16263 Members
36 Forums
37220 Topics
507054 Posts
Max Online: 2277 @ 12/03/19 04:57 PM
|
|
|
#491554 - 06/10/18 09:23 AM
Fish gasping for air
|
Registered: 04/06/16
Posts: 22
Loc: IL
|
My father in law's pond seems to be having issues. Last night he saw hybrid blue gill gasping for air. This morning there are 4 dead and many still gasping for air. He has his aerators on 24 hours a day for the past 2 days, 4 diffusers in his one acre pond. Prior to this he had the aerators on a time running mostly at night. It is in Worden, IL and has been hot 90 degrees plus.
He hasn't sprayed his pond, doesn't have an abundance of algae, nothing added to the pond this year other than feeding his fish...Which he does by hand.
Any suggestions that I can pass on to him?
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491555 - 06/10/18 09:55 AM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: Mike4634]
|
Registered: 12/03/17
Posts: 272
Loc: Caswell co NC
|
Tagged for answers.
My $ says water temp is just high enough so dissolved o2 is low...but, if aeration is in use at night, seems like the cooler, deeper water would have available o2. How deep is the pond?
_________________________
Half acre 30 year old farm pond, Mebane NC. Aeration & feeder. LMB, CC, SC, BG, HBC, two no account welfare carp and nine seasonal Tilapia that all the other fish are terrified of.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491561 - 06/10/18 10:48 AM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: Mike4634]
|
Registered: 07/09/11
Posts: 1928
Loc: East Texas
|
Mike, Since the fish are piping, you know O2 is low.
Before we can help eliminate the problem, we need more information.
Hows the biomass? Too many fish can cause this problem. Too much vegetation can make it worse.
How deep is the pond? Do you know the water temp? Have you checked the chemistry?
All these things and more can contribute to your problem. The quickest fix is to reduce the fish load. This will give you time to figure out the rest of your problems.
_________________________
Brian
The one thing is the one thing A dry fly catches no fish Try not to be THAT 10%
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491565 - 06/10/18 11:16 AM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: highflyer]
|
Registered: 04/06/16
Posts: 22
Loc: IL
|
The pond is 12' - 14' at the dam, 4' - 8' from the other end sloping to the dam. April 2016 we stocked 250 RES, saw probably 50 of those die same day. 450 HBG different sizes, 3" - 5" and 5" - 7". 150 CC and 75 albino catfish. I don't know the water temp or chemistry.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491568 - 06/10/18 12:14 PM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: Mike4634]
|
Registered: 10/30/13
Posts: 1549
Loc: NE Missouri
|
How old is the pond? Have you had fish in since the beginning? Other species?
_________________________
5 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (way too many), SMB, and HSB (rumored..) I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491571 - 06/10/18 12:56 PM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: SetterGuy]
|
Registered: 04/06/16
Posts: 22
Loc: IL
|
How old is the pond? Have you had fish in since the beginning? Other species? Old pond that was killed off 3 years ago and then stocked in April 2016. Water will be tested tomorrow, hopefully leaving the aerators on 24/7 will bring it back.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491575 - 06/10/18 01:47 PM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: Mike4634]
|
Lunker
Registered: 07/19/08
Posts: 172
Loc: Midwest
|
Unfortunately, if this heat continues in the Midwest, this won't be the last post of a kill off. I'm right in the middle of one, 1 acre pond with 3 diffusors...didn't help. It was sprayed several days ago. My Kasco surface aerator is burned out, that might have saved them. Nothing I can do now. I would advise anyone in the heat zone not to spray right now, aeration or not; half treatment or not.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491576 - 06/10/18 02:49 PM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: Mike4634]
|
Registered: 12/03/17
Posts: 272
Loc: Caswell co NC
|
How old is the pond? Have you had fish in since the beginning? Other species? Old pond that was killed off 3 years ago and then stocked in April 2016. Water will be tested tomorrow, hopefully leaving the aerators on 24/7 will bring it back. I bet running aerators in the daytime will heat the water even in the deeper cool spots. Tough call. I'm learning from each of these fish kill posts. Thank you for posting it.
