Geez, I know, Another newbie...me!

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Hey guys. I am a newbie to owning a self made pond, not new to growing up with one. That being said, I have a mystery! I put in a small 31 gal prefab pond in my shade garden, primarily to fill the hole rainwater left from my roof in the spring. And naturally, I thought it a great idea to throw some goldfish in while I'm at it. I already had 2 fantails and two goldfish from a little overstocked bowl in my house. (Yes, I know, it was a bad environment and a poor decision...hence the pond thought also, two birds, one stone, right?). Well, ok, thats the back story.
Within two days of owning this pond, my resident frog enjoyed a good swim. Within a week, my resident garter snake came for a swim also and stayed all day. (In that time I also bought a few more cheap pond goldfish). Now, I knew both my fantails were alive when the snake came for a bath. I was also aware he would take a fishy dinner if he could catch it. I was ok with that. After all, these arent expensive Koi.
Next day, one of my fantails is gone! I trully assumed his fat slow swimming self got eaten. I was resigned to it. But weirdly, just today, a few days later, I found him half rotten a foot away from the pond, in my sword fern! How on earth did that happen! In the meantime, his/her fantail buddy is busy laying eggs and being chased by its bowl buddies while she lays eggs all over the new pond.
Now, my pond is slightly off level, so in a hard rainstorm, it siphones off the back, like natural water replacement, but not so hard to have washed him two feet into the plants! Did the snake realize he was too small to eat? Maybe the frog? Fascinating isnt it?
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sissy

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welcome and found all preforms rise and sink with frost heave .Had one until my front porch was done .Fish can also jump out of a pond while being chased .I want more fat fantails i love them but they have never layed eggs for me
 
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Ahhh! I was actually worried about fantail survival in "the wild" of an open pond, but I knew it was a better environment then my indoor "pond" I had. I had no experience with fantials until these two I bought, but I noticed throughout the winter, in my little indoor pond, she got fatter and fatter....I suspected her as female. It came to no surprise that (perfectly timed), she dropped eggs in the new pond. Maybe I was just lucky to buy a female. I still worry about her though. Any snake will eat her, shes too slow and poor swimming to escape. If (or when) she is eaten, and I have no doubt she will be eventually, I cant see buying more. There is no way to keep snakes out of my pond, and I really dont want to. They are a cycle of life I can live with. I have little hope her fry will survive to adulthood.

Ps. If that fat slow fantail jumped two feet to escape a chase, it should get a gold medal! Wish I coulda seen that! Lol!
 

Mmathis

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Hello and welcome! You may have a predator (bird, rat, cat, raccoon....frog, snake....), or the fish could have jumped out. Test your water for ammonia (etc.). Sometimes fish will jump out of the pond if their water environment isn't friendly (water parameters not within normal limits.).
 

sissy

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yep they are slow mine are around 13 years old now ,well at least that is how long i have had them .They cost me a dollar a piece at the koi farm .They told me the 2 came mixed in with a delivery of new koi .So I took them .I have never had babies from mine and mine are both fatties so maybe both girls
 
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thanks guys for replies. I think I was weirdly lucky (or unlucky) to get a female fantail and two black male goldfish and so nature happens.
As for the water quality, like I said, it is a very new pond, less then two weeks old with a filter much bigger then it needs but I knew it needed a clean and a water change when my small fountain made bubble bath! Never any sign of the fish gulping air or jumping till this fish mysteriously appeared about 2 feet from the pond. I have had the occassional frog and snake...but either of them leaving it uneaten is a mystery.

And sissy! 13 year old fantails in your pond! Thats amazing! No predators youve encountered? Well it seems amazing to me. I had little hope for those genetic freaks tbh, even though I love them. Maybe you have no males to spawn with or their eggs all eaten? I dont know anything about fish breeding. I do know they are cannibals though, and goldfish fry competing against giant Koi seems insurmountable.
 
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sissy

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I have no real predators here that I have seen so far <crossing my fingers as I say that ;)The deer do come up and drink from my pond .I have had a skunk here but he went on to better pastures I guess .No raccoons so far .I live out in the country so the biggest escapes that have visited were cows and a horse and 2 bear cubs .My poor city dogs at that time had no idea what a cow or horse or deer was .They lived in NJ most of there lives and then we retired here to the country .Sad:)() to say my city dogs have passed away and now I own 2 chihuahuas and a pitbull
 
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Oooh, you have chins? I had one. Sadly our son threw a gummy bear in his cage and destroyed his kidneys which killed him, but he was a happy member of our family for 7 years. They are very sensitive to sugar as you know. I love pits as well, Beautiful dogs.
 

sissy

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I had 3 albino pits as you can see the 2 my son owns in the pic .Pee wee and puddles are saves from a puppy mill and my pitbull king arthur is also a rescue pee wee and the king and my fat puddles
 

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sissy

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My mother raised chi's while i was growing up .I always had bigger dogs when I got married .All my dogs have been rescues .
 

sissy

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What a cutie .Puddles is just a tad bit over weight :);)I think he is making up for his neglect .Pee wee was 7 weeks old and his momma died in the puppy mill and puddles was from a breeder that neglected her dogs and was shut down and he was skin and bones when I got him and was 7 months old
 
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Well he seems to be over compensated for his troubles, lol. I volunteered at a dog rescue and luckily, most of the dogs were not the product of mills or hoarders but people who were unsuitable to the breed. Thats more important then ever. Research your compatibility with the breed you are taking home more then their looks or persona you want to represent. More dogs are thrown away due to human arrogance then deserved.
 

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