Pond is like pea soup

[TheFishGuy]

your pond isnt overstocked, so that is a great thing! The nitrates are a bit high in the pond, so consider adding some plants, a bog, or just doing a partial water change. Those nitrates are most likely why you have the pea soup going on. The other thing that concerns me is ammonia, any amount of ammonia is pretty toxic for fish, however a small amount of ammonia buildup in the spring is normal as the bacteria haven't had a chance to recolonize. point being, just keep an eye on the ammonia and make sure it goes down over time!

what amount of ammonia hurts the fish? I've never actually checked my water because the fish always look fine.

really any amount of ammonia will hurt fish ( ammonia burn ) over time.

[solaria5505]

@darkmuse I have about 30 goldfish in a 2400 gal pond now and have had it going for over 15 yrs. Just had too many fish from them breeding too much and finally think the filters couldn't keep up w/the mess they made. At the time I lost those fish there must have been 75 to 100 fish in there. Now I will keep the numbers down even if I have to give some away now and then.

are there any pics of your fish? Is a shubbie a fish? What kind? 100 fish! Wow I bet that was a fun thing watching them!

[darkmuse]

your pond isnt overstocked, so that is a great thing! The nitrates are a bit high in the pond, so consider adding some plants, a bog, or just doing a partial water change. Those nitrates are most likely why you have the pea soup going on. The other thing that concerns me is ammonia, any amount of ammonia is pretty toxic for fish, however a small amount of ammonia buildup in the spring is normal as the bacteria haven't had a chance to recolonize. point being, just keep an eye on the ammonia and make sure it goes down over time!

what amount of ammonia hurts the fish? I've never actually checked my water because the fish always look fine.

really any amount of ammonia will hurt fish ( ammonia burn ) over time.

Thanks. I think I'll get a test kit and check the water out.

[j.w]

@darkmuse I have about 30 goldfish in a 2400 gal pond now and have had it going for over 15 yrs. Just had too many fish from them breeding too much and finally think the filters couldn't keep up w/the mess they made. At the time I lost those fish there must have been 75 to 100 fish in there. Now I will keep the numbers down even if I have to give some away now and then.

are there any pics of your fish? Is a shubbie a fish? What kind? 100 fish! Wow I bet that was a fun thing watching them!

I have mostly orange fish and a few white ones. Had 6 Shubbies but only one left due to the die offs.
Was fun having them all but a big mistake keeping them all in there. Should have given a lot away.

Here is a photo of when I had way too many:

[solaria5505]

@darkmuse I have about 30 goldfish in a 2400 gal pond now and have had it going for over 15 yrs. Just had too many fish from them breeding too much and finally think the filters couldn't keep up w/the mess they made. At the time I lost those fish there must have been 75 to 100 fish in there. Now I will keep the numbers down even if I have to give some away now and then.

are there any pics of your fish? Is a shubbie a fish? What kind? 100 fish! Wow I bet that was a fun thing watching them!

I have mostly orange fish and a few white ones. Had 6 Shubbies but only one left due to the die offs.
Was fun having them all but a big mistake keeping them all in there. Should have given a lot away.

Here is a photo of when I had way too many:

that looks liek a sea of orange! Thank you for hte pictures.

[poconojoe]

Keep in mind that in the Spring, things can seem a bit off. You can get murky green water because the beneficial bacteria and plants have not woken up from winter just yet. I believe the water temperature needs to be about 55 degrees F for the bacteria to "wake up".
Springtime is the time for patience. In fact you need patience for any aspect of ponding. Nothing happens overnight...ever.
As long as your filtration is adequate, you have lots of plants and your not too overpopulated with fish, it should clear up.