The last of the goldfish

It was a sad day yesterday, I found the last of the goldfish in the aquaponics floating belly up in the IBC tank.

We’re not sure what is causing the problem. None of the local pundits have been able to identify the cause of what liiks like blood under the scales and a thick mucus coat. There is a high level of ammonia and nitrites in the water. That, however, could be caused by the number of fish dying in the water causing a spike in the levels of those indicators. 

The problem only affected the goldfish and our remaining Silver Perch. The Catfish in the big tank and the feeder fish in the raft bed have been unaffected.

It’s sad to have had 14 deaths in 4 days.

Now we need to do a water change and cycle the fresh water for a couple of weeks. Though the water will go on plants in the garden, it is a waste of nutrients and hard working bacteria.