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All of the Fish in the pond Appear to Have Died Overnight! What the?

I live in a subdivision and my house backs up to 1 of 2 ponds: One pond is located on the left side of the street and the other is on the right. When I went outside this morning to feed the ducks, I noticed over 100 Buzzards out by the lake on the Left.

Worried, I ran out to the water to find over 120 dead fish floating on the top of the lake or washed up on the banks. They were mostly Bass, but there was also Perch (sunfish) and Catfish. Even our single 10lb carp was floating dead along the shore.

The lake on the right is just fine. Strange because the water runs from the left lake to the right lake.

I called the maintenance person who has been with the subdivision since it was first developed over 14 years ago. He couldn't believe his eyes either!

If it was poison, you would think the ducks or turtles would also be dead. If it was lack of oxygen, you would think more would continue to die and surface in a slower process. Am I right?

We had a horrible lightning storm 24-36hours ago, (from this morning) and all I can think of is that lightning must have struck the pond...but that doesn't seem very likely does it? And would it cause that result?

I called the police dept, who said it wasn't their problem. I called the health dept, the sheriff's office and the Dept. of wildlife and fisheries...all closed until tomorrow.

Anyone had this happen? Suggestions?

The pond is approximately 1 acre...with over 120 dead fish, do you think whatever happened killed them all?

Posted by Raylene Lewis on 08/17/2008 11:08 PM

Comments (45)

dead fish in pond, unexplained event, what killed the fish in the subdivision pond

45 Comments on All of the Fish in the pond Appear to Have Died Overnight! What the?

AUG

2008

they drank the kool-aid, I am not sure, it could have been a lightening strike or just a bad in the pond

Dave

Raylene, how unusual...and potentially smelly if the birds don't eat the fish ASAP. The rain might have washed some fertilizer, weed killer, or other poison into your side. The fish can't get out of the water like the ducks and turtles can. Maybe/hopefully, it was diluted enough by the time it flows to the other side, that it won't affect the fish on that side. Is your side the smaller of the two? I wonder if the rain caused too fast a change in the temperature of the water? Let us know what you find out? (If you haven't figured out...I'm just as shocked as you.) I am glad to hear that the ducks are alright.

Sondra - You are right about the smell! The maintenance guy had a crew come and clean it up but P-U before he did! Maybe it was fertilizer, but gosh, it would seem like it would have had to take a lot. Yes. This pond is the smaller of the two!

Another thought I had is we didn't see any dead feeder fish...course, with the ducks around mabe there wern't any.

I'll let you know what I find out. I\'m a bit nervous because there are a lot of children in the neighborhood that come to fish and feed the ducks...

Raylene- 1. you are lucky the losses are only in the hundreds...

2. Odds are actually good it could of been lightning, as I have heard of it a few times, and been told that is what possibly happened to my pond just a couple months ago.... Anyone with knowledge of man made fish ponds and how 1000+ fish could die over night please help

3. Due to there only being a few hundred fish and you said it is about an acre pond, connected to another pond I don't think it is this but here is another possibility I have heard for my pond.... The ecological system of the pond could not support all the fish in it so it caused a massive die off to balance everything back out.

AUG

2008

Raylene - this is definitely interesting. Please post a follow-up to let us know what happened. I tend to think that Chris is correct, but I'm not sure how the second pond wasn't affected.

Erik- The second pond could have been left unaffected even by a lightning strike because lighting's electricity is more contained that your general electricity....

Think about it this way, say your outside and it is raining, and lightning hits the ground say 1,000 feet away (and no you don't have your darn rubber boots on lol) and the entire ground is covered in water as it has been raining for hours.... You wouldn't get electrocuted from that lightning bolt as the electricity doesn't travel that far... I know I am not good at explaining things so if you need me to try to explain it different just let me know I'll try to explain it better if possible lol.

Remember this also happened after a couple rains after an extremely dry summer. Maybe there was a massive runoff into the small pond?

Chris - Wow! I guess you are right about being lucky. It sure is an unsettling and gross sight though. It sounds like whatever happened to your pond happened to mine. We did loose about 5 catfish though. (I know what you mean about not posting the photos, I too decided the photos were too graphic.)

I had someone tell me that they saw a lot of algae at the top of the pond and they thought that meant the pond had "Turned Over." I think that is the same as the ecological die off you were talking about.

I called the local news station and asked about lightning strikes in the area because I know there was heavy lightning and they monitor that type of thing...left a message, so I doubt I'll get a call back.

I guess this will remain a mystery...but hope it doesn't happen again for a long time! Fish are expensive!

Susan - We thought about a massive run off as it has been so dry, but then you would have thought 1) Both Ponds would have been effected, 2) Some tturtles would have died too. I'm pretty sure this was not fertilizer or poison.

I haven't the foggiest idea - but I'm curious and I'm hoping you'll post what you find out in this comment thread - therefore I am parking and waiting ...

Here is an email I just got -

I spoke with Jeff Henson with the Texas Parks & Wildlife - Inland Fisheries Department, and he said that this is a common problem (especially this year as dry as it has been). Since no ducks, turtles, or snakes have died, it is not a health or poison problem. It is from a lack of oxygen. Since the pond has been low and there is no vegetation, our pond would be an excellent candidate for this. The fountain would help keep the pond aerated. It takes a while for the oxygen level to be depleted, but once it hits a certain level it can kill the fish overnight.

I explained to him that A LOT of families with children and pets frequent the area, and I wanted to make sure that this was not a health/poison problem. He assured me that there was nothing to worry about. I asked if we should take a water sample just to be on the safe side, and again he re-assured me that this is a common problem this year as dry as it has been. He said the most important thing we can do is get the fountain going and leave it running.

