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Page 2 about
Feng Shui Ponds |
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This page contains Customer Comments and our Replies about Ponds, Fish, and Feng Shui. Click
here
to go back to the first page in this discussion. |
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| The advertisement, shown below, links to
this advertiser's web site. |
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LAGUNA KOI PONDS
Meeting all of your Koi and
Pond Care Needs! |
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Customer Comments |
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i saw your lil bucket pond & thought it was really neat ... i bet my whole family would like one on our deck ... i read
everything & it's the perfect spot; there's some sunlight, but not directly. i really liked the fish too ...
i live in pa, so i think it would do well. i have a 5-gal tropical aquarium, so what would i do with that big of a fish in the winter?
instead of a goldfish, would a few mollies (i'm breeding some dalmation sailfins & balloons) do allright? i think they would, but i'm not sure ... if not, i'll just put in a
few small (like 3-inch) goldfish.
also, how much did this lil toy cost? it can't be too much, just a barrell & liner, right?
thanx!
-david:)
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| Reply. Hello David, thank you for your email and your enthusiasm about my "lil bucket pond".
I think your Mollies will do fine outside on your deck in a small Barrel Pond like the one shown in the pictures above. Move them outdoors when the water temperature is about
the same in your aquarium and in your pond.
White Clouds would be another good choice as fish in a pond like this one. I've had White Clouds in my pond. Last winter when it got cold here in San Diego, the water
temperature in my pond got down to 50 degrees and then even a few degrees cooler lower. Of course, the water in your pond will probably get much colder next winter in Pennsylvania.
Goldfish can live in water with frozen ice on the surface, but when the water temperature got to 50 degrees, my White Clouds stopped eating. So I put them in a fish bowl and
brought them back inside my house, where it was warmer. Click
here to read more about this adventure with my
White Clouds. |
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this advertiser's web site. |
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| You will have to bring your Mollies back into your house and put them back in your aquarium, when the temperature gets to 65 degrees F. or so next
fall. This is just a guess-timate of the temperature. You should watch your fish, and when their behavior changes, bring them back inside.
What kind of behavior? Well I knew that when my White Clouds stopped eating, I had to move them back inside. If your Mollies stop eating or start to shimmy or crash on the
bottom of the pond, then you'll need to move them. Click
here to read more about general Signs of Stress and
Disease in all types of fish.
Finally, what did my pond cost? The pre-cut barrel was about $20.00 and the liner was about $20.00, as I remember. I got them both at Home Depot, and I made sure the liner fit
nicely inside the barrel before I got them.
As
mentioned above you'll
need a layer of aquarium
gravel about 1/4" thick.
I bought three bags of aquarium gravel
for about $2.00 a bag. I
mixed the three colors,
but you probably only need one bag or even less.
If you add a handful of gravel from your aquarium, it'll help the water in your new pond to clear quickly. If you have a lot of gravel in your aquarium, take all but a layer
that is 1/4" thick out of your aquarium, rinse it gently with a small amount of aquarium water, then put that gravel from your aquarium in your pond.
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| By the way, don't use gravel that might possibly be contaminated. Use gravel that is labeled for use in aquariums.
You should have some
water conditioner. It costs less than $3.00. I only used it once, when I first filled my pond with water. Now when I change 20% of the water in
my Pond twice each week, I don't need to add water conditioner. I'm saving the rest of the conditioner in case I have a catastrophe and need to change most of the water in my pond. Click
here
for more information about Water Conditioner.
You should also have a fish net that is big enough to reach every where in your pond and catch your biggest fish. You can buy a 5" net for about $2.00, and it
should work. Then again you probably already have a fish net for your aquarium.
I got a Gravel Washer for less than $7.00, and it's helped keep my little pond sparkling clean. I use it to clean the gravel, when I
remove 20% of the water. You could use it on both your aquarium and on your new pond. Click
here for more about
the Gravel Washer.
Adding up all the Costs, I get a total of less than $60.00 for everything that I mentioned, and I've had a barrel of fun for that $60.00. Good luck with your pond.
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this advertiser's web site. |
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Customer Comments |
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I have a whiskey barrel pond on my back patio which includes a pump, mech/bio
filter and
a
fountainhead
along with
a couple
of water
plants in
containers.
Last
summer I
put 9
little 10¢
goldfish
... and 2 bottom feeders in it just to see if they would survive. I put them in in
about April of last year.
The bottom feeders did not make it but the goldfish survived quite well during our Oklahoma winter in spite of about 2 inches of solid
ice covering the surface during one of our very cold spells. To my enjoyment, they seem to be thriving and have grown from their approx. 1" beginning size to approx. 4"
right now.
To add
to my
collection
of
various
little
container
ponds, I
set up
an old
laundry
tub on
my front
porch
about 3
months
ago with
a faucet
that
runs the
circulated
water
thru it
to
appear
that
water is
running
all the
time. I
added 2
more
little
"cheapie"
... goldfish to it about a two months ago.
As you know, the little baby ones
... are very drab in color but in a very short time as they mature they turn to their
pretty gold colors. It's fun to see what color or striped markings they end up with. To my surprise, one of the 2 that I put in the laundry tub has turned out to be a beautiful
black color with just a streak of gold running horizontally from front to back on both sides.
I find this very unusual. I'm not a fish person or even a serious hobbyist, so I don't know if this is rare or common and I've just never
seen it before. Thus, the reason for this email to you. I first thought that fish might be diseased in some way. But he/she has been like this for over a month and appears to be
very healthy.
I just wanted to know if I have a "rarity" or if these markings are common. I know there are some fancy and expensive goldfish
that are called "Black Moors" but aren't they all black in color? Did I get one of those in error or do I simply have a quirk of nature in my laundry tub?
Thanks for your info and your time.
Nancy L. |
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| Reply.
Hello Nancy. Thank you very much for the details about your container ponds and your fish.
The bottom feeders might have been Plecostomus, and they will not survive in water with ice on the surface. Click
here
for more about Plecostomus.
But Goldfish can survive the winter in a container pond with ice on the surface. Of course they must adapt slowly to cooler water, which is probably what happened to your
Goldfish last fall.
If the ice gets too thick, it will not allow the oxygen from the air to get into the water, which would not be good for the Goldfish. So, many people break a hole in the ice,
or find some other way to keep a hole in the ice.
I would also say that your barrel and laundry tub will not be big enough to hold all of your fish, as they grow larger. You should test the water at least once a week. Click
here
for more information about how to test your water.
If the water quality is not good, you will need to get more containers or a pond for your fish.
You mentioned that small Goldfish are drab in color. Goldfish are usually gray, tan, or olive green, when they are very small.
When they grow to be about 1.5 to 2 inches long, they change color and most of them turn orange, or orange and white, or even solid white. But a few have some black, all black,
or black with orange, like the one you mentioned.
Even as they grow much larger, Goldfish will often change color for no apparent reason. This color change does not seem to affect their health.
Every Goldfish is unique, if you look closely enough. But usually the term "rare" or "rarity" is not applied.
You might also enjoy some Shubunkin Comets, which are a calico colored Goldfish. Click
here to see them
and to read more about Pond Comet Goldfish like yours.
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