Medication – Killing the Flukes

Posted on April 30, 2011 by esearing

I finally found a good diagnosis for the sick fish that fits his symptoms, though he has shown some improvement with the addition of salt, Melafix(anti bacterial), and Premafix(anti fungal). There is a parasite called Flukes which is easily treatable with a safe medication called Praziquel (PraziPond is the market name). PraziPond is a powder which is not easily disolved in water, but does dissolve in Proform-C or malachite green. It can be added as a preventative in Spring and Fall. I was not able to find this medication locally despite having 5 different pet stores and pond specialty shops nearby. I ordered mine through PondDoc.com.

Prazipond is not cheap, but it is much safer than alternatives which kill your beneficial bacteria or can overdose your fish. Fish ingesting the prazipond powder is even safe. One article I read indicated it will not harm your other pets who perhaps get a bit from drinking the water from the pond. It is a de-wormer often given to Dogs and Cats in pill form.

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Algaefix fixes green water

Posted on April 26, 2011 by esearing

I need to be able to see my sick fish so I finally resorted to using Algaefix since the bacteria is not yet established enough to fight it. I was a little skeptical it would work but after just a few hours I was able to see less green water. The only down side to algaefix is that it lowers oxygen in the water. So I turned my jets skyward and let them act like fountains for a few days. I under-dosed it and I also assume I need to get the dead algae out of the water so it doesn’t act as food for the next bloom. The waterco multicyclone prefilter seems to be doing this fairly well and has about an inch of stuff on the bottom. I cleaned it out on Sunday so this is all new “debris”. To the right is a link to amazon which sells Algaefix if you do not have a pond supply store or pet store in your area.

Update: after 5 days I can see the bottom clearly.

UPDATE: I have used this product 3 times this summer. It works too well. It even kills the algae growing on the waterfall which is a form of string algae that I like. After a few weeks or after a big rain my pond water turns green again until the string algae can regrow then it begins to balance things out again. Does not seem to have any affect on the fish. Caution should be used in high summer heat so you do not drop oxygen levels too low.

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Another week at the pond

Posted on April 25, 2011 by esearing

We are finally getting more warm weather here north of Atlanta so I can spend more time in the garden and piddling with the pond. I am still battling algae bloom and green water. I read on several sites that the green water is not harmful to fish and to just let nature take its course. I am trying to help nature along by adding some bacteria. I am getting more decay in my prefilter so I know I am killing some of it. I ordered a pond net with 40% shading capability so that should help reduce the algae too.

The Kujako fish with no-name yet is still struggling to float horizontally. According to one site he may have a parasite called Flukes. But I’ll be damned if I can find an anti-parasitic for flukes locally. Will have to order some and hope he survives a few more days. I did add salt to the pond to help him develop his slime coat and fight the parasites. I am also adding peas to the pond for him to eat which is supposed to help with swim bladder issues.

The plants are doing well but my azaleas are not blooming. I suspect they do not get enough direct sunlight, so I may need to trim up the bradford pear tree a bit. All the fall bradford pear tree fruit that dropped on the ground are sprouting little trees. I spent a good 30 minutes pulling them up, but more are on the way. I am so looking forward to that tree dying. I will replace it with a Cryptomeria Radicans, a nice spruce/pine tree with a conical shape.

I re-plumbed the hydrant again and have no leaks in the new section (YAY). But I developed leaks in another section that wasn’t leaking before at an elbow. I think this one will be an easy fix, just need time to fix it.

I still have my old pond shell and am having difficulties selling it. Seems shoppers on CraigsList are not the sharpest tacks on the bulletin board. I don’t need the drama and may just give it away to a charity.

Budget: I spent another $100 on the pond this weekend for Salt, Melafix, test kits, and gas running around looking for Fluke medicine.

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Disaster strikes – Sunday while cleaning out the prefilter I loosened the union between the upper and lower sections and cleaned out the bottom good. I put the union back on but it didn’t seem to fit as snuggly as before. I turned on my pump and got a nice shower as water spewed out the sides of the unit. My son fell on the ground laughing at me.

Posted on April 25, 2011 by esearing | Comments Off on

Sick fish – remedy more than cost of the fish.

Posted on April 20, 2011 by esearing

Tuesday the Kujako begins floating tail high/head down in the water. This is usually attributed to swim bladder issues which may be due to water quality, parasites, fungus, constipation, or other reasons. The PH is a bit high so I purchased some PH Lower to bring it down. PH Lower is basically sulfuric acid and makes the water more acidic. He seems to be responding better now that the PH is closer to 7. I’m still fighting algae bloom too so added some bacteria to the water to help fight it. I also bought a better testing kit which has a wider range of PH indicator. Amonia is good, nitrates/nitrites are excellent.

And for good measure I added an antifungal treatment to the water just in case.

Ph Lower – $60 ($40 powdered version, $20 liquid)
Antifungal – $20
Quality test kit to check PH, Nitrates, amonia- $40
Bacteria – $20 enough for the summer.

