Well pond has been running for a couple weeks. I treated water with a chloramine water treatment. I added bacteria and did a fishless cycle for 10 days. I added 2 dozen fatheads to test it out. I checked water everyday for pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate have tested zero every time. I was going to add more fish in a bit to build up the bacteria but I have had about 18 of the 24 minnows die. The water at my house has a high pH. It is 8.3. Could this be the cause of the fish death? Also, the minnows have been swimming crazy erratic circles on the surface before death and I read this could be pH. The healthy ones have been fed every day with goldfish flakes. Any suggestions? I don't have plants yet because we have still been getting frost and just waiting for weather to warm up a bit more.
Are you sure your outdoor tank was actually cycled? Did you see a spike in nitrites and then a drop to zero of both ammonia and nitrites with a subsequent increase in nitrates? What did you use to feed your nitrifying bacteria?
Did you test for ammonia after adding the fish?
If your pond is outside in Indiana I question your pond was warm enough to cycle. And certainly not in 10 days.
If you got your promelus from a bait shop good luck with that. Rarely a biofilter or any mechanical filtration in a bait tank or the foggiest why they would need one. Add to that they aren't fed, have been poorly handled, injured and stressed, and they are a who's who list of parasites and pathogens.
Bait shops just want to get them out the door before they croak. It's nothing for them to scoop out dead ones on a daily basis.
