UGF for small ponds?! Crazy... or not? Tell me! :)

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LiveMermaid07

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One of the most effective forms of filtration for ponds is A "purge system" But only recommended for at least 300
gallons. I've used several types of UGF and found them very ineffective. both indoors and out lol.
I'm guessing the containers are outdoors?? how do you regulate temps?? Anyway Good luck with whatever you decide!!! gary
still working on the temp regulating


on indoor ugf's though, when I have a hob intake in one of the uplift tubes, can I put another hob on and put it's intake in the other uplift tube?
Or do I have to have an air currant in at least one of the uplift tubes?

(That tank also has sponge filters, but some stuff still comes up out of the uplift tubes sometimes, but I can't vacuum cause the plants are in the way.)
 

finsNfur

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That sounds like an awful lot of trouble, considering how quickly comets grow. In a few years they will be too big for a 54 gallon tub. You mentioned getting a tub from Kroger, which is I assume a grocery store? We don't have Krogers around here, so I don't know what kind of tub you are referring to, but you would need to be careful about some plastics cracking in the winter, or over time. You would also need to be careful of the water freezing. How cold does it get where you live?

I feed my goldfish daily in the warmer months, my pond is around 600 gallons, 5' x 7'. That's a pretty small surface area, with limited bugs. And the frogs that have moved in compete for the insects. There's very little algae in my pond. I'm just not a fan of starving fish to keep them small, although I hear that all the time from people who do it.
 

platytudes

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I don't think you should starve fish either, but most people who feed their pond every day do so for their own enjoyment, as a way to interact with it. It doesn't hurt the fish, but it is not necessary by any means. The low protein pond flake doesn't add a whole lot of nutrient load, and it would be fine to feed that every other day or so, but feeding regular goldfish flakes probably would add a lot of pollution...some of those are 45-50% protein or even more.

Since this pond is small enough to keep a close eye on, you can definitely monitor your fish to ensure they are in good health, but I think two comets should be able to find plenty to graze and shouldn't need daily feedings, I think 3-4 times a week would be plenty. All fish seem hungry as can be when you approach them with the can of food, that's just conditioning - it doesn't mean they are starving or underfed. Comets are greedy eaters by nature.

All of the natural stuff they eat, along with the sun, do more to enhance their coloration than anything we can manufacture and sell in a dried form. Comets don't usually breed in anything but ponds, because they need these things to trigger spawning (but what you've got right now is more of a water feature than a pond).

Being outside is, in my opinion, much healthier for a comet than being inside, provided the weather is suitable and they are safe from predatory animals and birds. Which is another thing to think and worry about, unfortunately.
 

finsNfur

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I was responding to the OP's quote, it sounds like they might not be feeding their fish at all:

they do like them bugs :D good to know. when in doubt I don't feed them. I hope that's been ok.
In a pond that small there isn't a lot of natural food available, I would never leave them entirely on their own. Platytudes now mentions feeding them 3-4 times a week and I think that is fine, but I wouldn't stop feeding them entirely in such a small space. I wouldn't recommend flakes either, I use a high quality small pellet food for my goldfish. It's not at all messy. And yes, it's unlikely that comets would spawn in a small pond, but they do for me each year in my larger pond.
 

platytudes

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What kind of pellet food do you use for your goldfish?

I'm of the mindset that people generally overfeed their fish (not just newbies). It's common for people to give their fish over 20 feedings a week, and that's just excessive (except for fry and fish who are being conditioned to breed). I feed my fish flakes or pellets once a day, and usually skip a day. I frequently offer veggies or nori. Some fish, like tetras, prefer not to eat such stuff, but they do nibble on it. While it seems to make a visible "mess" (cucumber seeds on the filter intake, etc.) I don't see it making much of an impact on water quality. IMO this kind of regimen makes fish grow slower, but live longer.
 

platytudes

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Oh, and I have a 20 gallon outdoor aquarium (powered by an UGF with powerheads) which grows tons of algae. It is mostly covered with a Versa top, so nothing gets in there except a few bugs. Being able to see the entire tank from top to bottom lets you see how much algae there really is.