I also picked up the plumbing parts to redo the hydrant again – Another $25.
I ordered a fine mesh net for $79 including shipping to help protect the fish from heron this summer.

I’m beginning to think I dug a money pit rather than a pond.

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First 2 koi

Posted on April 16, 2011 by esearing

I went to the Atlanta Koi Club Koi auction today. I placed bids on several fish but the prices were a bit higher than my planned budget. The prices compared to retail were very good. I will definitely go back next year.

I did win a nice Kojaku [updated] and a nice gin-rin long fin Kohaku for $75. Both are about 14 inches and are a redish orange and white tone. Nice large fish for the price. They are sitting in their bags at the moment acclamating to temperature. I prepped the pond by adding ick and parasite medication to make sure they have a good chance at survival.

Update: the Kojaku regular fin is a blend of Matsuba and Kahaku. He has a nice redish head and orange on his back with the dark scales of the matsuba.
He also has orange on his fins but the tips are white.

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Update on waterco pre-filter – Post pond cleaning.

Posted on April 12, 2011 by esearing

When I pumped out all the algae filled water and cleaned out the muck from the bottom of the pond the other day, it pulled a lot of gunk into the pre-filter. I used the drain valve to get rid of most of the dirty water but it was really cloudy and gunky even after refilling the pond. After just a couple of days the water in the clear tank is now clear again and the particles are at the bottom showing that the cyclone action and gravity are working. Pond water is still clearing its particles but I can see a difference after only 2 days. l think the performace pro 2 speed pump + the pre-filter is the best investment in the pond I have made so far.

Skimmer is still leaking slightly around the upper half of the faceplate. Bog leaks have been mostly controlled except when excess debris from the trees forms a dam and the water seeks relief out the back side. Gives me a reason to go out to the pond every day and tinker.

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Shade plants for backside of the bog

Posted on April 10, 2011 by esearing

Pike nursery has some interesting shade plants this year all from Monrovia.

Late spring bloomer and native Georgian Bleading Heart. Has heart shaped flowers and clover like leaves. Is perenial, 2@7.99 each
– update 7/25 – Has not done well in the high heat, still alive but leaves are burned at edges.

From the Lilly family Francee Plantain Lily – Hosta like leaves with spiky flowers in summer. Gets two feet tall if well watered so it will help with screening. 2@$5.99 – UPDATE 7/25 – surviving even with rabbits eating it occasionally.

Testing a new ground cover, Peacock Spikemoss. I planted it around edge of bog so it can hang over and blur the liner edges. It is named for its iridescent blue-green summer folliage that changes to rose in the winter. Semi-evergreen. 2@10.99 – Update 7/25 – Dead in the heat.

For the water fall area I have been collecting wild moss. But I added some primrose fern in a couple of the cracks to add interest. This is a whispy light fern. It may get as much as 3 feet tall but I don’t think it will in the crevices of the wall. 2@$5.99 UPDATE: one lived, one died due to lack of water for a few days.

I also needed a new hose head so purchsed a good metal one for $12.99 rather than the cheapy $5 ones that break every year. I’ll give the plants a week or two to mature then upload a picture.

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Selling the old pond

Posted on April 10, 2011 by esearing

With the new pond in the ground and 95% complete it is time to get rid of the old pond shell and peripherals. I dragged them out to the yard and took pictures. I then listed them on craigslist since I really don’t think I can ship it. One of the pond shells had a huge crack in it so I just cut it up with a jig saw and put it in the recycling bin.

I worked on the hydrant plumbing again this week and thought I had it finally water tight. But no, it has a tiny pinhole leak so I get to try again. I did manage to drain and refill the pond while it was not leaking. My health has been somewhat poor this week, so I have to put off finishing the pond another weekend. There is a plant sale at my church today so I can at least add to my garden.

I went and looked at fish at my local pond supplier but didn’t leave with any. I may get a few fancy goldfish before I put Koi in the pond to make sure it is inhabitable. The Shibukin look like small koi so they may be a good choice.

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Hydrant plumbing nightmares

Posted on April 3, 2011 by esearing

I found the leak in the plumbing for the hydrant. It was a spot where too much glue acumulated and basically weakened the schedule 20 piping. So I have spent several hours and a few dollars trying to fix it, again, and again. The old wise-man at HD suggested putting on a drain collar with spiral clamps. that held for about 30 seconds. Next, I cut out all the prior piping going into the irrigation line valve. Glue up a new fitting and got all of that nice and tight. Then I had to reconnect it to the old pipe. The angle was a bit off since the connetors and elbows are bigger than the old ones. I turned on the water at the street and the dial spins a few seconds then stops. HALLELUJAH! then it starts spinning again – DANG IT. The one weak joint in the system blew apart. So it looks like I will try again tomorrow night after work. Plumbing parts $15, time 5 hours wasted.

I drained the pond for a good spring cleaning (anticipating I would have the irrigation line running again to refill it) and found all sorts of leaves, worms, fruit from the pear tree, some mortar, and a good layer of muck on the bottom. So it sits empty for now. There is a fish auction next weekend that I would like to attend. So all has to be back to normal by then.

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