So I'm cleaning out this foul pond in the parent's yard. Although it hasn't been maintained in decades it was somehow supporting two 3" comets. Then I started digging out the 12+ inches of rotting debris at the bottom, and the pond was suddenly flooded with ammonia - so I had to remove the fish - I've got them in an uncycled tub, and I'm changing the water frequently.
I've got most of the gunk out of the bottom and the ammonia is hovering around 1 ppm. I'm only going to be here for another week, I'm not sure how to make it habitable again in that time - it'll take a while for the lilies and bacteria populations to deal with all that ammonia, right?
What can I do to get back to water healthy enough for at least these two small fish in the 6 days I have left? Do I have to drain the pond completely?
I've got most of the gunk out of the bottom and the ammonia is hovering around 1 ppm. I'm only going to be here for another week, I'm not sure how to make it habitable again in that time - it'll take a while for the lilies and bacteria populations to deal with all that ammonia, right?
What can I do to get back to water healthy enough for at least these two small fish in the 6 days I have left? Do I have to drain the pond completely?