Merry Christmas, everybody. Wow, Christmas is this coming Saturday already. Can you believe that? Where has the year gone? Only have to stop and buy some bird feed for a gift and all my shopping is done. The weather was only in the teens all weekend and we probably had 6 inches of snow on the ground. Harry called me earlier to say we were getting another 4 inches or more today. I was out digging in the snow Saturday, resetting GFIs. The snow was getting into some of my plugs and blowing them out. When I go outside, if I listen carefully I can hear the excess air from my aerator hissing, so I know the pond is still getting air. I only have 1 of the 4 aerated drains going during the winter months, so I have to unhook one of the hoses inside the pump house to let the excess air escape to prevent back pressure on the aerator. Harry had previously dug out the floating inner-tube we use to keep a hole open with. He also shoveled a little snow off the safer end of the pond. There was 3 inches of snow covering the area where the aerator is and no open hole, so I got a rake and standing safely on ground, I reached out and raked some of the snow back. Under it, the ice was wet and all I had to do was change ends and I could easily poke a hole with the rake handle to open it back up. If it warms up a few more degrees (at least into the 30's) we'll actually do a partial water change. This will give the fish some fresh water, plus recharge the Kh value in the water. Last year the fish hung out all winter right under the light of the floating inner tube. This year they must be on the very bottom, next to the filter house.
Inside, the fish are doing alright. I lost a 4th fish last week. Only thing I could see on it was some mouth rot. Others still have sores, but one fish has finally healed, while others are staying about the same. I actually went on line and bought 2 water bed heaters on ebay this past week. I think part of my problems were that my water is just not warm enough to promote healing. Because of my drip through filtration, the water stays about 68 degrees, where as I'd like it to be between 75 and 80. So over the weekend Harry and I lowered the water level and installed the 2 water bed heaters behind the liner. Now, hopefully I can finally get the water warmer. The problem with the sores not healing is the fish will eventually loose enough blood, through the open sore that it will become anemic and/or just not be able to maintain its metabolism. They start to take on water through this open sore too. Just a lot of extra stress on the fish. If you think about how a fishes tissue flakes apart when you eat it, it becomes obvious how easy it is for pathogens to enter into a fish. Its muscle tissue is in layers not bundles like humans. So, despite the fish loss, I'm optimistic that things will get better in the pond. Got my fingers crossed.
I got to thinking that I'm always writing about fish loss instead of all the positive things that are happening in the ponds. I do this so that hopefully you'll learn from mine and others problems. There are a ton of things I'm thankful for, and this whole fish thing is just a hobby after all. I'm learning still. Seems I have more problems that most, so am thinking about sending my well water away for thorough testing. Just to see if I have some hidden silent killer, like too much copper or zinc or some other heavy metal. Just one more avenue to learn every aspect of what exactly I'm putting into my pond.
Anyway, I hope you all have a very merry Christmas and happy New Year. May your fishy friends survive the Winter to see another Spring and most importantly your friends and family be safe. Talk at you after Christmas. Jackie
No comments:
Post a Comment