adding 2 new goldfish to my established pond

[nick0007]

Hi this is my first post ....I have a nice garden pond approx 1125 gals ...I have 7 mixed fish ...its about 8 foot long by 4 accoss and about 3.5 feet deep . i would like to add 2 more goldfish but i have read so much about them bringing deaseas to the pond is it really worth it ? I cannot quareenteen as dont have the facilities ..any advice would be helpfil ...i live in Surrey near Caterham !

 

[HTH]

I have been the main scare monger on this and it is good to see someone has been paying attention.

Each fish is a risk but it is a small risk if you buy healthy looking fish. Stay away from feeder fish or fish that might have been raised and shipped as feeders but rescued from the feeder tanks so they could be sold for more money. Buying non comet fish that are larger then feeders is a good way of avoiding the repurposed feeders.

 

[Mmathis]

WELCOME!

NOT an expert, but you should get lots of helpful advice to follow. The only suggestion I might make, if QT isn't an option for you, is a "salt dip" for any new fish before you add them to the pond [GOOGLE search that for particulars]. No guarantees, but better than nothing at all. And only buy fish that appear healthy, paying attention to their tank conditions in the store.

If you have any, post pics of your pond for us!

_____________________

I have been the main scare monger on this and it is good to see someone has been paying attention.

Nothing wrong with being the resident "scare monger." Keeps people on their toes!

 

[nick0007]

Many thanks for the advice ... I'm a novice at this but I'm going to take it all on and make a fist of it ....it's great to be aboard this forum I am looking forward to reading so much of it I ll post a photo of my pond soon Thanks for any advice I receive Cheers

 

[addy1]

to our group!

I wander by the fish store off and on, just looking to see how many dead if any fish, usually when the store opens. The one store I have bought some from tends to not have dead fish floating in the tank. One store I have stopped by has a lot of dead. You can get a feel if they are sort of taking care of the fish. Or find someone with a pond that has some spare fish.

 

[HTH]

to our group!

I wander by the fish store off and on, just looking to see how many dead if any fish, usually when the store opens. The one store I have bought some from tends to not have dead fish floating in the tank. One store I have stopped by has a lot of dead. You can get a feel if they are sort of taking care of the fish.

Or if they are getting fish from a bum supplier.

I once talked a fish store owner into getting a dozen black moors from his tropical supplier. They were on sale for a very good price. We salt dipped them when they came an over a period of a 2 weeks watched them die one by one. They would go from fine to dead in about 2 days. We did not do a necropsy but the best explanation I heard was that the supplier had over medicated them. They were time bombs.

 

[addy1]

Got to feel sorry for the lil fish. A walmart near here, has such tiny tanks, way overcrowded, always dead fish, no matter what time you look. My neighbor works there, he says he would never buy a fish from them.

 

[Mmathis]

Got to feel sorry for the lil fish. A walmart near here, has such tiny tanks, way overcrowded, always dead fish, no matter what time you look. My neighbor works there, he says he would never buy a fish from them.

Last time I fish-shopped, I had an urge to grab a net and begin a dead-fish-purge! They probably would have banned me from the store, though....

Surprisingly, our WALLY-WORLD [the one I use here] has fairly healthy-looking [a relative term] tanks. Two of my prettiest Shubies came from there, but that was also the first time I attempted to QT my fish.

Our PetCo is the worst, but have caught PetSmart with bad tanks & not-too-healthy-looking fish a few times. We have a local pet store that is SUPPOSED to specialize in fresh & marine fish. You'd THINK that kind of store would be in top condition, but on my last visit I was disappointed. But it just happened that they had a new shipment and had fish that were still "floating" in plastic bags. I made a few selections from these, BEFORE they released them.

 

[Mmathis]

Many thanks for the advice ... I'm a novice at this but I'm going to take it all on and make a fist of it ....it's great to be aboard this forum I am looking forward to reading so much of it I ll post a photo of my pond soon Thanks for any advice I receive Cheers

We were all novices at one time, and unfortunately our mistakes are part of the learning curve. I don't think I'll ever NOT consider myself a novice. Best thing you can do is LEARN as much as you can -- coming to a place like the GPF is a good start. If you read something that confuses or worries you, dig deeper and get as much information as you can, from multiple sources, and ask questions. You need to UNDERSTAND what's behind it: fact, fiction, or personal opinion? It won't be long before you realize that you are starting to question the "why's" more than the "what's," and figuring things out on your own.

It's an enjoyable and absorbing hobby! Keep us posted

 

[gardengimp]

I QT in a plastic tote with an air stone. The tote I scrub with plain water, the air pump and stone cost less than 15 US dollars. I have more ich problems with goldfish than feeders, no way I would put store bought fish straight into my pond now that I have a healthy established pond.

 

[nick0007]

Thanks guys for all the good advice ....it feels great to be a member of this fantastic forum I could spend days doing nothing else but reading all the posts ...... CHEERS

 

[j.w]

Nick