Does anyone have fish?

[furrybollocks]

Hi there! We bought our house about a year and a half ago with a modern fountain included. Since we have small children in the house, we had a strong plastic covering on top of it to prevent them from falling or playing in it up until yesterday. When we got home, my mom suggested that we go and get some fish for it, just for fun and to see if it would work out. So now we have eight goldfish of four different species, and I would really love some advice on how to keep them healthy and happy!

(My pictures aren't uploading right now; I think they're faulty. I'll get some other pictures later.)

The bottom part of the fountain is a rectangle that is 97.9x48x10 inches (lengthxwidthxdepth) for a total of 203 gallons. This is what the fish are in now, and they seem happy! We got them and two floating "algae balls" from Petco, so they have the entire space to themselves right now. There aren't any plants though, and I think the bottom is a steel grate that covers a filtration and pump system, but it's completely covered in smooth stones.

The top half of the fountain is elevated by a step and is 51.9x16.5x39.9 inches, so 147 gallons, plus a long elongated rectangle (94.5x5.5x12 inches - 26.9 gallons) that's very shallow and ends in a waterfall into the bottom pool. I didn't put the fish in here because I was concerned that they might find themselves in the elongated rectangle and fall over into the bottom.

So my questions are:

1. What kind of fish have the possibility of surviving in a fountain like this? I live in Texas, so the weather is warm and doesn't get excessively cold in the winter. Will the fish I have now do okay?

2. What kind of plants could I put in the water that are best for goldfish, and are there any that grow well on stones or float? My mom is the one in control with what we get, so ideally I need something that won't spawn like crazy and that won't completely obstruct the surface. I know those are hard expectations to meet!

3. Would it be okay to put fish in the top portion of the fountain? It's smaller than the bottom one, but deeper and has more shade. My concern is for the fountain...

Anything basic I need to know? Any help and advice would be really appreciated!

 

[furrybollocks]

This is the bottom section with the fish

and this is the top

 

[Teila]

Howdy furrybollocks

Your pond is lovely!

I have a small pond set-up in my garden.

A solar panel powers the pump which feeds from the bottom pond to the top pond, goes through a home made filter through to the middle pond and back to the bottom pond via a waterfall.

The top pond is a favourite for visiting birds who love to bath in it and have a drink.

I purchased ‘feeder’ fish from the Aquarium store and they have happily lived in the ponds for 5 years now and gotten quite big. We have very hot summers and winter can get coolish; they do not seem to mind.

I used to have plants in there for them but the plants went crazy and took over completely, leaving pretty much nowhere for them to swim! So, no plants now, but some pots and things that they can hide in and overhanging plants. I do have one pond plant in there but it is in a pot and only the root system is below water.

When I first put the fish in the middle pond, some ‘fell over the waterfall’ into the bottom pond but some remained, so I now have 3 large fish in the middle pond and 4 large fish in the bottom.

If I may say, my only concern with your set up is the chance of birds taking your fish. I had an Ibis take one of my fish for breakfast

The overhanging plants help to ‘hide’ the fish from birds. Netting would also help but, for me, it detracts from the beauty of the pond.

I struggle during summer battling the algae and have to use an Algae-fix weekly and frequently clean the filter .. in winter, when it is cooler, the ponds stay crystal clean.

November 2014 (after some readjustment and before the greenery took over and hid the structures):


February 2015 (the 'twiggy' plant on the left is the one that has it's pot in the water):

 

[furrybollocks]

Hi Teila! Your pond is gorgeous! I love the idea of buckets; I was thinking about getting some aquarium decorations from Petco and putting them in there for the fish to hide. I'm not too worried about birds because I live in a big city right next to a very busy main road, so the only bird visitors we tend to get are doves and occasionally a crow or two. My main concern would be if we ever got ducks, and that's a while off! I will definitely try and incorporate some of your ideas into my pond

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I know goldfish, mine are 14 years old and younger, they get big, a good hand full, they are cold water fish, they will suffer in the heat, and produce a lot of waste, I always add aquarium bacteria, it helps get the nitrogen cycle going and will keep down the hair algea. Goldfish will eat a lot of pond plants, and destroy some, they like duck weed when they are a little bigger.

You should provide some hiding places, cinder blocks, pvc pipes, keep it well aerated, goldfish have a high oxygen need, there is more dissolved oxygen in cold water. Love my goldfish, have 27.

 

[Teila]

Hey Furrybollocks

One of the ponds has an aquarium decoration .. a barrel with lots of holes that they can swim in and out of but the other one just has some submerged plant pots on their side with some stones to weigh them down.

We have major Crow problems at the moment to the point that they are driving me to distraction and as I work from home, making concentration hard. Anyways, the Crows and Doves love the water but do not bother the fish.

We live in a residential area also but very close to a bird reserve and Ibis are very common around here.

Good luck with your fish and please share some more pictures of the decorations etc when you have time.

 

[furrybollocks]

Thanks for the advice, both of you! I will definitely keep this updated.

The water in the fountain is decently cool, so I don't think it should be too much of a problem. I'll try and find some floating plants that will give them some shade and protection, especially if we end up with any fry

 

[Teila]

I wish I had some fry!

As I said, my finned friends are coming up to 5 years old and the only eggs I have had in my ponds are frog eggs and the gold fish gobbled those up pretty quickly.

They have no problem doing the mating dance in spring but I think they just eat all the eggs!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You have to have a lot of cover for goldfish eggs to survive, hatch, and thrive, lots of cover, plant roots, hiding places, mine too eat every egg, I couldn't handle the responsibility of all those little goldfish so I'm glad they eat them now.