Stress can cause a lot of problems in people but did you know that fishes become stressed too? You will know more about this if you have a pond in your garden or backyard. In fact, a lot of fish pond owners are alarmed if their fishes die unexpectedly. One effective way for the proper care of your fish pond is to maintain the oxygen level in the right amount.
Fishes get stressed if there isn’t enough oxygen in the water. This is an environmental stressor that causes frequent fish deaths in ponds. So what causes the diminished supply of oxygen for the fishes? Firstly, you have to give attention to the growth of algae in the pond. Blooming algae is a major factor in oxygen loss. During the daytime, these algae produce oxygen but at night time, it will consume oxygen. If there is a large number of blooming algae in the pond, all the oxygen content of the pond is consumed leaving the fishes to die very soon.
An alga blooming is not just the problem; its sudden death can also deplete the oxygen supply of the pond. Remember awhile ago, it was mentioned that alga produces oxygen. The sudden death of algae can also deplete the production of oxygen in the pond. Decomposing algae consumes oxygen. You can notice this if the fishes are always gulping at the surface for oxygen every 6 minutes at the start of algae death.
If you have many fishes in the pond, you have to give enough attention to their oxygen supply. Environmental imbalance can also cause death like warm water temperatures. If you don’t want the fishes to be in a critical state, you have to properly care for them. The warm temperature of the water also decreases its capacity to hold or retain oxygen. If you want, you can also use water-aerating devices like waterfalls and small fountains however, this is not sufficient. When the temperature reaches 80 degrees Fahrenheit, you have to introduce brisk aeration for additional oxygen.
Not all fish pond owners have oxygen testing devices and if you don’t have one at home, you should make sure that you provide continual aeration. Observe the growth of algae and water temperature. If you think that additional or supplemental aeration is required, don’t hesitate to do it day or night.
At present, there are studies being conducted on harmful and toxic algae. Make sure that your pond does not host these toxic algae otherwise all your fishes will all die. This type of algae is hard to identify and so you must always keep a close watch over your pond. This is needed to efficiently maintain the pond’s healthy environment. If you want, you can gather more information about these harmful algae online. If you have the right knowledge, you can take good care of you fishes.
In order to increase the lifespan of your fishes, always check for the oxygen levels of your pond. Taking care of the fishes is hard work and it demands some of your precious time but the rewards are priceless. Seeing the fishes grow and the pond flourishing with life is enough to make owners of the ponds very happy and contented. Don’t forget about this very important factor oxygen. Don’t allow your fishes to become stressed due to insufficient supply of oxygen.