Any pond/goldfish experts out there?

[L&M]

Hi,

We inherited a pond when we bought our house and was in a bad state. However on cleaning it out we found 6 healthy large goldfish, about 15 cms in length.

We have kept the pond clean, put in a filter and fed the fish over the warmer months, and to our excitement we had a 'baby' around june time. It has survived, fed well all summer and about 5 cms long, so we now have 7 fish.

However we noticed the other day there are around 8 new babies, very small but quite active, and am concerned whether they will survive the winter as so tiny.

Part of me says let nature take its course as not sure the pond is big enough to support another 8 fish, but the animal lover in me is wondering what to do - do I catch them up and rear them in a tank in the house, or is that being ott?!

Also am I right in thinking I don't feed the existing fish over the winter as they will go to the bottom of the pond and hibernate?

Thanks for reading and grateful for any guidance.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I have no idea sorry but discovered babies in our pond. So exciting!
We will leave ours out there I guess, it hadn’t occurred to me to bring them in. It’s a nice idea though if you wanted an indoor tank to have little homebreds!

 

[[153312]]

They'll be fine so long as pond at least 3ft deep. Would not recommend bringing pond fish into tank unless you already have a large cycled tank ready, but cycling can take 6-8 weeks.

 

[L&M]

Thanks both, guess we will see what we have left come spring!

The pond is around 3ft deep in the middle but shallower to the sides.......

Any tips on feeding?

 

[[153312]]

When water temperature is <10°c go to a low protein wheatgerm based feed. Below 5-4°c stop feeding entirely. Don't feed if they aren't active and only small amounts. Keep testing the water, cycle crashes due to low kh/pH coming out of winter and hugely high ammonia because of that aren't uncommon.

 

[L&M]

When water temperature is <10°c go to a low protein wheatgerm based feed. Below 5-4°c stop feeding entirely. Don't feed if they aren't active and only small amounts. Keep testing the water, cycle crashes due to low kh/pH coming out of winter and hugely high ammonia because of that aren't uncommon.

thank you!

 

[danda]

I had a number of baby goldfish in an outside pond some years ago and they kept disappearing I thought they were being eaten by the adults so I did put them in an inside tank and they did fine and grew big enough to be able to hold their own when released outside the following spring. I was probably lucky as I knew nothing about fish or how to look after them.

 

[[153312]]

If they're small enough to fit in the adults mouths they are at risk of being eaten but loads of plant cover is normally sufficient for a few to survive

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

You need a filter on the pond. Goldfish are filthy beasts. Don't put the babies in a tank, they'll outgrown it and their bodies become crushed if in a too small environment.

There's a fish re-homing group on Facebook if you have too many in the pond. Check the size ratios for your size pond.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Sorry, slight tangent
Is it true that a goldfish is a goldfish and they will all grow huge given the space, and equally will stay small If for example kept in a smallish tank? Ie, you don’t get “pony goldfish” and horse goldfish ?

 

[L&M]

I have no idea but certainly rings true in our case. Allegedly our goldfish were titchy when first introduced to the pond, and are now about 7 inches long.......the 'baby' that has grown over the summer started off at a less than a cm and is now at least 3 inches, so I would say in our case yes. The pond is quite large so they have plenty of space.

Ours are supposedly 'Shabumpkins' so maybe a breed that grow bigger, who knows? I was also questioned whether ours were 'carp' - I laughed an replied that they were just goldfish, but someone else then advised me goldfish are actually a type of 'carp' so I am now even more confused!!!!!

We have counted 9 new babies so will be very interesting to see if they survive the winter, but seem to be growing and thriving atm.

 

[adamntitch]

Goldfish are in the carp family but compared to koi etc they don't have whiskers (feelers) on the bottom of there mouth easiest way to tell the main difference shubunkins are just a type of goldfish

 

[L&M]

Goldfish are in the carp family but compared to koi etc they don't have whiskers (feelers) on the bottom of there mouth easiest way to tell the main difference shubunkins are just a type of goldfish

Thanks for clearing that up!

