# I`m Stumped!



## Fishguru (Mar 31, 2005)

Hi guys hope somebody can help me! Got a prob and i`m stumped!

My prob is that i have a garden pond which is only 140 gals u.k (630L) with a filter that can cope with 1000 gals u.k and a 15Watt U.V light and a dirty water pump to feed that, that does 835 gals u.k an hour! so basically my pond gets filtered once every 11 mins or something! My reason for having such a big filter is that i have 5 koi carp 3 orfe 2 channel catfish 2 barbel 1 rudd 1 goldfish in which is obviously a pond to small for them. Generally their health is very very good have had no probs at all but every year my 3 orfe get fungal growth on the pectoral,caudal, and gills which takes on a green algae appearance which i think is algae growing on the fungus. Every year i manage to treat it but every year is comes back and i have no idea y! i tesed the water and my stats are 0mg/l ammonia 0mg/l nitrite 0mg/l nitrate ( which is odd cause that may suggest my filter is'nt working properly or theres an anaerobic element to it) and my p.h is 7.8 so to me thats completly safe for the fish to live in and should not cause any probs! But as i said every year my orfe get this prob which only effects them i can't think y because fish only really get fungus due to break down of the mucus layer that protects them but if the water quaility is fine i can't see how its getting broken down. Unless there stressed for some other reason????? i've tried everything to keep it away even dosing the pond up in jan to 4ppt with salt to keep them slimed up and de-stressed but nope they still got it again this year! grrrrrrrrrrrrr :evil: 

p.s they only seem to get april time and it never comes back once treated till next april


HELP!


----------



## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Do you do anything different in the spring. Like top off the pond that could change conditions to create the problem.


----------



## Fishguru (Mar 31, 2005)

erm not really! i mean the only thing i do is take the net off the pond that keeps the leave off during the winter!


----------



## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Do you turn the pumps off in the winter? I am looking for anything that could cause changes in the water or different stress on the fish. WHat are the temp changes in your area between the beginning of March and mid April?


----------



## Fishguru (Mar 31, 2005)

i keep the filtration system on all year same everything! Except i put a fresh U.v bulb in and fresh foams and phos-X bag in around april time but keep the same bioloical! 

the temp varies from about 10oC to 13oC


----------



## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Check out this link. It gave me a few ideas on what might be happening. 
http://www.fishdoc.co.uk/disease/fungus.htm
Alot of these molds feed on waste and uneaten food. In the colder months they dont need as much food as they are in a hibernation type mode. As spring hits and the water begins to warm up and they multiply, by coming out of hibernation and the lack of a abundant food source they attach themselves to the most vulnerable fish in the pond. 

So the fact you are changing your uv filter at this time could actually be reducing the possibility of more fish breaking out with this problem.

Im not sure if this is actually what is happening but from what I can tell it is the best I can come up with.

Hope it gives you a few ideas on where to look and hopefully figure out for sure.
Please let us know if you figure it out.


----------



## Fishguru (Mar 31, 2005)

cheers for the advice! But to be honest i'm having my doubts to wheather it is fungus! Theres no reddness or anything around the infected areas and it does'nt even resemble cotton wool like most fungal probs do! it basically look like stands of algae growing off the fish, i`m gonna try and take a photo of one of the orfe so u can see what i mean! I have also added another U.V source to the pond which does the pond once every 4 hours so hopfully anything that goes through will be under the light so long it should die! I no it's not going to effect anything already on the fish but i'm kinda getting desperate now so i`m gonna try anything lol

p.s have not turned it on yet though as i'm treating the pond with medifin from tetra which contains formaldahyde and malachite green


----------



## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Is it closer to this?

White cottony growth on body or fin (like strands of hair) White Fungus 

cures:
Jungle Fungus Eliminator
Salt
Peroxide
Potassium Permanganate 

Check out the last photo on this page
http://www.bio.utexas.edu/courses/bio354l/Projects/2000/ginger_hsieh/


----------



## Fishguru (Mar 31, 2005)

what do ya think?


----------



## Fishguru (Mar 31, 2005)

hmmm


----------



## Fishguru (Mar 31, 2005)

"scratches head"


----------



## Fishguru (Mar 31, 2005)

more pics above ^


----------



## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Hmmmm - Let me research this one a little.


----------

