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Questions tagged [pond]

Ponds are natural or artificial outdoor fresh water basins, commonly used to host a variety of aquatic creatures. Questions are about pets that live in ponds, such as fish, amphibians, clams and crustaceans.

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17 votes
4 answers
11k views

Is it true that goldfish growth is limited by container size?

As I grew up, I was taught that a goldfish will only grow to a certain point dependent upon the size of their container and how many fish are in the container; all the fish within the same container ...
2 votes
1 answer
52 views

Goldfish breeding behavior?

I have an outdoor pond that has 6 large (10+ inch nose to tail) goldfish in it. These are fish that were originally bought as pet store feeder-type fish, so they're nothing special. I have a webcam ...
2 votes
1 answer
74 views

Is a rock obstacle in a pond good for fish vitality - or is it an urban legend?

There are fables such as this one suggesting that fish do better in a pond whose surface is pierced by one or several obstacles, such as rocks. The rationale is that such "islands" turn the ...
1 vote
1 answer
125 views

Fish in rainwater outside

I saw an answer to a question about CO2 addition, and it states that fish themselves can make water from rain acidic (I assume they do it by breathing out CO2). Now I am thinking about my small pond ...
5 votes
1 answer
296 views

Goldfish with white spot/fungal infection/something else?

Does anyone know what this is and how to treat it? One has a white lump near its eye, the other some white stuff at the end of its fan tail. Both are usually in a pond with others, but are currently ...
2 votes
2 answers
265 views

Are there any species of turtles that won't eat fish?

I have lots of pond fish, from tiny .5" (1.25 cm) minnow size to large fat goldfish. I want to add some aquatic turtles, but I found the pet store sells goldfish as food for the turtles. Are ...
3 votes
2 answers
510 views

Do pond fish need a pump, filter, or aerator, considering that this is not found in natural ponds?

Ponds in nature don't have pumps. I also have seen goldfish living in golf course ponds, that were large and healthy and had no filter, pump, or any aeration device installed. Yet, pet stores sell ...
2 votes
1 answer
83 views

Colour for turtle pond

I'm planning an outside enclosure for my yellow bellied slider. The idea would be to build a fiberglass tank with a basking Island and a partly shaded "beach". My initial idea was to make it a clear ...
14 votes
2 answers
298 views

How to prepare a pond for crayfish?

We received some crayfish as a gift shortly after our new pond was finished. Sadly we had no idea under which conditions they had to be kept and as the only hiding place was the covering shield above ...
11 votes
3 answers
18k views

Why are my fish dying?

Since moving house 8 weeks ago I've inherited a fish pond, containing around 20 fish, which is 270cm in length, 130cm wide, and 35cm deep in the middle. It uses a Hozelock Cyprio Ecopower Plus 5000 ...
3 votes
3 answers
1k views

What substrate/base should I use for this small fish pond?

I have bought a property that has a tiny decorative pond with waterfall and sizeable filter. It looks as though a larger pond use to be in its place. I plan to install this product: https://www....
2 votes
1 answer
50 views

Is there any species of corydoras catfishes that can live at pond temperatures?

My pond reaches temperatures as low as 20 F, rarely that low though. It does ice over from time to time in the winter. Is there any variety of corydoras catfish that can live there? I found some pond ...
2 votes
2 answers
68 views

Are Koi Safe in the Summer?

I currently have two young koi fish, and they need a bigger pond. My dad and I are planning on making one in our backyard, but it gets incredibly hot in the summer. Is this dangerous to the koi, and ...
2 votes
1 answer
92 views

Do all koi have the potential to grow to 3 feet long?

I have seen many videos with koi that are 3 feet (around 90 cm) long. However, I also know that some koi from desired varieties are really expensive. If I am buying koi from Petco and Petsmart, does ...
1 vote
1 answer
42 views

What setup will allow koi and slow goldfish to live together?

Some people have told me I'm not supposed to keep koi with goldfish. The reason I've heard is that the slower fish can't get food. Unfortunately, we had an issue with one of the ponds/waterfalls ...
3 votes
0 answers
62 views

Is it safe to catch and move hibernating fish?

I have about 50 mixed types of goldfish and koi in an outdoor pond. I want to remodel the pond, expanding it to double the volume of water. I will relocate them temporarily to a 2000 gallon (7600 ...
2 votes
1 answer
365 views

Will shubunkin and other fancy goldfish eat smaller fish in a pond?

