New to fish ponds - not completely sure what to do

[bazil323]

For the fancies that get about 8-10", it's recommended to have at least 30g. For others it's recommended 55g. Don't even think about koi as they need insane amounts of room! Considering that they get a minimum of 2 feet long, that would need a huge pond.

Anyway, I always overestimate the filter I need and underestimate the amount of fish I can get. That way I know that I'll have enough filtration and won't be overstocking.

For a 75g pond, I think 2-3 fancies would be it, and if you want the more stream-lined bodied goldfish like comets, only 1-2.

Btw, I used Tetra SafeStart for my 75g community tank. I did move my filters from my 16 along with everything else that was in that tank (fish, decor, etc.), so it had a head start, but it wasn't enough to cope with the size and addition of a few more fish. So I picked up a bottle of SafeStart for a 75g tank (I forget how many ounces that is), and it was less than $15.

 

[PallasAthena]

For the fancies that get about 8-10", it's recommended to have at least 30g. For others it's recommended 55g. Don't even think about koi as they need insane amounts of room! Considering that they get a minimum of 2 feet long, that would need a huge pond.

Anyway, I always overestimate the filter I need and underestimate the amount of fish I can get. That way I know that I'll have enough filtration and won't be overstocking.

For a 75g pond, I think 2-3 fancies would be it, and if you want the more stream-lined bodied goldfish like comets, only 1-2.

Btw, I used Tetra SafeStart for my 75g community tank. I did move my filters from my 16 along with everything else that was in that tank (fish, decor, etc.), so it had a head start, but it wasn't enough to cope with the size and addition of a few more fish. So I picked up a bottle of SafeStart for a 75g tank (I forget how many ounces that is), and it was less than $15.

Oh, thanks for the tip. I was wanting fancies, but I figured they would need more space than the others. Based on what I've read on the internet, I think Rambo's a comet. I do not intend to get Koi. I definitely don't have anywhere near the setup needed to keep them humanely.

 

[Desertponder]

Personally, I'm going to highly discourage you from adding gravel to the bottom of your pond.
Rock/no rock in the pond debates can get quite heated on pond forums but since you are new to ponding I would suggest you stay away from rock in the bottom of your pond. It will be easier for you to maintain the pond and keep your water quality good. Waste and debris just collects in the gravel and can make for some nasty conditions unless you can keep up with regular maintenance.

 

[PallasAthena]

Okay, here are some pictures so you can kind of see what I've got going on.

Rambo's pond

A close up so you can see the shape a little more

Rambo's filter/pump box (you can kind of see the black sludge that's packed in there

And finally...

Rambo! The little survivor fish

Any ideas on what he might be? Common goldfish? How about the pond size? 75 gal? What do y'all think?

 

[Hebily]

I'd say no more than 75. IMO, the notch out of one corner compensates for the deeper part...

That water fountain should be plenty for aeration. Personally, I'd ditch the sprinkler head fountain.

BTW, you see the moss growing on the fence? When you have to replace the fence, I would do something to prevent that... Stainless steel fence, a really thick coat of polyurethane, or put the verticle rock part out further... something. IMO, that moss is going to be the death of that fence.

 

[msjinkzd]

as for adding water condition for refill, just add it to the volume of the pond (pond strength prime is great) and then fill it up. You don't need to use buckets. Good luck with rambo and your pond

 

[PallasAthena]

I am pretty sure there's a leak somewhere. I measured the water level yesterday evening and then this evening. It had dropped by an inch. That's a little extreme for evap, right? I diverted the water from the waterfall to the fountain, so that should tell me if the leak is in the waterfall or if it's in the pond liner. *sigh*

 

[Hebily]

Was the fountain on? If the weather is dry and hot, that is an expected amount of loss... If the fountain was on, then that adds to evap/splashing losses. If the liner is leaking, you can get this super cool pond liner repair tape... if it's in the waterfall, it is probably in a pipe joint. If you can find an access point, a plumber should be able to fix it for under a hundred bucks, or you can try yourself with things like JD weld Putty. If you attempt to do it yourself, and fail, your efforts will likely make a professional repair cost more. You can leave the pump off for a while to find out for sure if the basin is leaking, but you will still have some evaporation. Also, is it possible that something furry is drinking from the pond? Stray cat? Raccoons? Maybe birds? That's something I'd like to see... a furry bird playing in a pond.

 

[Jennie Beth]

Remember though, your pond isn't huge, so it doesn't take a whole lot of water loss to drop the level. The pond at my old house used to routinely drop almost an inch on a hot day with the falls going, and it wasn't much bigger than yours. My big tub pond here dropped a little this last weekend, and the water in it has nowhere to go but evap... Might look around the edges and behind the falls for wet or muddy patches though, they are a sure sign of leakage. Welcome to the life of a pond keeper!! Gotta say, though, the good soooo outweighs the bad when you go out in the morning to say hello to your fishy and see if any of your lilies are blooming yet...I have a teeny lily that is only supposed to have a 1' spread...It is still a baby, but something like that might fit in your pond and give Rambo more hiding places, too. Does the pond get any sunshine?

I think you said something about your filter floating around a bit? I just bought one for my pond, haven't installed it yet, but it looks like a similar thing. Black box with mesh inside and a top with holes in it? The instructions with mine say you can either remove some of the lower foam and put in lava rock, which makes good places for bacteria to live, and will help weigh it down, or put a rock or two on top. I am going to try the lava rock.

Good luck!!
Jen

 

[PallasAthena]

Ah, okay, so it may be evap. Although the weather hasn't been too hot. Also, we do have a furry menace running around the yard. A big, brown boxer. I caught her this morning kneeling and craning her neck to drink from the pond.

I measured the water level last night before bed: 5" at the shallows (should be 10"). I'll measure tonight. There's boggy ground around the sides of the pond by the falls, but it's hard to tell what of that is splash and what is leakage. I'm afraid if the leak is in the falls, we'll just have to not use it. I don't think the plumbing is accessible in any way. It's bricked into the rocks and the vertical bit is attached to the fence. I don't think I can get to the plumbing without some major demolition. Then, no more waterfall anyway.

If the leak turns out to be the waterfall, I may turn that into a glorified planter with some maidenhair ferns or something. There are misters built in to water a giant hanging plant that we threw away (it had fallen into the pond and drowned), so that would keep the ferns happy.

I'm not sure if the moss on the fence is from these misters or from a leak. I've had the misters turned off for a while, but we've been getting the marine layer coming in off the water, so things have been cool and misty anyway.

Ah, the joys of pond ownership.