Guess the mystery is officially solved.

Raylene, thanks for letting us know what you found out. I wonder if you should maybe forward this to the City of College Station parks department. I think that on Haines St., Gabbard Park's fountain is broken. (or at least last few times I drove by, it wasn't on.) It might serve as a reminder that the fountain's do serve a useful purpose.

I'm glad that "your" ducks, turtles and all the kids should all be safe.

LOL! Thanks Sondra! I know the ducks aren't "mine" but I did raise 14 of them from ducklings, and they have a place in my heart! LOL! I get so mad when people drive too fast and hit one. We lost 12 ducks and 2 geese to cars over spring break.

Wow, that is crazy Raylene. I do not have any good guesses, except to assume it was the lightening. Please be sure to post an update if/when you find out.

Raylene- You mentioned there was alot of algea on top of the pond, was this before or after the fish died??

Also I didn't do a final update on that post I showed you before, but I ended up losing several Catfish as well... but they are pretty much the only thing alive anymore, and there are more baby cats than I have ever seen before (schools of seriously hundreds, if not thousands all over the place.... atleast my algea is gone though lol) :-\

Fish are definitly expensive, thankfully my pond was naturally stocked by the ducks (I scare the geese off because they are mean, and can even kill a dog), that come into the pond :-D

Lastly, send me a picture of the two ponds if you can please because I do not think the lack of oxygen is accurate (seems like if the two ponds are connected if this was the case both would have the same problem, so I want to see how they are connected if possible... and don't worry about the pictures being to gruesome, I am sure it is nothing compared to how bad mine was if there was only a few hundred lol)

Chris - I think the algae appeared AFTER the fish died. I'll send you a photo as soon as I can. We cleaned up all the dead fish, so the photos will be just of the 2 ponds. It is pouring rain again now, so I can't go out to take a pic without getting totally soaked!

I only have one goose left. She is friendly, because we hand raised her. ;) Reminds me of a story if you have a sec: My (now deceased) dog Tigger used to love to chase birds. She once got a hold of a duck and pulled out feathers etc. infuriating me! To cure her of this fetish, I stuck the 5lb pet in front of a goose nest at the city park. She was excited to get the opportunity to eat goose, until the big black bird jumped on her and was all over her. We picked her up before any serious damage was done, but that cured her interest in water foul. LOL :D

maybe oxygen is enriched into the water "like a fountain" with the runoff from small pond to big. I've seen lightning strike a pond but no dead fish the next day. I would think that the lightning would find ground pretty quivck without needing the fish's conductivity. I like the lack of oxygen theory.

Raylene, I've come to discover that you are such an animal lover. That is outrageous that many birds got killed by cars over spring break. And, by the way, I still consider them (the live ones) your ducks. You love them, look out for them, and worry about them.

AUG

2008

Raylene- That's fine, whenever you get a chance to take the pics is ok with me :-D

Hercules my old pit used to chase the geese, but he wanted to play with them not eat them lol. Luckily he was big enough they would run away... I say luckily because he probably would not have even defended himself unless they were really really hurting him, since I trained him you don't bite anything for pretty much any reason.

Here are a few of the photos

Raylene- Do they connect under the road/ bridge in the middle pic on the bottom?? Also was the fountain in there working when the fish died, or has that recently been added? Last question for now atleast... Has the pond ever been chemically treated for algea or anything?

Ok, so I lied... I just got done looking at the update w/ the ducks, and noticed the fountain recently broke... about how long ago did it break/ stop working?? Does anyone know about how deep the pond is?? Lastly... Where the fish dead throughout the entire pond... ie. were there dead fish completely around the shore, not just at one end or side?

Chris - yes...kind of. The water runs from the overfill under the bridge/road to the lower tank. The fountain was not working when the fish died. I would say it had easily been broken for about a week. No Chemical treatments have been done.

We think the pond is only 8 feet at the deepest...we checked it recently and are pretty sure this is correct.

Your last question is a GREAT one! I had not thought of it until now. Most of the fish were dead at one end of the pond--say 70. another 20 on either side and maybe 2 or 3 across the front. I originally thought they must have floated to one side, but that doesn't really make since if the overflow was on the opposite side...does it?

Raylene- Ok.... I highly doubt that it was a lack of oxygen from your answers and am highly leaning towards lightnig striking the pond and killing the fish.

1. There is a flow in the ponds with the overflow that flows into the 2nd pond.... a flow will circulate the water which provides oxygen in the water. It doesn't matter if there is a flow to the pond or away from it, there is a flow/ current (regardless of how weak of a flow it may be it still circulates the water)

2. The fountain was not broken long enough to create a big enough drop in oxygen levels to do much if any damage especially due to the size of the pond.... my pond has never had a fountain, and has no flow to it whatsoever... its been here for atleast 8-10 years from what the neighbors have told me with no problem in the last 6 we have been here until this summer.

3. For the size of the pond it could easily support the amount of fish in it/ that died with ease for quite some time without the extra oxygen of a fountain. My pond is quite small compared to this one, and I lost well over a thousand fish overnight.

4. We both had lightning storms, and then a big die off... coincidence maybe, kind of doubt it though lol... also your algea problem looks just like mine and within a few days my pond was completely cleared up (and I had tons of algea/ seaweed in my pond).

The one and only thing that has me considering the lack of oxygen really is that there was a higher concentration in one area (which could have been caused by the storms and wind pushing them more to certain areas) and they were all to the shore (or where there "floaters" in the middle and actually in the water still?) which means they could have possibly been running out of air and swam to the top and shallower waters for air, and being that some of these fish are "school" fish they would tend to swim in groups leading to the higher #s in certain areas :-\

NOV

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