but it is the CAUSE you need to remove.
Yes most of the Sludgebusters will be wasted in cold water BUT surely that's better than hurting your Koi !
To hell with the cost, you have a duty to look after those Koi !
Make sure ALL Chlorine (and Chloramine if used in your area ) is removed from top - up water, or you will burn their gills !
Watch the ph doesn't suddenly drop, or you will likely lose them,
I would be putting some KH up in there even if you have Lithaqua or Oyster shells, to ensure the ph can not drop.
Good luck mate.
Peter.
