Lost 6 of them

[tugo]

today. It is a bad feeling. Most probably low PH because of the continuous daily rains. The rest seems ok.
The biggest one is 11" died also:((

[trish]

Aww...  I'm so sorry for your loss. 

What are your water readings?  Specifically pH and KH?

[miguynmkoi]

Oh, sooooo sad!    Hopefully the rest are ok.

[tootsie]

Sorry you lost your fish I had a large Koi , I found it floating in the pond Just the day before I was feeding all of them and I saw this one just jumping around eating and looked like they were all touching heads and playing!

Tootsie

[Kittyzee]

Oh no tugo! How awful, and they are such beautiful fish.   

[tugo]

Thanks for your concerns.
I have only tests for Nitrite and ammonia and both were ok. For PH I don't have any test.
Three years ago, I got 12 small koi and today I believe they are more than 40-45. When I had first started, in the 3rd week 2 small koi was gone and since then I had no problems.

Good news is; I have checked the pond one more time and have seen the “biggest” one which I named him “Moby Dick” is still alive and looks happy.

Was really a bad feeling, as moving the lily leaves away, finding their bodies one by one and collecting them. Had panic knowing not where the counting would stop.

Ok I am not an expert but I still keep them in the freezer and when I have time, I check them for any obvious physical defects but till now all seems ok.

Hope I stop with 6.

[trish]

I hope this is it for your loss too.  Even though my comets are mutts, I love them dearly and would mourn their loss.

You probably know this, but in case you don't a lot of rainfall over a short period of time can alter your waters buffering capacity which in turn causes unstable pH and could cause fish death.  That's the reason why I had asked what your KH reading was.  If it was low 40-80 PPM it's a simple fix by adding Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) a tablespoon at a time until your KH reading reaches 150-200 PPM.  This will help by maintaining a steady pH for your fish.  I don't know if that is what caused your fish to perish, so it's only a theory and suggestion on what to check. 

[zydia]

Pathetic, we had alot of rain last eve, am going now to find my test kit. Good luck putting a stop to whatever is causing your fish loss.
Zydia

[tugo]

Thanks for your inputs. Have to get one KH test kit. Yes was too much rain since many days.
Let's see what the new day will bring. Crossed my fingers.

[KatFish]

I'm really sorry about your wet pets.  I hope you find the cause and it doesn't continue.  Good luck! 

[tugo]

Thanks Katfish. Rains stopped and I made a partial water change. The rest of the fish looks normal and happy. Although I do not think that it was  less oxygen issue, I pruned lots of lily pads because 98% of the pond surface was covered.
Hope all will stay calm and  ok.

[PondJoy]

So help me understand.  I have never had this problem and we get TONS of rain here....over short periods of time.  Do you think it has something to do with what's IN the rain?  I mean can't rain be different in different places?  I am SO sorry for the loss of your fishes....I know (and most of us do I think) how you feel.  Happier days ahead.... 

[tugo]

PondJoy, thanks for your care.
I hope some one else with knowledge can answer your question but as far as I read here and there, yes rain can contain some chemicals depending on the pollution around that area, different than other places but in my case
( I am not sure of course ) because it rained and rained weeks long, the low PH of rain water, lowered the PH of the whole pond and water became too soft for the fish to survive. My information can be totally wrong also, sorry.

Just in case, I have changed 50% of my pond water, step by step, with the tap water, which is said to have better PH for the koi. Hopefuly.

[ThornyGardener]

So sorry about your losses, Tugo. The biggest ones are always more susceptible to loss of oxygen.

After a pH crash several years ago during a heavy evening rain storm with too much algae in the pond, I now add baking soda which maintains pH at 8.2. I add about a cup with partial water exchanges (my pond is 4000-5000 gallons), but experiments have shown one can't overdose. Heavy low pH rain + excess algae + night + heat (all oxygen robbers) can add up to a disaster.

If you are unable to obtain a pH or kH test, baking soda will give you the assurance that the pond is maintaining 8.2. A heavy prolonged rain can still dilute the effects of the baking soda, of course, but short of a monsoon it is unlikely to cause a lethal crash if you have kept up with adding baking soda after partial water changes.

I'd add the baking soda over a couple of days the first time as a rapid spike is not good for the fish either.

Hope the rest of your fish are fine.

[tugo]

Thanks ThornyGardener. Forgot to mention that I added baking soda, after the partial water change. Rains did stopped last days but will add some more tomorrow. I am just happy that, the rest of the fish looks normal. You know, I cannot keep my eyes off the pond and every strange wilted leave or some old buds makes another panic on me since I find out that it is not a new dead body of fish:))