June 7th 5:56am

But I can’t do anything with them!

They’re still at it this morning. And I have to go to work.

I think they’ll all be gone by the time I get home.

Dawn

3:51pm

I never knew there would be SO many….

The brushes are littered with them, they are all up the sides of the QT vat, and all over the pumps, litterlly thousands, amazing.

Put the brushes in our big blue bowl for now with an air stone. Not sure what to do with them all in the Vat, because if we leave the fish in there, they’ll just get eaten and OH I DON’T KNOW what to do for the best…..

The water does smellll though, so doing a water change now. Prob lose a million eggs then…. Maybe we’ll get a few to survive… Just won’t know what to feed them when they do hatch 

Don’t know how to feel at the mo, wiped out ! First day back in work wasn’t a happy one.

Speak to you laters.

Paul gone for the machalite green and for some Eco pure for the main pond its a mucky brown today, awful colour. Need to get that wired back up asap I think

Dawn

Wed 8th June 5:58am

Heya

Decided to dose the Qt vat today with Machalite as well as the eggs in the bowl. Just a half dose for now, will help the parents as well as if the eggs hatch. But I think they’ll defo get eaten then.

Not too happy about the mucky brown of the main pond. Dosed with Eco Pure today to see if that helps. I don’t think its blanket weed, just seems to be brown sludge on the sides.  Hope it clears soon, can’t see any of the fish in it.

Temp in the qt is still 21, and its 17.6 in the house bowl 

Off out scuba diving tonight, will have to catch you all later.

Dawn

June 9th 4:18pm

So eggs white or clear!

I have no idea what this means, are some fertile and the others aren’t? I just don’t know, but they are the same in the qt and in the bowl. What the heck am I going to do in a 30 gallon bowl if hundreds of fry hatch….. I have to get the parents out the qt NOW!!!! moving one today. Even though the main pond is yuky brown. I don’t care

To be honest, I’m really shocked at the tiny fish that my mum shiro is. WOW was she so full of eggs…. she was huge, not she is skinny! weird.

Will chat to you all later, just wanted to keep you posted.

Oh done a small water change today, 1 bucket full…. for fresh. Got to help.

Dawn

Fri 10th June 5:27

So eggs white or clear!

I have no idea what this means, are some fertile and the others aren’t? I just don’t know, but they are the same in the qt and in the bowl. What the heck am I going to do in a 30 gallon bowl if hundreds of fry hatch….. I have to get the parents out the qt NOW!!!! moving one today. Even though the main pond is yuky brown. I don’t care

To be honest, I’m really shocked at the tiny fish that my mum shiro is. WOW was she so full of eggs…. she was huge, not she is skinny! weird.

Will chat to you all later, just wanted to keep you posted.

Oh done a small water change today, 1 bucket full…. for fresh. Got to help.

Dawn

Sat June 11th 7:54pm

No, couldn’t move the parents today. Did water testing this morning and ph of pond was 9 qt tank is 7.5. Did a major water change on main pond but it didn’t alter the ph at all. We had these issues the first month we set up our pond and couldn’t work out what was going on with it, the water is murky brown everything in it is dead.  nothing alive is in there. Put in extra bacteria last week, put some more in today, and have some for next week.

What I decided to do instead of pumping dead water with loads of floating bits into the qt was to buy some ph increaser and up the level today and tomorrow morning, maybe even a little more tomorrow night if I have to.

Tested ph after adding the stuff and it was 8, so will increase a little more tomorrow, then do a water change and add eggs in tomorrow night. Paul doesn’t want to he wants to keep them in the house where it is warm, but I don’t think once they hatch I’ll be able to keep them, not enough water. So I’ve got to move them. Might even add in a little vat water to the bowl in the morning.

Managed to track down some ‘live food’ after visiting every pet shop around locally. Put them outside in a murky tub of water, who knows if I’ll have enough. But there was also some other alternatives.

Been to Holmeswood Koi today to see their babies, wow in 10 days they are massive. Kohaku and Showa, and you can really see the colours coming through, also the deformities. Amazing. I really have everything crossed for some to hatch.  Mr M would be welcome to some    

Also took a good look at big boy today. You would not believe the difference in him in 5 weeks. Where as his markings were black now he is almost white. Lovely colour, still a little pink… but that has really gone down even with adding in Machalite green and today the ph up moved .5

Babies in the bowl have BIG eyes now… so cute. I really want some to hatch… I do….

Fingers crossed…. and thanks for all the support, couldn’t do it without you guys. x x x

Dawn

Sun 6:32 pm

Big Boy, mummy and my ghosty went back in the main pond today. Not very happy about the ph level, don’t know why it is so high. 9…. and with a slight nitrite spike. Even bought a bottle of ph decreaser, for £17 put the whole bottle in and it didn’t do much… Got the ph of the qt up to almost the same colour, so there shouldn’t have been too much of a shock. But you could feel the difference of the water, kinda slimy.

I did a massive water change today as well, but it was still high, think it will take a while to settle back down again. We had all this with the pond the first time. 

Anyway, going to water change the qt tomorrow, get the ph level down again, and then hopefully when the fry hatch I can put them in there, they’ll have to get on with the water temp changes between night and day.

Will report on the progress anyway.

Weather is really crap, rain and cold. 

D