All,
I recently bought a house up here in the Boston area with a 50gl fish pond outside. At the time it was empty but with a couple of visits to the LFS, I've gotten it all fired up and I have been checking the pH level - been hovering around 70. I have a unknown brand pump with a pump sock 10 feeding a tube out circulating the water. I apolgize I don't know the capacity/brand of the pump - it's been one of the things on my to-do list.
About two weeks ago with everything looking good I bought a dozen starter goldfish and everything was looking OK. I have some questions though, going forward, as I ponder buying some bigger fish such as comets for my pond (I apologize for the stupd questions ahead of time).
I also bought some "water lettuce" to give the pond water some shade.
* I was told roughly "one to two" pellets per goldfish when feeding them once a day. I have a feeling I may have lost a few of these starter fish - but I never saw any bodies rise to the surface. Is it always not the case that dead fish rise to the top? What is the best way to inventory your fish occasionally? I don't want to be dumping extra fish food and overfeed if some have died.
* Should I invest in a pond filter? The previous owners never had one but from some research online it looks like for certain fish it might be necessary. If I do get a filter, are there outside considerations (such as the capacity of the pump) that I should be concerned with? Are they AC powered or mainly non-powered. It also looks like the best place for placement would be pre-pump so it catches the 'gunk' before getting to the pump.
* Winter considerations: My pond is shaped in two circles with a 'canel' between the two circles. One end (with the pump) is 25" deep and the other is 19" deep. Is there any way to salvage the fish by winterizing the fish/tank or if I get fish large enough to last a winter can they last the (sometimes long and cold) season?
* Any recommendations for fish other than starter goldfish as I get more and more experienced? I was told to look at comets but I plan on doing more research on this site for passive fish for my pond.
* I have noticed some frogs hanging out around the pond - should I be concerned with them eating the smaller fish at all?
Thank you for your help - sorry about the long post but I am eager to embark on this new hobby of mine.
EDIT: I found some of the help stickies - I imagine a lot of my questions will be answered there.
I recently bought a house up here in the Boston area with a 50gl fish pond outside. At the time it was empty but with a couple of visits to the LFS, I've gotten it all fired up and I have been checking the pH level - been hovering around 70. I have a unknown brand pump with a pump sock 10 feeding a tube out circulating the water. I apolgize I don't know the capacity/brand of the pump - it's been one of the things on my to-do list.
About two weeks ago with everything looking good I bought a dozen starter goldfish and everything was looking OK. I have some questions though, going forward, as I ponder buying some bigger fish such as comets for my pond (I apologize for the stupd questions ahead of time).
I also bought some "water lettuce" to give the pond water some shade.
* I was told roughly "one to two" pellets per goldfish when feeding them once a day. I have a feeling I may have lost a few of these starter fish - but I never saw any bodies rise to the surface. Is it always not the case that dead fish rise to the top? What is the best way to inventory your fish occasionally? I don't want to be dumping extra fish food and overfeed if some have died.
* Should I invest in a pond filter? The previous owners never had one but from some research online it looks like for certain fish it might be necessary. If I do get a filter, are there outside considerations (such as the capacity of the pump) that I should be concerned with? Are they AC powered or mainly non-powered. It also looks like the best place for placement would be pre-pump so it catches the 'gunk' before getting to the pump.
* Winter considerations: My pond is shaped in two circles with a 'canel' between the two circles. One end (with the pump) is 25" deep and the other is 19" deep. Is there any way to salvage the fish by winterizing the fish/tank or if I get fish large enough to last a winter can they last the (sometimes long and cold) season?
* Any recommendations for fish other than starter goldfish as I get more and more experienced? I was told to look at comets but I plan on doing more research on this site for passive fish for my pond.
* I have noticed some frogs hanging out around the pond - should I be concerned with them eating the smaller fish at all?
Thank you for your help - sorry about the long post but I am eager to embark on this new hobby of mine.
EDIT: I found some of the help stickies - I imagine a lot of my questions will be answered there.
Last edited:
