sterlinggeorge

Hello to all. This is my first post and I have a lot to learn about how these "threads" work...
I have a question regarding one of my fish. I live in Massachusetts, in New England. We have been having crazy weather, 20 degreesF one day and 50 degrees F the next or twenties at night and forties in the day. Now I have a fish
Which seems to have a swim bladder problem in that he seems to have trouble staying down. He might be on his side or almost upside down and if I try to reach him, or touch him he swims seemingly normally back down.
I have heard of giving them mash of peas to correct the problem. I don't know how true this is and I frankly don't know how to feed it to him since this is winter and they don't get fed?
Thanks for any help.

Davej

Hi George and welcome.

Makes our weather seem pretty straightforward!

I'm guessing that the pond isn't heated?

Dave

Doghouse Riley

__________________
"I don't mind if you don't like my manners!
I don't like them myself, they're pretty bad,
I grieve over them on long winter evenings."

sterlinggeorge

Thanks Dave.
No it is not heated, but I have an oxygen pump with a large air stone keeping it open if cold and keeping oxygen up.
This is the second winter with my new pond. The pond is about 5,000 gallons, approximately 48" deep, with a large waterfall which is of course not running until Spring.
I had koi and goldfish for about 15 years in a small molded pond which we had to get rid of about six or seven years ago when we blasted for additions. For about three years I kept my fish in a 100 gallon tub, which was too difficult to keep balanced so we gave them friends about two blocks away who cared for them and they even had many offspring. We took some of the offspring and some of the others back last year when we opened up the new pond as our friends' pond is too small to handle too many fish.
We have about 18 koi, ranging in size from 6 inches to over 23".

sterlinggeorge

Hello and thanks for the welcome.
Yes, this so far has been the Winter that never was. I think that after the very snowy, icy, hard Winter of last year, Mother Nature is being somewhat kind to us this year.
My fear is that it is messing with things too much. Bulbs are trying to sprout and the pond has the look it gets just a few weeks before opening it in the Spring.
In fact, if this were the begining of March and the weather were like it has been, I'd be very tempted to open it back up and get the system running.

Davej

George

Sorry to come back piecemeal but what is the pond temp and how low has it gone?


Dave

sterlinggeorge

I will need to check it. There is ice about 1/2 inch thick on much of the surface. The area around the air stone is open, about a 6 foot diameter circle.

sterlinggeorge

I did check the water yesterday and the PH was 7.0, ammonia came up zero. I did add some pond salt yesterday ans some stresscoat after that.

Davej

Ok I will throw in a few thoughts;

I'd normally be suggesting you try and investigate the problem by taking a mucus scrape but if the water temps are real cold then the stress that you can cause to the other fish in there by disturbing them is probably gonna do more harm than good and any medication may well have minimal benefit.

If the temps have got real cold then as ice crystals start to form in the water the Gills of the fish can start to get iced up. I’d have a stab that the behaviour of this one may be symptomatic of this or maybe the consequences of this.

Bottom line is that if the pond temps have been sub 42 degrees F (5C) then the risk of casualties from any number of causes increases and the lower the temp the greater the risk. Sooner or preferably later your luck runs out..

To give this fish a chance my thoughts would be to try to get it into a tank and very slowly get it up to 42 degrees F. (5C) then gradually over a week so so take it up a little warmer.

I wouldn’t be looking to give it any food.

Just my thoughts but hope they help.

Dave

sterlinggeorge

Thanks very much for your advice.