Pond Fish

[Stina]

You may also be able to put small fancy ones such as Orandas, Telescope-eyed, Black Moors, and possibly Ranchus in there, but keep in mind that some of those fish can't swim as well as the comets.

Fancies almost never survive in ponds for very long...they are just too sensitive to water conditions and temperature changes. The only "fancy" goldfish that have any chance at truly doing well in a pond are regular fantails.

Goldfish are extremely fast growing fish, and when they are given truly proper conditions with enough space, they can grow upwards of 6" in one year. Contrary to popular believe, goldfish do not healthily grow to the size of their tank/pond/bowl.....their growth will be stunted if they are overcrowded or in something too small, and their internal organs will grow faster than they do externally and they end up dying of organ failure after a couple of years....when they can live over 20.​

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Quote:
Fancies almost never survive in ponds for very long...they are just too sensitive to water conditions and temperature changes. The only "fancy" goldfish that have any chance at truly doing well in a pond are regular fantails.

Goldfish are extremely fast growing fish, and when they are given truly proper conditions with enough space, they can grow upwards of 6" in one year. Contrary to popular believe, goldfish do not healthily grow to the size of their tank/pond/bowl.....their growth will be stunted if they are overcrowded or in something too small, and their internal organs will grow faster than they do externally and they end up dying of organ failure after a couple of years....when they can live over 20.

Not the ones I had. It also depends on how you acclimate them to the water conditions. It may also depend on where the pond is and what kind of system it has. From what I remember goldfish can be fairly hardy when taken care of and given a proper diet.

 

[hikerchick]

Note to self: locate and remove turtle.

 

[allison finch]

Keep the snapper and keep bringing him fish. Snappers are great fun. As it grows, you can drop mice and rats you catch in traps to it. The turtle can be taught to come to be fed. Heck, when you lose a chicken (after the snapper gets bigger) you can feed it those too.
I love the turtles in my pond. They eat out of my hand (no, they are not snappers).

 

[Stina]

Not the ones I had. It also depends on how you acclimate them to the water conditions. It may also depend on where the pond is and what kind of system it has. From what I remember goldfish can be fairly hardy when taken care of and given a proper diet.

What part of my post are you referring to??..... The fancies? Fancies are no where near as hardy as comets and shubunkin...even with a proper diet. Comets and shubunkin are generally incredibly hardy fish that will survive incredibly appaulling conditions. Some fancies may be more hardy than many other fish, but they still are generally much much more sensitive than goldfish with the wild body type. I've never known anyone who had them do alright in a pond for very long. I've known only a few people who were able to keep them a couple years before they died....but again they should be able to live close to or over 20.​

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Quote:
What part of my post are you referring to??..... The fancies? Fancies are no where near as hardy as comets and shubunkin...even with a proper diet. Comets and shubunkin are generally incredibly hardy fish that will survive incredibly appaulling conditions. Some fancies may be more hardy than many other fish, but they still are generally much much more sensitive than goldfish with the wild body type. I've never known anyone who had them do alright in a pond for very long. I've known only a few people who were able to keep them a couple years before they died....but again they should be able to live close to or over 20.

I understand that not "all" of the fancies will thrive outdoors. I had a bubble eyed goldfish and unfortunately, one of it's bubbles popped because it got caught in the filter. Obviously something that fragile would not do too well.

A story I once read said this: There was a guy who got his Pearlscale goldfish to spawn successfully and did not have enough room for all of the fry. Instead he gave half of them to a friend of his. While he kept his goldfish in an aquarium, his friend put them in a pond. They were given to him at 1-2 inches in size. Now, six months later, his friend's goldfish have doubled in size compared to the ones he had an aquarium.

I'm guessing that they survived since he was able to tell that they doubled in size. Hence why I said "keep in mind that some of those fish can't swim as well as the comets" because of the way their bodies are shaped and the absence of dorsal fins or presence of abnormally large eyes may slow them down. Not to mention the many bright colors they come in. So they may, or may not, do as well as comets, shubunkins, fantails, or wakins.

Sorry to cause this tussle. I have just heard and read different things contrary to this.

 

[Stina]

I don't see it as a tussle, just a discussion

The pearlscales...what have the temps been in the pond?...further south they may do much better....but in my experience and from what I've heard the fancies are just no where near as hardy as the wild type bodied fish.

I have wakin btw

Not "nice" ones though...they are from the feeder tanks! If you keep an eye out you will occasionally find them!

 

[pokey]

i had several black moors and lionheads in our pond for several years through winters and hot summers. they did fine. most were the size of my fist. we live in the south, but the pond did ice over in the winter, and there were a few plants for shade in summer. while we did not have a snapping turtle, we did have a godzilla of a bullfrog! it was eating the 8 -10 inch koi i had in there.by the way, if you don't relocate your turtle far enough they will come back........

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Quote:
I'm not quite sure about the pond temps. I either read it in a magazine or at fishchannel.com I can't remember.

That's neat about the wakins! I've seen pics of the really nice ones, but I've never cared to notice if they were in the feeder thanks. I'll keep an eye out next time I go to the store. Though the pet store we go to doesn't seem to have a wide variety of stuff. And if they do, all of the weird looking ones like the celestial eyes, bubble eyes, ranchus, etc. will be really small. It has been a while since I've kept fancy goldfish and I currently only have 3 comets that a friend gave me because she was using them for a Science Fair project. No harm done to them and they actually seem to be getting along with my 3 tiger barbs. I'm thinking about getting some again, but right now, my saltwater tank is my main priority

 

[silkiechicken]

I got a blue gill from a feeder tank, called him meat fish. LOL

He ate left over meats, hot dogs, and "junk food" in addition to worms and such. He never wanted to eat fish pellets... probably too spoiled on jun kfood.