Topic: Pond enlargement update

[tricia]

First, my thanks to Dawn and Anthony for their advice. My new pond is up and running and my fish are enjoying their new home. Although the type of surround is still a matter under discussion, I am very happy :) with the 'look' - it is sooooooooooo much bigger than the old one. I went out and bought a pregnant silvery coloured goldfish on Wednesday and today when I was at the Aquatics place couldn't resist a smaller one with beautiful black markings across his back (they think it is a 'he'!). Should I take some of the fry out of the pond into a holding tank when 'Silver' has had her babies? I know that the other fish just love the small fry! If so, what would I feed them on?

I'm having a bit of a problem with setting up the positioning of the pressure filter in relation to the waterfall so that it will be hidden, but no doubt it will soon be resolved.

I would like to put up some photos but haven't a clue how to go about it. Would some kind soul walk me through the process please?

My current project is re-potting waterlilies and other pond plants and preparing them for their new home a week or two from now. I have already planted up three pots of kafir lilies one of which will be placed strategically to soften one side of the waterfall. I seem to remember someone saying they had kafir lilies sitting in the water so they should make a fine show later this year. I'll need a few more plants that can stand in water. The ledges are 8" and 6" deep respectivelyand 6 feet long. The front one being 6" so the plants shouldn't grow too high. The taller ones will go on the far ledge where they also have more space.  So far I have a couple of fibre optic plants some Milfoil, a bog-arum, a yellow iris which grows about 70cm tall,  a 'Kermesina' iris which has yet to flower, a variegated and a plain green acorus grass and a hottonia. Anyone have any other suggestions? ( bearing in mind I can only put plants on the ledges as the pond sits in the middle of a paved courtyard).

Again, I'd be grateful for any advice.

Tricia

[Anthony]

Hi Tricia,

I suspect that most pond owners will fall into one of two schools of thought when it comes to the best method for treating fry or prior to that the eggs your goldfish will lay - 1) Either leave them in the pond and let nature take it's course i.e Natural selection or 2) Human intervention whereby you take them out and put them in a secure/stable environment ready to be returned at later date.  I guess each method has both benefits & drawbacks including those of time, money & inclination.  I guess it just depends on how much of the above you are prepared to put in on what you think is the best option.

I've only been keeping ponds for a couple of years and much of what I know has come from the benefit of websites like this one or from reading some of the various books on the subject of pond keeping.  Perhaps one of the most important things I have learned is that over a given period any pond and its inhabitants will adapt itself/themselves to the conditions which they find themselves in.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that nature will find its own level/balance for the number of fish within a pond/which plants will thrive, and which will die.  As such I would be seriously tempted to let nature take its course with the eggs/fry and leave them in the pond - That way you'll know that the ones that do survive will be the fittest of the bunch and hence more likely to survive winters/predation/disease.  If your pond is currently understocked then by law of averages more will survive, if overstocked then less.

I know it's a bit harsh but sometimes you do have to be cruel to be kind and in the long run your pond will benefit from this natural selection process - I think both Dawn and Margaret manage their ponds on a similar basis and both seem very succesfull with it..........Now then, If you completely ignore my advice, like I will probably do should I be lucky enough to get some eggs/fry :) Then a couple of things you probably need to know:

She's going to need somewhere to lay the eggs, this is generally done in vegetation but if you want to help the process, you can provide spawning mats which should be available in all good aqautics stores (and some bad ones) Once you think these mats are sufficiently full these can be removed and taken to a safer environment from where it would be better to have the eggs hatch.  It's probably best using water from the pond in the environment that they are going to be hatched in, this reduces stress and will increase the number of succesfull hatches.  The fry will then absorb their yolk sacs over a couple of days and then begin looking for food.  At this stage you then need to play god again and asses which ones you want to keep and which to either "get rid of" or if you can't bring yourself to do that, put back in the pond to fend for themselves (it's a hard world).  The ones you keep will have a much better chance of survival - There are loads of good product available for fry but ensure it is rich in protein - I think some breeders use a combination of fry flakes and brine shrimp.  Once nicely fattened up after a couple of months, return back to the pond where they will be able to join any of the remaining survivers from the ones you had put back initially.

Forgot to mention, if you have any photos, mail them to Dan (Site admin fella) who will happily put them on here for you.

....and if you're still awake :)

good luck and keep us informed as to what you intend to do.


tony
 

[tricia]

Thanks Tony for your comprehensive info. regarding the issues at stake with my preggers goldfish.

I think that this year I will let nature take its course. There is plenty of vegetation on the floor of the pond for 'Silver' to lay her eggs in - and I'll just keep my fingers crossed that some of the fry survive. Depending on this year's results I may decide to use a spawning mat next year.

There are only 10 fish of varying lengths in my pond at the moment, the longest being 'Silver' at between 7" and 8" (an Easter present in lieu of an egg will add one or perhaps two more) so I would say that the pond is still understocked. I bought some wheatgerm last week and they have learned to take it from a feeding ring which makes my job of fishing out any uneaten food much easier.

As far as photos are concerned I'm going to wait till the work on the pond is completed and then put a link to where I will have the photos. (If I can remember how I did it for piccies of my garden last year!).

Regards

Tricia

[Deleted]

Hi Tricia,

Yes, I am a fan of nauture doing her own stuff. Mine had fry within the first few months of being in the new pond. Have never tried spawning mats - they seem to manage fine without.

As Anthony says, things will find a natural balance when it comes to quantity of fish. I was in a real quandry when mine had hundereds of fry as to what to do with them - neddless to say, many more died than survived, but its reached a natural level. the danger in taking them out and then putting them back later is that you could upset the balance by overstocking.

Here's a bit of info I I took on baord when first stocking my pond, and I kept it under the recommended amount to start with;

To assess how many fish your pond will support, estimate its surface  area and allow 60sq cm of surface for every 1 cm of fish (equivalent to 24 sq. inches per  inch of fish).  Since fish grow and breed, it is best to start off with around  one-third of the theoretical maximum number.  For example, a 1.8 x 1.2m (6ft x 4ft)  pond will, in theory, support 360cm (144ins) of fish, equivalent to 36 individuals  averaging 10cm (4ins)long, but, in practice, you should have only about 12.

When it comes to feeding, you shouldn't really feed when the temperature drops below 10 degrees.

On additional plants, as well as the kinds you mention i have a lovely equisetum (probably wrong spelling!) which stays at about 2 1/2 ft tall, and I also have a few of the red lobelia - some people find them a bit garish, but I think they look great in summer. The lobelia is in my margins, but my mum had some which stays in pots around the edge - just keep well watered.

My filter is hidden by rocks and plants. Mine is 'bucket shaped' to start with, so i have it half sunk in the ground, and I have a sort of 'woodland rockery' around my waterfall and the back of the pond. I've strategically planted around it and have rocks hiding it, all with a bark mulch round them. [A slightly eclectic 'woodland rockery' as it also includes an acer and a banana!]. Various pots & plants etc, can conceal yours. I'll also post a pic when i get round to taking one...!