FW Fish Catastrophe

[99sf]

My friend got excited about creating a tiny pond on his balcony. He bought a new, large earthenware pot that was sealed on the inside by a glossy paint. He rinsed out the pot with the hose. He bought de-chlorinator at the fish store, along with about 6 goldfish (he originally planned to establish the system, but got excited and bought the fish first).

He got home, set up the dechlorinated water inside the pot, and added the fish. Within minutes, the fish looked bad. Within an hour, they were all dead. Although I told him he needed a powerhead or a bubbler, he didn't originally install one. What was the cause of the fish massacre? Theories:

1) There was some toxin leaching out of the pot
2) There was not enough oxygen in the water
3) The nitrogen cycle went crazy with this number of fish and no nitrifying bacteria
4) The temperature change was too much for the fish (although my friend went straight from the LFS to the house in a car with AC... setting up the pot might have exposed the bagged fish to the warm temp on Sat.

Would love to hear your thoughts.

[deeboi]

it could've been that they were goldfish (not very hardy, like bettas), or it could've been the flower pot wasn't suitable for the fish he put in there.

[BigAir]

During the dechlorination process, oxygen levels will plummet in the water to near zero. and return very slowly w/ out an air stone.

[SoCalBoo]

Funny that 'bigair' brought up lack of 'oxygen.'

Either lack of oxygen or toxins. Both can act that quickly. If it was oxygen, the toxins probably wouldn't have gotten them down the road.

[smirkis]

you had no biological filtration. zero. it was a 100% new setup, new water, new everything.

tell your friend to slow down. goldfish die in healthy water too tho lol. get the water circulating and get a filter or something on there. gravity fed style pond filter or something. in a week or 2 add some other fish, maybe some cheapie koi

[bpro32]

you had no biological filtration. zero. it was a 100% new setup, new water, new everything.

tell your friend to slow down. goldfish die in healthy water too tho lol. get the water circulating and get a filter or something on there. gravity fed style pond filter or something. in a week or 2 add some other fish, maybe some cheapie koi

This wouldn't cause them all to die in an hour

[bpro32]

I have to add, filters, powerheads, and bubblers are great, but I've seen a small pond that doesn't have them with fish that have been alive for 2+ years. It is absolutely not recommended and chances are this pond is a freak of nature, but its working.

Another caveat to the story... It took them 3 tries before they actually had any of the goldfish live. And the pond almost never changes. When the water evaporates they take the hose and refill (yes, tap water) but besides that it is just lillies and stale green water..

[deeboi]

i've seen those, with HUGE koi, like the ones in duece bigalows

I have to add, filters, powerheads, and bubblers are great, but I've seen a small pond that doesn't have them with fish that have been alive for 2+ years. It is absolutely not recommended and chances are this pond is a freak of nature, but its working.

Another caveat to the story... It took them 3 tries before they actually had any of the goldfish live. And the pond almost never changes. When the water evaporates they take the hose and refill (yes, tap water) but besides that it is just lillies and stale green water..

[99sf]

Thanks for the thoughts. Sounds like the top theories so far are toxins or lack of oxygen.

[iwantone]

He probably cleaned the pot out with a "cleaner" like windex or amonia.

[99sf]

He didn't use any cleaners when hosing the pot, but someone during the pot glazing process or shipping process might have exposed the pot to some toxins.

[Bananahands]

There's no way it was lack of oxygen. the water would have been aerated from the initial fill-up (surface movement=gas exchange). It would have taken days for all of the oxygen to be used up.

[bpro32]

There's no way it was lack of oxygen. the water would have been aerated from the initial fill-up (surface movement=gas exchange). It would have taken days for all of the oxygen to be used up.

During the dechlorination process, oxygen levels will plummet in the water to near zero. and return very slowly w/ out an air stone.

boom.

[Bananahands]

boom.

Touche!

[Diver Dan]

Tell him (your friend right...) to go slower.

We have a ceramic pot, probably 40 gallons, with no filtration and top it off with hose water. Mosquito fish and some water hyacinths and other plants grow in it no problem. The key is to let all the beneficial bacteria from introduced plants start to grow. The "dirtier" (it will start looking pretty nasty) the thing gets with microscopic organisms the healthier it gets.

We have a couple biological ponds at school that have been run the same way for 8 years. Just try not to fall in after it builds up the organisms; I've learned the hard way a couple times...