Question
Hi, I just bought some gold fish at the local pet store. I have a 50 gallon garden pond with some live plants.  I just put the fish in the pond and they seem to have responded well within the first 5-10 minutes.  Now almost all are laying at the bottom and will move with a slight nudge but they appear to be dying.  There is a filter and a fountain for circulation.  I had the water tested at the pet store and they said it was very good water.  What is the cause of the dying fish ( this is our 2nd round at the gold fish).

Thanks,

Cathy from SC

Answer
Hi Cathy,
Thanx for your question.  It may take your goldfish a couple of days to get comfortable with their new surroundings.  There is always an element of shock introducing fish from one environment to another.  If you bought the fish from a pet store, remember, they have been indoors all this time, with artifical light, different water quality, etc.  This is all shocking and strange to an animal that has no capacity to understand what is going on around it other than it needs to eat and breed and perform various biological functions.  When introducing new fish to the pond, make sure that the fish are left in their bag and are not exposed to direct sunlight.  Place the sealed bag in the pond or place the fish with their original water to a container that will float in the pond.  It will take an hour or two for the water temperatures to equalize and then you can introduce the fish.  For the first couple of days, there may not be much activity.  I hope this helps.
Tom