 

[skinnydipper]

Sorry, slight tangent
Is it true that a goldfish is a goldfish and they will all grow huge given the space, and equally will stay small If for example kept in a smallish tank? Ie, you don’t get “pony goldfish” and horse goldfish ?

Its cruel to stunt their growth by keeping them in a tank that's too small.

 

[skinnydipper]

Hi,

We inherited a pond when we bought our house and was in a bad state. However on cleaning it out we found 6 healthy large goldfish, about 15 cms in length.

We have kept the pond clean, put in a filter and fed the fish over the warmer months, and to our excitement we had a 'baby' around june time. It has survived, fed well all summer and about 5 cms long, so we now have 7 fish.

However we noticed the other day there are around 8 new babies, very small but quite active, and am concerned whether they will survive the winter as so tiny.

Part of me says let nature take its course as not sure the pond is big enough to support another 8 fish, but the animal lover in me is wondering what to do - do I catch them up and rear them in a tank in the house, or is that being ott?!

Also am I right in thinking I don't feed the existing fish over the winter as they will go to the bottom of the pond and hibernate?

Thanks for reading and grateful for any guidance.

If you have a shed you could set up a fish vat/holding tank with heater, light, uv, filter and bring them on over the winter.

 

[L&M]

You need a filter on the pond. Goldfish are filthy beasts. Don't put the babies in a tank, they'll outgrown it and their bodies become crushed if in a too small environment.

There's a fish re-homing group on Facebook if you have too many in the pond. Check the size ratios for your size pond.

Thanks - we installed a filter over the summer and the difference in the water is amazing, it is virtually clear all the time now. I have been scooping out any leaves now autumn has come.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Popping a net/mesh helps, you just shake all the leaves off and Mr Heron doesn’t get a free buffet. I’ve got mine staked into the grass around the pond.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Its cruel to stunt their growth by keeping them in a tank that's too small.

Oh yes totally I wasn’t meaning I’d do it or anything. Just asking a genuine question are there varieties that grow big and varieties that stay small, not can we put a little fish in a tank and keep it that way purposely.
My grandad always had a big tank of goldfish but they never grew as big as our pond fish for example.

 

[[153312]]

Oh yes totally I wasn’t meaning I’d do it or anything. Just asking a genuine question are there varieties that grow big and varieties that stay small, not can we put a little fish in a tank and keep it that way purposely.
My grandad always had a big tank of goldfish but they never grew as big as our pond fish for example.

Shubunkins have the potential to grow as large as any other single tailed variety of goldfish in the right conditions. Failure to reach the average for their variety is often due to inadequate conditions - too small, poor diet, poor water quality, etc.
Generally, assuming good husbandry, single tails can get 12-13"; wakins, tamasaba and watonai 8-10"; large fancy varieties like orandas and fantails 7-9"; and other fancy varieties 6-7".
But it can vary a lot between individuals. And yes, environment size does impact growth as the somatostatin that regulates it is more concentrated and accumulates faster in smaller envionments.

 

[[153312]]

Sorry I'm a nerd ?? who is slave to 20 goldies right now, and likes to do her best to combat all the misinformation out there about these guys

 

[poiuytrewq]

Sorry I'm a nerd ?? who is slave to 20 goldies right now, and likes to do her best to combat all the misinformation out there about these guys

You are ? that’s good!
So when you (I and OH) go to the garden centre and purchase a goldfish, what are we getting?
Should we not be doing this?

 

[[153312]]

You are ? that’s good!
So when you (I and OH) go to the garden centre and purchase a goldfish, what are we getting?
Should we not be doing this?

Couldn't tell you without seeing the fish sorry. They are often labelled incorrectly too

Whether you "should" or not depends on lots of things. Personally I avoid my local garden centre because their animal welfare is appalling.