I am building a 20,000 gallon (76,000 liters) backyard pond for some shubunkins and other fancy goldfish that have outgrown their aquarium. Our climate is such that the pond will only freeze ...
2 votes
0 answers
32 views

Keeping fry out of canister filter?

I have a ~1000 gallon pond in my yard. It contains mosquitofish and goldfish. The pond currently has 2 of these submersible filters similar to this: However, to clean the filter, I need to wade into ...
1 vote
1 answer
339 views

How to prevent snakes from eating goldfish in pond?

Some snake found its way into my pond. I heard that local snakes will eat the fish. The pond is 1/2 underground and 1/2 above ground with a 2 ft high brick wall all the way around. Is there some ...
3 votes
2 answers
119 views

How to reduce excess micro-algae in pond

I have a small pond (I don't really know the volume, maybe 400 liters) with goldfish inside, they seem healthy with no apparent problem. The pond is constantly invaded by micro-algae that cannot be ...
2 votes
2 answers
68 views

How to siphon a pond?

While building a pond, I accidentally got some dirt at the bottom. If that were a fish tank, I would siphon it out, but the pond is lower than anything else around, so it is impossible to get the end ...
0 votes
0 answers
38 views

Reliable way of giving away goldfish [duplicate]

About a year ago i built a small pond with 5 goldfish inside. Apparently they really liked it because they started reproducing a lot and now there are more than 15 and i'm guessing that the space they ...
3 votes
3 answers
95 views

What are the best mosquito-controlling critters for a pond?

While inquiring about the rules for building a backyard pond, my city suggested I have a plan some way to control the mosquitoes. I'm aware that some fish, frogs, newts, and turtles all eat mosquitoes ...
2 votes
1 answer
181 views

Goldfish die in hours

I've had a pond for several months. Up until this week, there have been hundreds of toad tadpoles living in it. However, fish continually die in the pool. Not sure what to do. I left one in the ...
4 votes
1 answer
3k views

Why did my koi pond fish die?

My family got 3 pond fish which were koi. I realized one fish was getting bigger/swollen looking. After a few months he was getting really swollen or big and during the month he stopped eating. I was ...
9 votes
1 answer
29k views

Why did my established pond suddenly have a mass death event?

For over 8 years I have had a pond in the corner of my home. It is of a triangular shape, about 10' x12' x15' (3 x 3.6 x 4.5 m) by two feet (60 cm) deep. For ...
4 votes
2 answers
6k views

Massive koi death in pond, without an apparent reason -- need help!

I am still experiencing unresolved problems. Shortly after 5/1/2018, I lost all of my koi due to a huge ammonia spike above 8.0ppm. I did multiple water changes to no avail, including a 100% water ...
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

Why did all 45 goldfish (and 2 mosquitos) in my pond suddenly begin an overnight, 4-day die-off?

I have a pond, which contains the water volume of 6000 liters (1600 gallons). I am very frustrated: my 45 or so goldfish and several mosquito fish were so happy. Then, literally overnight, they ...
17 votes
2 answers
52k views

How to determine the amount of fish that can live in a pond?

How many fish can live in a pond? As ponds are normally not the natural habitat of the fish that live in them (ie: goldfish, kois and sturgeons in my case), how do I determine how much is too much or ...
3 votes
1 answer
132 views

What indicates whether my outdoor goldfish are healthy or ill?

I keep goldfish in large outdoor pots (homemade ponds). Other than noting their swiftness when surfacing for food, it is difficult to determine if my goldfish are unwell. It is only obvious they are ...
6 votes
3 answers
743 views

Did the Bird's Eye chili kill my pond fishes?

I have a small garden pond (1x1m and a foot deep) that is surrounded by plants that bear red/orange flowers/fruits. When the chili plant became mature, the chili peppers just fell off into the pond ...
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

Can fish live in a plant-filled pond without being fed?

I have small fish (I don't know what kind they are) in a 500 gallon pond (around 2000 liters) that are very hardy. They survived their previous home (hundreds of fish in a 70 gallon / around 270 ...
3 votes
1 answer
537 views

My koi started dying and I can't seem to stop it

I've had a small pond set up in current location for about 9 months. I transferred my koi from another pond. Some of them are 10-12 years old, others are only 5-6 years old. 4 weeks ago, two of my ...
16 votes
4 answers
695 views

How can I protect a fish pond during the winter?