In it I have a dozen Japanese trapdoor snails, some mosquitofish and some least killifish. All of them seem to graze on the hair algae, and whatever other kinds of algae grow there (there's distinctly a few different kinds, including some red algae). I just feed them heavily a few times a week (maybe 2-3 times) and they don't seem to need any more than that right now. They are breeding slowly, not overrunning it. I hope to have them transferred to a shady pond by summer, though, since I think the heat will be too intense for them by then. I plan on using a horse trough with a cover made of netting, shouldn't cost more than $100 or so.
 

finsNfur

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We have long, cold winters here, so I buy goldfish food that is geared towards the seasons. I don't feed at all for probably six months out of the year, it's just too cold, the fish can't digest food in cold weather. In spring I usually feed this food:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5163+5470+5486&pcatid=5486

In summer I switch to a warmer weather pellet food. I'm not stuck on any particular brand, but I do avoid brands that have a lot of soybean and cheap, useless fillers. My pond has a lot of plants in it, but because our summers are so short it is July before a lot of them are really thick and healthy. I threw some hornwort in my pond years ago and it's now more of a weed than anything else, but the goldfish don't seem to eat it. In the summer I try to grow duckweed in the pond, but the fish eat it like candy and it won't last. In spring I throw in some water hyacinths and by July they finally start to spread, and the fish do nibble at those roots. I usually have to toss it by October though, because of frost. I've never had a problem with hair algae, or any algae. Just green water in early spring, which clears by late spring. The water is usually crystal clear and I don't have a UV sterilizer. I did put a half dozen trapdoor snails in last summer just for the fun of it. It doesn't surprise me than a northern pond in a partly shady location would have less algae,and less insects, than one in Florida.

I had a large tub full of guppies and platies one summer on my deck, but it was more trouble than it was worth. Even in early June there were a few nights that dropped down into the low 50's or colder and I had to put a heater in the tub. The tub was filled with hornwort, water sprite etc. and had no filter or aerator. The water turned green, but the fish didn't mind. But by late August it was getting cold again so back in the fish came. By the time I really started to enjoy having it, it was time to bring the fish in again. :mad:

Here's my pond one summer looking down on it from the deck. I had the ugly little fence up to keep our puppy out.


 
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platytudes

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Wow...that's so beautiful! I am totally green with envy :eek::

Did you install it yourself, or have it professionally done? The surround is gorgeous, I love your little garden full of marsh plants. The flowers are lovely! I have lots of pond and water gardening books, and yours looks like a page out of one of them :D

I believe the OP lives in Georgia, so similar weather to mine...right now its in the mid 70s typically. It's been a mild winter with few freezes, and it looks like we're in for an early spring.

I was pretty surprised that the fish survived the few below 30 degree nights we had (I actually didn't include them intentionally, they just came with handfuls of plants both floating and rooted which I got from my friend's clay pond) but they seemed unfazed, except for hiding until it warmed up again.

The JT snails are fun, and I might keep a few of them, but they seem to prefer cooler weather than what we're in store for in summer. I'll see how they do in shade, but I bet the water will still be over 80 consistently during the day, so I will probably sell them here or on eBay.
 

finsNfur

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Thanks! I did install it myself, it was a whole lot of work. It's about 3' deep in the center, with shelves along the side. I think putting the liner in was almost as hard as digging the thing, it was heavy! And all those rocks, fortunately I am surrounded by woods and collected the flattest ones I could to surround it with. The plants around it are just perennials like roses, coreopsis etc. You are lucky with your weather, I am so jealous. Yesterday was in the mid 50's, record warmth up here, then overnight we got 3"-4" of snow.
 

LiveMermaid07

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I was responding to the OP's quote, it sounds like they might not be feeding their fish at all:
I was referring to the 'winter' temperatures, when I said, 'when in doubt I don't feed them.' I know that in cold weather they can't digest. Our weather has been all over the place, 20's one night, and a day or two later we are back in the 70s, back and forth and back. I'd just hate to feed them then find out it's going to freeze that night, I can't always get the weather, no tv or radio right now.
In the summer I usually feed them every day. There is a bunch of green / brown algae that I know they nibble on in there too. I also have plants around the 'pond' that atrract a bunch of bugs to the area, it's mostly under a tree (was only place I was allowed to put it) and there are often worm-thingys falling from the tree as well (I must wear a hat at all times, worms in hair - ew ew ew! lol), I think the fish eat these. I also catch some bugs to feed them - pretty much just have to scoop them off the plants around them lol.

I am a little worried about the sun they get though, they are under the shade till about 1pm - sundown, so they only get direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day (summer), if I add some plants that will shade the container, will the plants under the water get enough light?
(and do they get enough anyway?)




In a pond that small there isn't a lot of natural food available, I would never leave them entirely on their own. Platytudes now mentions feeding them 3-4 times a week and I think that is fine, but I wouldn't stop feeding them entirely in such a small space. I wouldn't recommend flakes either, I use a high quality small pellet food for my goldfish. It's not at all messy. And yes, it's unlikely that comets would spawn in a small pond, but they do for me each year in my larger pond.
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