Emily's Pond Build Log

Now see I would think it would be even more important to QT pond fish like goldfish and rosy reds and such because of the crappy conditions they are usually kept in. Wouldnt that make the chance of disease much higher?

Posted on mobile.aquariacentral.com
 
I would QT. Outside or not their still susceptible to disease.
 
My main Q right now is how many juvie goldies can I QT at a time in a 10 gal with an AC20 for filtration? Obviously I can do 50% w/c a few times a week if needed, etc. But I don't know what the max # of goldies (common and shubunkin) is for a temporary (1-2 months is my guess) QT period.
 
I could see 5-6 if they're small. It's only a temp thing so there shouldn't be any problems as long as you keep up on water changes.
 
I won't actually be purchasing the fish until the filter is installed and the pond has begun to cycle, at that point I'm intending to purchase the first group of new fish from the LFS to begin their QT period, and then once the pond is cycled and the fish are finished with their QT period, I'll introduce the first group and buy a 2nd group.

My goal for stock levels right now (all juvie fish, and one stunted goldie that I rescued in October) is 6 common (and/or comet) goldies (so 5 new ones, and the one I've already got), 12 shubunkins (including the one I already have), 50 rosy reds, and perhaps a dozen or two dozen mosquito fish.

The pond is 1700 gallons including the filter area (1650 gallons in the pond itself and a 100 gal stock tank that will be probably 80% filled as the filter), and I am estimating it will be about 50-60% stocked with the fish I intend on putting in there (that's calculating 50 gallons per common/comet, 40 gallons per shubunkin, and 1 gallon per rosy red/mosquito fish).

Obviously it will take some time to get all the stock in there if I am QTing in batches, but I think it will work out OK. What I might also do is get my Whisper 3 out and QT another batch in a rubbermaid tub as well. I've got some 30 and 40 gallon rubbermaid tubs that I could use for QTing fish, and that would speed up the process immensely.
 
the other fish will take care of mosquitoes, don't get the mosquito fish. for all their cute guppy looks they are mean little bastiges. (if there were not going to be any other fish in the pond, like a tub pond, then they are absolutely ideal for the job.)

i like the idea of doing your QT in a 30 gal tub; the size of fish batches you're talking about seems awfully large for a 10 gal. a decent powerhead with a large foam filter and a lot of air injection would probably be fine for filtration, especially in cold weather, and you can acclimate them to the pond at the same time by doing small "water changes" with pond water
 
I will re-think the mosquito fish. :) I really like the idea of rosy reds. And maybe some fathead minnows. But we'll see. And yes, I'd like to QT in batches, but not sure I could acclimate w/ pond water at least until the last week or so of QT since I'll be cycling the pond at the same time and don't want to dump ammonia-laden water into their tub(s). I've actually got second HOB filter that I forgot about that I can use for a 2nd 30 gal tub, so I will probably do that. If I can put 6 goldies and 25 rosy reds in each tub (or so), that will get me completely stocked all in one go. But we'll see. :) I may split that down further. Depends on how crowded a tub looks with that many fish in it. I'll be using air stones and the HOB filters (both are rated for 50+ gallons, which I know doesn't mean all that much, but hopefully will be sufficient - and both will be cycled prior to using them for QT - I am going to throw them on my tanks now and let them run).
 
ummm, rosy reds are fathead minnows, just a color variant. i like their looks a lot, altho i've heard that they don't breed true

i was thinking that you were going to be adding fish in batches, not all at once. i agree that using uncycled (or "just barely" cycled) pond water would be a really bad choice

perhaps you could approach it in stages? maybe QT a 1/2 dozen commons in the 10 gal aquarium while the pond is fish-less cycling, then drip- and temp- acclimate them to the pond and add them to the pond. after that, while those guys are in there finishing the cycle for you, get the tubs started with the rest of your fish
 
Huh. I thought those minnows were different. Ah well. :)

learn something new every day!

I'll figure out the QT period sooner or later. :) It's a while off yet anyhow. Probably a good month anyway. Maybe longer.

I'm thinking what I may do to help with the cycle is drain my tanks in to the pond with every water change. I know not a lot of bacteria remains in the water column, but I'm thinking a little can't hurt. But again, that's down the line. I still haven't even gotten the filter finished or installed yet. :)
 
which tanks are you talking about draining to the pond? existing aquaria would be good to kick up the cycle a little, but please not the QT tank,
 
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