_________________________
Half acre 30 year old farm pond, Mebane NC. Aeration & feeder. LMB, CC, SC, BG, HBC, two no account welfare carp and nine seasonal Tilapia that all the other fish are terrified of.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491582 - 06/10/18 04:43 PM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: Clay N' Pray]
|
Registered: 04/06/16
Posts: 22
Loc: IL
|
I bet running aerators in the daytime will heat the water even in the deeper cool spots. Tough call. I'm learning from each of these fish kill posts. Thank you for posting it.
That's what I was worried about, but have been told both ways. My father-in-law was told to run them only at night.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491610 - 06/11/18 08:15 AM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: Mike4634]
|
Member
Registered: 04/18/02
Posts: 306
Loc: lampasas texas
|
I have had a fish kill in my pond plus witnessed one in a friends pond - no fun at all. Lost huge catfish and bass.
First time it happened I thought the same thing - some type of poison got into my pond. However it turns out that the pond turned over and lost oxygen -
To my knowledge an aerator is the solution - good luck to you
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491623 - 06/11/18 12:38 PM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: Mike4634]
|
Registered: 03/31/14
Posts: 848
Loc: Paris, TX
|
He needs to get water temps, but my guess it is a combination of biomass and water temp.
I would be removing as many of the CC as I could asap, and run aerator only at night.
_________________________
1.8 acre pond with FHM(gone), CNBG, RES, HSB, and LMB Trophy Hunter feeder.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491639 - 06/11/18 03:04 PM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: Mike4634]
|
Registered: 10/27/15
Posts: 2245
Loc: S. end of Elkins, Arkansas
|
Remove at least half the CC!
_________________________
I SUBSCRIBE
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491650 - 06/11/18 06:33 PM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: Mike4634]
|
Registered: 04/06/16
Posts: 22
Loc: IL
|
So other than the heat, the catfish are causing problems?
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491651 - 06/11/18 06:39 PM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: Mike4634]
|
Registered: 05/06/12
Posts: 1236
Loc: Boone County, MO (pond)
|
So other than the heat, the catfish are causing problems? I can't speak to your specific problem, but here's what I've learned. When biological oxygen demand exceeds supply, a fish kill occurs. You can aerate to increase oxygen supply and/or remove biomass to reduce demand. Too many fish = too much demand. Catfish can also increase turbidity, decreasing light penetration and reducing oxygen produced by photosynthesis.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491652 - 06/11/18 07:28 PM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: Mike4634]
|
Registered: 10/27/15
Posts: 2245
Loc: S. end of Elkins, Arkansas
|
The CC can take up a lot, or most of the biomass, if large. I had the same problem last year. One morning they didn't come to feed, and were hanging around the bank. I netted out a few of the stressed ones, dressed them before they could die in the pond. I ran a pump to circulate the water, then immediately started catching out the CC (2 to 5 lbs each). I never had another problem. Last winter the otter attacks reduced the biomass even more. We ate CC last summer until they became "just another meat".
_________________________
I SUBSCRIBE
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491653 - 06/11/18 07:50 PM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: John Fitzgerald]
|
Member
Registered: 04/18/02
Posts: 306
Loc: lampasas texas
|
when I lost my pond it had nothing to do with the number of fish - it was well balanced
We had a very cool night followed by a hot day and the lake turned over - depleted the oxygen and fish died
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491747 - 06/13/18 07:54 AM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: Mike4634]
|
Registered: 10/30/13
Posts: 1549
Loc: NE Missouri
|
I didn’t want to start a new thread about fish kills, so I’m just jumping in on this thread. I was at my pond yesterday. We’ve had a lot of days in the 90s, and I’m sure a lot more are coming. I don’t aerate, so not much I can do about it, but my water temps are climbing. I get a temp off the dock about 15’ from shore, and a foot deep. It was 87 degrees. Warmer than in the past at this time of year, that’s for sure. Diving in off the dock, it’s still pretty cool once you get down about 18”. My water clarity is about 12”. What temps should I be looking out for that may signal impending problems? I could take the jon boat down in the evening and run the motor for a while to stir things up. Would that be advisable? Thx Jeff
_________________________
5 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (way too many), SMB, and HSB (rumored..) I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491752 - 06/13/18 08:17 AM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: Mike4634]
|
Registered: 04/22/18
Posts: 1210
Loc: Louisiana
|
I had to use my outboard last week due to 99 degree surface temps.