We have a pond with several fish in it (koi, sturgeon, goldfish). We live in a temperate area where the pond is covered by a layer of ice for several weeks during winter. How can I ensure the fish ...
4 votes
2 answers
508 views

Would an alligator decoy work to deter herons in a state where alligators don't live?

I've heard that placing an alligator decoy in a pond will deter herons from visiting stopping by to eat all the expensive koi that live in it. This made me curious, because I live in a northern state ...
1 vote
0 answers
46 views

Had Koi for five winters this year they have all slowly died in a span of a week

My wife was at our local Country Garden where the women said we should remove the filter for the winter. I have left the filter running the last five winters and have never had a problem. But this ...
11 votes
3 answers
13k views

Choosing a second fish for a lone goldfish

I have a lone goldfish, a comet, about 10 cm long from tip to tail. I want to buy a second fish and am wondering about size. Is it ok to introduce a much smaller goldfish, or maybe three smaller ...
4 votes
1 answer
683 views

Do turtles need direct sunlight?

I'm working on an outside place for my yellow bellied slider and the best location would not get direct sunlight. It's outdoors, facing south (in Europe), but it's covered by an overhang and has some ...
0 votes
0 answers
305 views

Why did all my goldfish suddenly die?

I have read this question, and this one, about goldfish/pond life suddenly dying. These situations are similar, but not identical to my own, and so I'm not sure whether this question is a duplicate. ...
4 votes
1 answer
6k views

How can I tell if my goldfish is being bullied?

I was watching my goldfish swim around and one appeared to be chasing the other in circles. This did not last long and then they seemed to be relaxed and following each other and just swimming ...
7 votes
2 answers
872 views

Is it necessary to cover the top in a pond with silver arowana?

I have a 400 gallon (1500 L) pond with two oscars, two tinfoil barbs and a 10" silver arowana. I've had this arowana for like 2 months and it hasn't try to jump out, yet. It has plenty of room to ...
8 votes
2 answers
2k views

What role does algae play in healthy pond life?

The answer to this question about surface area to volume led me to an interesting article: LOW OXYGEN AND POND AERATION William A. Wurts, Senior State Specialist for Aquaculture Kentucky State ...
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

What happens when a gold fish pond freezes?

I used to have a neighbor with a gold fish pond, and large (8 inch, 20 CM) or bigger gold fish (Koi?). The pond was only about a foot deep and would often freeze over and/or freeze solid. As I ...
6 votes
1 answer
116 views

Filtration of smaller ponds

I've asked some questions about my goldfish What indicates whether my outdoor goldfish are healthy or ill? and noticed a lot of response referring to the likelihood that fish would survive in such an ...
6 votes
1 answer
349 views

How do I balance surface area and volume in my outdoor fish pond?

I have three outdoor fish pot ponds. They are taller then they are wide. Now this mean the surface area meeting the atmosphere is quite small compared to the volume. I was under the impression, that ...
9 votes
1 answer
666 views

How high should our goldfish pond be filled from the top?

Our goldfish was recently found outside the pond, on the ground. The cat was playing with it. The cat may have fished it out of the pond or the fish may have jumped out, as the pond was very full. ...
8 votes
1 answer
646 views

Is my goldfish ok on his own in a pot pond?

I have three big outdoor pot ponds for goldfish. There were three living in a pot together for 2-3 years. I then moved the biggest fish into a separate pond pot by himself, as he was bumping at one of ...
7 votes
1 answer
274 views

Do smaller numbers of goldfish form pairs?

I've been asking a lot of questions about goldfish, as I am preparing for a bigger pond. I currently have three comets that I will move to the bigger pond. The pond will be approx 350 L so there ...
6 votes
1 answer
310 views

How do I know if there is too much algae in an outdoor fish pond or pot?

This question Would my fish benefit from snails in their pot pond? asks about having snails in a fish pond/pot to reduce algae. My fish are happily living in a outdoor ceramic pots, approx 80cm high ...
3 votes
1 answer
671 views

Can goldfish bully each other after an injury?

One of our goldfish was found outside of the pond, on the ground and the cat was sitting next to it, playing with it. We are not sure if the cat fished the goldfish out or if it jumped out, as the ...