Dead fish floated belly-up on the surface of the Reitz Union's pond last Wednesday.
The culprit? Freezing temperatures combined with the shallowness of the water.
This is the first time anything like this has happened, said Mike Mironack, director of operations at the Reitz Union.
"We're keeping an eye on it to see if it was a one-time thing or not," he said. "If not, we'll call someone with more expertise to have it fixed."
Two types of fish were found floating in the pond: grass carp and tilapia, according to Marty Werts, landscaping and groundskeeping superintendent for UF's Grounds Department. Both are non-native species.
Werts said the fish were probably used to a warmer climate and unable to survive the freezing, 20-degree nights Gainesville has been experiencing recently.
"Everybody I've talked to says that it had to do with the low temperature and depth of the pond," he said.
He explained that the fish were probably placed in the pond to eat some of the aquatic weeds.
"The grass carp could've been put in there a long time ago," he said. "The tilapia are an invasive species - a water bird or an osprey can pick one up out of another pond and drop it in."
Werts also confirmed that Aquatic Weed Control had not sprayed anything poisonous into the pond before the fish died.
"During the growing season, they will occasionally spray weeds," he said. "But they didn't [this time.]"
Mironack said he speculated that something detrimental could have been thrown into the water. Since anyone has access to the pond, a destructive item thrown in could be very harmful to its environment and creatures.
He said hopes that this will not occur again anytime soon.
The recently installed Veterans Memorial Fountain in the center of the pond will hopefully help prevent another fish kill.
According to Mironack, the fountain will improve the water quality of the pond by introducing more oxygen into the water. The increase in oxygen will ultimately benefit the creatures living in the pond, he said.