I was advised to try to only stir the top 2/3 of the pond. I don't have aeration yet either. Pulling up that dead water from the bottom would be just as detrimental to your fish.
If aeration has been in place, I'm leaning toward either an overpopulation issue, or possibly the diffuser isn't moving enough water to get a complete turnover just running it at night....or a combination of both.
How long has it been since the diffusers were cleaned or replaced?
Edited by Mike Whatley (06/13/18 08:26 AM)
_________________________
.10 surface acre pond, 10.5 foot deep. SW LA. The epitome of a mutt pond. BG, LMB, GSF, RES, BH, Warmouth, Longear Sunfish, Gambusia,Mud Minnows, Crappie, and now shiners!!...I subscribe!!
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491755 - 06/13/18 09:14 AM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: Mike4634]
|
Registered: 10/30/13
Posts: 1549
Loc: NE Missouri
|
No aeration at all. My pond is too far from our barn to run lines, either electric or air. Plus I’d have to run lines up and down through a big rocky ravine and 90% woods. Just not a viable option. I’ve looked at solar, but the $1,000 systems aren’t really going to move the amount of air I need or lack durability. Or, the $7,000 systems are just priced too high. So, I’m hoping for the best. Cutting back on feed. Hoping that will slow down the growth of total biomass.
_________________________
5 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (way too many), SMB, and HSB (rumored..) I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491760 - 06/13/18 10:03 AM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: Mike4634]
|
Registered: 06/10/16
Posts: 1626
Loc: West Central Missouri
|
I am also curious about the temps/turbidity conditions that we should start worrying about O2 depletion.
I have been seeing 85 degrees - 18" below the surface, out 25 feet from shore and 75 degrees at the bottom (7 foot deep - 25 feet from shore). My secchi readings have gone from 3 foot to 2 feet in the last few days also.
I'm only a couple weeks away from starting the aeration system, however, and my fish are acting just fine.
_________________________
Fish on!, Noel 
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491761 - 06/13/18 10:17 AM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: Mike4634]
|
Registered: 04/22/18
Posts: 1210
Loc: Louisiana
|
Setterguy, I've noticed with my pond that even tho the surface temp is crazy high (94 yesterday), as long as there is cooler water under it with O2, they'll be ok. 87 isn't too bad. But if you have an outboard motor, I'd keep it close by.
My fish seem to be doing fine even tho it's hot on top. When I stirred the pond last week, every bedding fish left and everything quit feeding. Yesterday there were 200 staged on the bank waiting for dinner.
_________________________
.10 surface acre pond, 10.5 foot deep. SW LA. The epitome of a mutt pond. BG, LMB, GSF, RES, BH, Warmouth, Longear Sunfish, Gambusia,Mud Minnows, Crappie, and now shiners!!...I subscribe!!
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491767 - 06/13/18 10:53 AM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: Mike4634]
|
Registered: 06/10/16
Posts: 1626
Loc: West Central Missouri
|
Mike W., Are you taking the surface temps at the very surface (within a few inches?)?
_________________________
Fish on!, Noel 
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#491768 - 06/13/18 11:03 AM
Re: Fish gasping for air
[Re: Mike4634]
|
Registered: 11/20/11
Posts: 1990
Loc: East Bloomfield, NY USA
|
Wow, how do you put up with that kind of heat that gets water temps above 90? By June! Sure we deal with 6 months of winter, but that heat and humidity would get old really fast.
My water temp is sitting at a refreshing 71, and pretty much the entire column is the same temperature straight to the bottom thanks to cold nights and wind. The perch love it, and so does the curly-leafed pond weed which is too rambunctious this year as it loves cool water.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
Moderator: Bill Cody, Bruce Condello, catmandoo, Chris Steelman, Dave Davidson1, esshup, ewest, FireIsHot, Omaha, Sunil, teehjaeh57
|
|