Baby Goldfish Fry

[Nanz]

New to the forum and so excited to have found you people! I have a 650 gal pond. 5 'goldfish', 5 Koi or Shubunkins and 2 fancy goldfish. At least one of the standard type goldfish has laid eggs several times this year (twice this past week alone). The first spawning was in late May. I did have what I assumed was a fry or 2 swimming down deep. They were hard to see and I could only spot them occasionally and only at night with the pond lights on. I have not seen any for at least a week. I'm guessing the other fish found them. My question is, do the fry swim low in the water vs closer to the top? I also have mosquito fish who are quite prolific. Those babies usually swim at the surface. Thanks!

 

[rubyduby]

Welcome to the forum! There is a big difference in waste load between Shubunkins and Koi...650 gallons is too small for koi and your water quality will suffer if they are indeed koi...I don't know how big they are but if you can you might want to see if they have barbels (like whiskers...search the forum for pics) which koi have....As far as the fry go, do you have underwater lights? I do and notice that the fry always swim in the beam at night, especially if there is some hornwort or similar in front...As you probably know oxygenating plants are an excellent safe house for fry...I had to take mine out because I wound up with too many babies surviving! Maybe someone else on the forum knows the answer to your question but I have observed them swimming at all levels....BTW I have heard that mosquito fish are quite aggressive...I wonder if they could be attacking your fry...Someone on here will be able to answer that also

 

[Nanz]

Perhaps I am wrong about the size (photo below). It seems quite adequate for the amount of fish I have. I have also read that all fish will eat the fry, not just mosquito fish. It is common for no fry to survive?

The water is a little dirtier over the past couple of months than prior, and there is algae growing on the rocks, so it's greener than usual. I'm in CA, have been having ridiculously hot weather which may contribute to the current condition. I've had the pond for about 2-1/2 years and have had overall good luck with it.

 

[j.w]

@Nanz
Hope it is Shubunkins and not koi. Babies that I view seem to stick to the surface and hide in floating plants. In my pond I never see any fry anymore. Think they (eggs) are all getting eaten but not sure if that is the reason. I do see the fish spawning.

 

[Tula]

I noticed new koi fry swam closer to the water's surface, but as they got bigger they swam all over. My adult koi would not eat koi fry once hatched, but they gobbled the eggs!

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome!

I only have goldfish, but I have noticed the fry tend to stay closer to the top, and hidden in plants.

 

[Nanz]

Now I'm wondering what little fishes were down there swimming since most of you say they swim at the top. They were about the size of a grain of rice. Definitely not the mosquito fish. Curiouser and curiouser.

 

[Laaf]

Of all of the fry I have ever seen in my pond, only one survived to adulthood. I think they get eaten by fish and frogs.

 

[YShahar]

We've got some shubunkin and goldfish fry (now, small fish with some color just starting). Ours pretty much stay near the bottom, such that it's really hard to see them. I haven't seen any new ones though. I'm guessing that since the mosquito fish population took off most goldfish fry don't stand a chance.

 

[Nanz]

I originally got the mosquito fish for a DIY pond, to (obviously) eliminate any mosquito infestation. Should I rehome them now that I have the other fish? I can purchase a smaller prefab pond if needed.

 

[YShahar]

I originally got the mosquito fish for a DIY pond, to (obviously) eliminate any mosquito infestation. Should I rehome them now that I have the other fish? I can purchase a smaller prefab pond if needed.

I think it's entirely an individual decision. Personally, I really like having the mosquito fish in the pond, as they can get to all the little niches where mosquito larvae might hide. I also like the fact that they keep my goldfish from overbreeding. I've got a fairly big pond (about 13,000 liters or just over 3,000 gallons). But it's a bit small for koi or for too many large comets, at least without a bog filter.

Once I get the bog filter up and running, I may revisit the idea of introducing a couple of koi, but even then, I'm thinking the mosquito fish will be helpful in keeping the fish population managed.

 

[Mgessert]

Hmmm. Since my pond is only 300 gallons, I’m planning a fall fish roundup to remove and rehome the dozen or so young goldfish that appeared this year. If I get a couple of mosquito fish, will they prevent this issue in the future? Or will I just end up doing a mosquito fish roundup?

 

[YShahar]

Hmmm. Since my pond is only 300 gallons, I’m planning a fall fish roundup to remove and rehome the dozen or so young goldfish that appeared this year. If I get a couple of mosquito fish, will they prevent this issue in the future? Or will I just end up doing a mosquito fish roundup?

Not sure one could easily accomplish a "mosquito fish roundup"! Those little things are fast! I don't know if you'd ever get them all out of there, short of draining the pond. But I think that, given time, the fish population will stabilize, one way or the other. The mosquito fish do seem to gobble up goldfish eggs and fry, though I'm sure they miss a few here and there. I'm happy enough just to leave them in there.

I would worry more if I wanted to keep koi, as they can grow really fast, and have a supercharged metabolism while growing. That's one reason I'm holding off on koi for now. Goldfish can get to a respectable size, but they take years to grow, so I'm sticking with them for now. And the little mosquito fish, even in large numbers, are small enough that they don't overload the pond.

 

[Nanz]

I think it's entirely an individual decision. Personally, I really like having the mosquito fish in the pond, as they can get to all the little niches where mosquito larvae might hide. I also like the fact that they keep my goldfish from overbreeding. I've got a fairly big pond (about 13,000 liters or just over 3,000 gallons). But it's a bit small for koi or for too many large comets, at least without a bog filter.

Once I get the bog filter up and running, I may revisit the idea of introducing a couple of koi, but even then, I'm thinking the mosquito fish will be helpful in keeping the fish population managed.

Can you post a picture of your pond so I can see the 3,000 gallon size? I believe I was told mine was 650 gallons. How large should a pond be to house 2 or 3 koi? I thought mine was large enough, but reading this forum appears I could be wrong.

 

[YShahar]

Can you post a picture of your pond so I can see the 3,000 gallon size? I believe I was told mine was 650 gallons. How large should a pond be to house 2 or 3 koi? I thought mine was large enough, but reading this forum appears I could be wrong.

Here are a couple of pictures looking from different directions:

I'm thinking that you'd want at least 2,000 gallons to house koi, plus a really good filtration system. They need a lot of room and the ability to deal with a great deal of fish waste. Others here on the forum who have more experience with koi could probably give more specific advice on koi-keeping!