Dead fish

[danl]

I was checking on the cows tonight and noticed a terrible smell, I walked down to the pond and it looks like all of my catfish and thousands of perch are dead. I only saw one live little perch, and it didn't look too good

This is about a 3 1/2 acre pond and is around twelve feet deep at the deepest part. The cows can't get in it, but they water where it backs up under a fence. I have a waterer buried in the levee but they prefer the back up water.


I let the cows in another pasture so they won't have to drink out of it.
I have a little pond in that field and I didn't see any dead fish in it.
You all think it could be turnover this early in the year?
I didn't see algae.
It has been extremely hot for a week, close to a 100 every day.
I spot sprayed a few gallons of Grazon pd and Remedy a couple of week ago, but stayed away from the pond.

I got a sample of water I guess I will take some where to get tested.
Any ideas? I hate losing the fish, but am more worried about the cows.
I can't totally keep them out of this field, but they will probably stay in the other field. I just wasn't ready to start them grazing on it yet.

 

[kenny thomas]

If it has been as hot there as it has been here I would tink turnover.
Sorry I re-read the post and looks like you have been hot.

 

[dun]

Yup, turnover. If it's in a sheltered area and doesn;t get any wind acrossed it the oxygen can get depleted pretty quickly with the heat and stratification.

 

[tripleBfarms]

Sounds like Oxygen depletion to me too. A pump and waterfall/ fountain, or a windmill will continually put oxygen in the water.

 

[lavacarancher]

Be my guess too, Oxygen depletion. Need to put something in the pond to help turn it over, like an aerator of some sort.

 

[danl]

I hope the possums, coons, buzzards and other critters go to work quickly, or I'm gonna be gagging every time I feed the cows.

There is no way for me to aerorate the pond, so it just won't get restocked. I had some pretty nice catfish in there.

What surprises me, is the number of little perch that died, I thought they would survive oxygen depletion pretty well.

 

[highgrit]

Aerating your pond is not a big deal if you can get a tractor to it. Put your roatary mower on the tractor and chop the water, it takes about twice the hp. to cut water than grass. In 1 hour it will put enough oxygen in the water to last close to a week.

 

[TexasBred]

Dead catfish yet a few perch still alive doesn't sound right. Strange..........

 

[alisonb]

I spot sprayed a few gallons of Grazon pd and Remedy a couple of week ago, but stayed away from the pond.

Could there be a possibility of spray drift, runoff or leaching?

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Dead catfish yet a few perch still alive doesn't sound right. Strange..........

reckon because the catfish are bottom feeders????

 

[TexasBred]

Dead catfish yet a few perch still alive doesn't sound right. Strange..........

reckon because the catfish are bottom feeders????

I don't know but catfish can live a lot longer in water with little oxygen than a perch can. Figured all the perch would be the first to die. My brother in law put a stringer of mud cats under the seat of my jeep one time and they were still alive the next morning. Guess they can get o2 out of the air as well. ;-)

 

[danl]

I called the state and talked to a agent, he said he would bet his paycheck on oxygen stratification, due to the heat.
He said in 20 years on the job he had only seen one chemical kill and the fish had jumped out of the water.
He said channel cat were wimpy and would go first.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p82ufI9L ... =windmills id look into one of these