Fish offered...to me...stupid questions...

[wuftytufty]

Hi,

Right, we have a gardener, who is coming to do lots of other things, but he has said that he has rescued some fish from someone elses swimming pool, and that there are a variety of what I presume are fish of different sizes available.

I know the pond would cope with about 2 of the smaller ones, bearing in mind that they will grow, quite possibly up to a foot long, or more, but I think the biggest are about a foot long, so it seems a fair assumption.

However, my stupid questions are as follows - please be gentle, I am learning a lot!

1: Will they eat my small minnow type fish?
2: Will they eat the lilypads?
3: Will they eat the algae?
4: Will they eat the insects, baby newts and larvae that occur naturally in the pond?
5: What natural food options will be ideal, as would like to avoid adding too much food to the pond, but happy to add a little every few days to boost them.

I was just thinking of getting a few really small goldfish, that won't grow so big, as then they can't eat the other things, because they won't be big enough!

By the time we have finished the pond, we will have lots of stones around the edge, providing lost of hidyholes for critters etc....

Just don't want some kind of hungry piranha gobbling monster to eat all the critters and little fish and baby newts we have almost broken our backs to save and preserve!!

Apologies for my ignorance!

Thanks.

 

[addy1]

Are they koi? They like to munch on everything. Not sure about newts etc. If they are koi they will munch on the lilies. They like to muck around in the bottom of a pond, stir up the gravel looking for nibbles.

Goldfish, still not sure if they would eat newts, since I have no experience with them. My gf collection seem to mainly munch on algae, I am sure they eat bugs that end up in the pond. I do have snails they seem to leave alone (don't find a ton of empty snail shells) They do leave the lilies and other plants alone, except anacharis, they love that stuff.

When they spawn they inhale any eggs they find, I would think they will eat larvae they run across, if it tastes good!

 

[Fishylove]

Depending on the type of fish

1- koi- not so much, but will if you are not feeding them and they are depending on the nature in the pond.
Goldfish- YES
2- koi- nibble yes, dig them up if you don't have the root sheltered from them( ie tucked behind rocks etc) YES.
Gold- never noticed the doing this, as addy said, they eat string algae.
3- koi-yes
Goldfish-yes String algae, many ponders do not like string algae and try to get rid of it, I think it adds to the natural aspect of things.
4- koi- depends on the bugs and larvae but yes. Snails yes (love snails) newts- do not have a clue don't see them around here.
Goldfish-not so much. Bugs and larvae-yes ---- not sure about dragonfly larvae.
5- koi- they will eat what's there, and you can feed them as much as you feel necessary.
Same for goldfish

As far as getting goldfish that will not get very big, you will have to get fancytails.

 

[HARO]

WT;
Having followed your threads, I believe you are going for more of a nature type pond. Koi or goldfish will DEFFINITELY upset this delicate environment, and your newts will be history. I would NOT put anything other than local minnows in this pond.
John

 

[Fishylove]

I tend to agree wufty, I think you like the fact you found fingerlings in there, sounds to me you enjoy the critters more

 

[wuftytufty]

Thanks for the comments! I think we might get a couple more minnows to put in, but I think we would rather see the frogs, newts and insects that come by. Will defo be getting snails though.

 

[wuftytufty]

Yay, found some slightly brighter looking Minnows that are *sort of* local to Germany, so will get a few on order. Not sure whether to leave this until spring now? We are just coming into Autumn now, so wonder if it is better to wait until Spring or will it not make a blind bit of difference?!?

 

[HARO]

I doubt it matters in your climate.
John

 

[Fishylove]

Naaa! Bring em' on! They'll be happy to have a place to call home! :cheerfull:

 

[Waterbug]

Wildlife Pond keepers don't like to add any fish at all (real touchy subject) because they'd prefer the bugs be food for other creatures and also lots of bugs create a more dynamic system. I'm not for a second saying you should or shouldn't...just don't know how far you want to go.

When I was growing up I had a mud pond that didn't have fish (dried up in summer) and it had lots of life. Very interesting, always changing. Every summer I dug it out a little more, took about 5 years but I finally could support some fish and I was very happy. They do change a pond in a big way, even a few fish. Not good or bad imo, just different.

 

[wuftytufty]

Right, minnow will be on order...with snails and also some waterlettuce, will "try" to overwinter it, out of curiosity, but it is really cheap if I buy it again, next year!

 

[addy1]

I have a mix of wildlife ponds and fish ponds. My big pond, shubbie tank, deck pond have fish. The stream ponds, preforms are fish free. I do notice the frogs lay eggs in the fish free ponds, they skip the others. The tad poles end up everywhere s time goes on, but most stay in the fish less ponds, some get washed down into the fish ponds.