newbie

[charjar]

Hi, i'm new to this forum as well as to pond life. answers to some general questions would be greatly appreciated. about how many 4-6 inch goldfish should i have in a 400-600g outdoor pond in Houston,Tx? also, do you have to have plants in a pond to keep it clean? ours was clear, but with the weather suddenly turning warm, it has gone dark green, with algae all over the rocks inside it. fish seem to be happy, though; we have 8, 4-6 inch goldfish, but would like to get more, if it won't overcrowd. thanks for any advice you can give.
charjar

 

[schiejr]

Welcome to the forums.

Always best to undercrowd than overcrowd.

I dont have any stocking recommedations at my finger tips. Everyone also uses different formulas and have their preferences. At the size you have, I personally would go one per 50 gallons at most to be on the safe side. Plants are not necessary but they can certainly help by removing nutrients that cause algae in the water. They can also help shade the water which reduces algae and moderates the temp.

Another critical piece of information we would need to know is the type of filter if any. A filtered pond can handle more fish than one that is not but if something happened to the filter such as a clog or mechanical failure the fish could be in trouble real fast if they are crowded.

Did I mention Always best to undercrowd than overcrowd.

 

[aquariumfishguy]

Great minds think alike...

With this pond and situation, I was thinking about one per 50 gallons too. This would mean that 8-9 fish really is the max that you should have in a fairly small pond such as this one.

My next question was (like schiejr's), do you have filtration going through your pond? All ponds under 10,000 gallons should have a filter and the smaller the pond, the more you need a good filtration system IMO.