Left hose running :'(

[Holldoll]

My DH went out to fill up the pond this morning and then we left and were gone all day and he never shut it off.  We came home 10 hours later and the pond is overflowing and the fish are all gasping for air on their sides.  I'm absolutely sick. 

We dumped in a full bottle of dechlorinator and DH went and got stuff for the slime coat and put in a full bottle of it.  I think we'll have maybe 2 out of the 20 survive.  I'm so sick!

[Esther]

Oh Holly, I'm so sorry. Maybe they'll come through seeing you had some meds to add to the water.

[Jerry]

It is devastating, but we all do it sooner or later.  I have float valve now, but it can happen.
So darn sad. We feel your pain.

[Holldoll]

The biggest one is swimming around ok along with another black koi.  There are 2 goldfish that look like they might be ok.  I think the other big one is gone, as is Tammy Faye (named after tammy faye baker for her flashy lips, eye shadow, and skirt on her tails - I had raised her from eggs from Kat).  I had probably 15 goldfish from Kat that I had raised and were turning into very pretty fish but I think we'll only have one make it.  I'm so sad! DH is really beating himself up.  He's looking for a timer shut off now.    :'(

[Kat]

So sorry to hear about your babies  :'(

I will clip a bunch of clothes pins to my shirt at my chest right where they will annoy me to remind me to turn off water.  Will also set a couple timers as back up. 

[Holldoll]

Definitely do it!! It's horrible!

[reddad35]

Jerry can you show us your float shut off.

[reddad35]

Holldoll, so sorry to hear of your loss. I wake up on random nights at different hours and walk outside wondering if I had done the same. I feel your pain. I hope others can help us learn how to make sure the water is off. Clothes pins to shutoffs.

[2vetts]

i remember someone else did that last year .

[Indiana Karen]

So sorry.  I use to drive myself nuts worrying about that happening.  We now have a stock tank float.  You can buy them at any farm supply store.

[reddad35]

sweet   Thanks Karen.

[tranquility]

Sooo sorry to hear that....Keep a bag of Solar salt(purchase at any lowes,Home depot or tractor supply) on hand ....if this ever happens again--add 1-2lbs. per 100 gallons that will help alot....I did that once and all I had on hand was salt--I didn't end up loosing a single fish....
Lawanna

[Holldoll]

Thanks for the tip on the salt. I will definitely go get some! We always have on hand dechlor so the 1.5 bottles helped I think.

I ended up pulling out 8 fish - 4 koi and 4 goldfish.  The koi were all over 8" one was about 12".  Today when I went out to feed the fish one more goldfish showed up that I thought was gone.  We are left with 2 koi (one 12" one 5") a butterfly goldfish (I don't know if that's really the name of it) and 3 of the fish I raised from eggs from Kat. 

[tweetybaby2005]

So sorry to hear of this tragedy.   :'(  I don't dare to go any where when I turn on the water to top off the pond for fear I'll forget.  I may want to invest in one of the stock tank float valves so I don't accidentally kill all the fish.  It happens to the best of us.  Hopefully the rest of your fish will survive and thrive again.

Kuan

[Julles]

So sorry to hear that, Holldoll.  It hurts to loose any fish, but to loose so many, by something you "should have" known better, that is really painful.

Here is what came around the Houston Pond Society e-group Friday, two days before this guy was going to be on the annual Pond Tour:

I left my water on this morning, and killed most of my fish.  Do you know if anyone has any needing a resuce?  By Sunday, maybe?  ;-)
Thanks,
J.

[perplexed ponder]

Sorry for your losses, but so glad you had some survive!

[Holldoll]

Thanks everyone!

We've had 3 more little goldfish show up since.  I think we ended up with 9 living and 8 dead.  We got some new koi stocked this weekend.  It makes the pond feel much more alive again!

[skarol98]

I cleand my litle pond from the front of my house on sunday (because my nice and nephew were coming) and whn the kids try to go feed them, they could find the fish(jst 2 goldies were leaving there is a very small pond) I guess they decide to jump out and kill theirself, sad think my oldes nephew(10yrmold) was tge one who found them today, because of the smell, till this point I thought a cat or a bird took them! Bad bad