Poison?

[I Like Rare Fish]

Hey,

I have had some fish acting ‘woozy’ outside. I have an uncovered patio pond. A tree called an Ornate Pear Tree drops thousands of petals onto the ground. It also drops leaves. I think it’s poisoning my fish at a high level. Does anyone know anything about this?

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

Bump

 

[itiwhetu]

Some pear trees and other fruit trees can produce toxic substances like cyanide, unsure about your one though.

 

[StevenF]

When the old leaves land in the water the start to rot. That can cause ammonia and nitrite which is toxic to fish. Get a water test kit and test for these. Also do you have fountain or water fall? Water needs to mix with air to insure it has enough oxygen in it for the fish. Fountains and water falls aregod at mixing air and water.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

If your tree is a Bradford Pear Tree, often called an Ornate Pear Tree or Callery, it is actually banned in several States as an invasive species. The blossom is pollenated by flies, not bees, who are attracted by the smell of rotting fish that the flowers emit. The seeds from the unedible fruit have a high level of cyanide within them.

Going by that little gem, I would hazard a guess that the trees are potentially more toxic than most...flies being mucky little creatures and all that.

Why You Shouldn't Plant a Bradford Pear Tree in Your Landscape

Looking for a tree to plant in your garden? Avoid the Bradford Pear tree (Pyrus calleryana). Here is some must know info on this tree.

growingthehomegarden.com

You might want to identify the tree fully and maybe consider felling it.

 

[OliveFish05]

Are there any leaves visible in the ponds? I would pull out any that I see and cover the pond. My family uses bird protection netting stretched an inch or two above our pond and pool. This is the first year the pool hasn’t filled with so many rotting leaves that it turned green, it’s Crystal clear without a single lead on the bottom. If you are able, perhaps changing some of the water?

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

When the old leaves land in the water the start to rot. That can cause ammonia and nitrite which is toxic to fish. Get a water test kit and test for these. Also do you have fountain or water fall? Water needs to mix with air to insure it has enough oxygen in it for the fish. Fountains and water falls aregod at mixing air and water.

I’m not a blind hobbyist, I know what ammonia is. I take out all leaves I see, but often times they are camoflauged amongst the jungle of anacharis. As for oxygen, the fish that I have live in stagnant or slow-moving rivers/pools - no oxygen needed.

If your tree is a Bradford Pear Tree, often called an Ornate Pear Tree or Callery, it is actually banned in several States as an invasive species. The blossom is pollenated by flies, not bees, who are attracted by the smell of rotting fish that the flowers emit. The seeds from the unedible fruit have a high level of cyanide within them.

Going by that little gem, I would hazard a guess that the trees are potentially more toxic than most...flies being mucky little creatures and all that.

Why You Shouldn't Plant a Bradford Pear Tree in Your Landscape

Looking for a tree to plant in your garden? Avoid the Bradford Pear tree (Pyrus calleryana). Here is some must know info on this tree.

growingthehomegarden.com

You might want to identify the tree fully and maybe consider felling it.

Unfortunately that is it . The owner of the house originally had it. The tree is very tall…the branches extend over the patio. As for pollinators, I’m 70% sure bees pollinate it…

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

Are there any leaves visible in the ponds? I would pull out any that I see and cover the pond. My family uses bird protection netting stretched an inch or two above our pond and pool. This is the first year the pool hasn’t filled with so many rotting leaves that it turned green, it’s Crystal clear without a single lead on the bottom. If you are able, perhaps changing some of the water?

I do wc every two weeks or so.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

I’m not a blind hobbyist, I know what ammonia is. I take out all leaves I see, but often times they are camoflauged amongst the jungle of anacharis. As for oxygen, the fish that I have live in stagnant or slow-moving rivers/pools - no oxygen needed.

Unfortunately that is it . The owner of the house originally had it. The tree is very tall…the branches extend over the patio. As for pollinators, I’m 70% sure bees pollinate it…

The write-up on the link I posted states that the primary pollenator is the fly, so although you might see bees around the flowers, chances are its the flies who do the pollenating

Bradford Pear Trees Smell TERRIBLE!​

Do rotting fish smell bad to you? If so you won’t want a Bradford pear tree! Above you can see one of our Bradford pear trees in the morning sun as it is about to bloom. The tree does look pretty in the spring when the blossoms are in full bloom. It stands in your yard like a giant Q-tip. But its wonderful bathroom toiletry appearance is not all you get, an extremely odoriferous aroma tags along as well. The smell is reminiscent of rotting flesh or bad fish left for too many days in the hot sun. I won’t elaborate any further but the smell is very unpleasant! That smell has a purpose though, to attract it’s primary pollinator: flies.

I would definitely be inclined to have a tree surgeon take a look at the tree, formally identify it and if it is one of these trees they will be able to remove it. Due to its invasive species status, you may even find that the local authority will help with the removal costs. It would be something to look into with your local authority just to see if there is any financial help available to remove the tree from your garden.

In the meantime I would buy a mist net to lay over the entire pond with a very fine gauge net that would catch the bulk of dropped flowers, leaves and seedpods since the seeds have a higher quotient of cyanide than other non invasive true pear trees.

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

Hi - the tree is around 25 feet tall, and the other is probably 18+. Probably not a great thing to remove 2 trees at that size just for some fish. I will just use a net for now. Thanks!