Have you ever experienced an unexpected fish kill?

Maybe it was just a few fish here and there, or maybe it was a lot of fish quickly. Either way, it’s not fun to find out any amount of fish have died. Fish kills can happen for a number of reasons. They can be natural causes or unnatural causes. They can die from

• old age
• body injury
• stress
• water pollution
• parasites
• severe weather
• starvation
• predation
• suffocation
• diseases
• toxic algae
• invasive plant species
• low dissolved oxygen
• or for many other reasons

Why do fish kills happen?

Oxygen Depletion

A low dissolved oxygen (D.O.) level is the most common cause of a fish kill. A tiny amount of oxygen is needed for wildlife and some aquatic flora to survive. One factor of low oxygen is the water temperature.

Have you noticed that when it gets hot and muggy outside it becomes more difficult to breathe? Well, a higher temperature will lead to less oxygen in the water. Obviously, when there is no oxygen, survival can’t happen. Another factor is plants.

Regardless of water temperature, fish also compete with plants for oxygen, sunlight, and other natural resources. Invasive plants and excess algae, caused by nitrogen and phosphorus, can lead to oxygen depletion.

The most common, however, is humans.  Often large amounts of grass clippings rotting in the pond or an over treatment of aquatic herbicides can rob the water of oxygen creating a quick fish kill.  Running trash pumps and diffusing the water into a spray-like pattern often is the only hope if it’s caught early enough.

Pollution

Wastewater treatment discharges and runoff can cause phosphorus levels in bodies of freshwater to indirectly cause fish kills by causing more algae growth.

A few chemicals that can pollute ponds and lakes are herbicides, ammonia, cyanide, pesticides, aluminum compound, and chlorine.  With more and more HOA’s adding fish to their stormwater ponds this becomes a present threat with every rainfall.

Diseases & Parasites

Naturally, fish are vulnerable to diseases and parasites. Typically, these are not contagious; however, infections can spread pretty quickly when fish are farmed or overstocked. http://lakeandwetland.com/lake-pond-fish-how-why-they-die/

You can help avoid fish kill from oxygen pollution by adding an aerator to help keep an oxygen rich pond. Avoid the hassle and worries by having a pond management company maintain your pond or lake regularly.

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