Went out to the pond today, and the ice is about 4-6 inches thick, so couldn't really do anything to it, as smashing the ice could have killed the fish through shock...

but on further inspection, through a little gap... realised there was hardly any water in the pond (about 2 inches!) and all the fish looked dead!

so panic ensued, and me and my mum ended up having to smash the ice (no other way to get to it) and luckily the fish were still alive... just. Managed to catch them and we've put them in a tank in the house for now.

We have a big dark fish who I called Shadow, one of his eyes is nearly popping out his head - any ideas on what it could be? It looks like popeye... but it's only in one of his eyes?

You mean there was a layer of ice with no water underneath?

It's certainly been cold enough to produce a foot or so of ice on the lakes around here, the heating (wired to the boiler) on a neighbour's Koi pond has been struggling to keep the surface clear on most days.

Pop-Eye doesn't have to affect both eyes, only one can be affected in many cases. It's not actually a disease itself, but a symptom of an underlying problem such as a bacterial infection. It can also be caused by physical damage to the eye, tumors (quite rare though) and poor water quality, however the latter is unlikely in ponds and especially so at this time of the year when fish metabolism is at a minimum. Still, it would be a good idea to get a water sample tested (if there's any water left) just to be sure.

Specifying a treatment is difficult without knowing the exact cause at this point, however Epsom salt (Magnesium sulfate) can be used safely and to good effect to drain the fluid from the affected eyeball at a dose of one tablespoon per 5 gallons of water. The affected fish must be isolated in a quarantine tank.

Only thing I can surgest is either bringing them in, in the winter or you can insulate the outside (if it's above ground) and use a heater in the pond.

Thanks for the replies!

The fish with the dodgy eye has been like that for about 2 years now, we've treated him before and it hasn't seemed to do anything. He seems otherwise fine, eating and swimming normal etc.

They are in a tank inside the house now, and won't be going back out until it's nicer weather, and once the pond's sorted aswell obviously

Thanks again.

I wouldn't worry about it, chances are the fish just has a physical defect, possibly as a result of defective genes somewhere in its family tree.