I would like to see my fish more...

[Zrz11386]

Hey guys,

I inherited a pond a little while ago and have been learning on my own how to take care of it. There's about 7-8 goldfish in there from the previous owners, but they rarely come out unless they are eating. I almost never see them otherwise. I would like to see them a little more and have been trying to find ways to get them to come out more often. Does anyone have any ideas?

Pond Info:
- approx. 48''x48''x12'' in size (shallow from what Ive been told, but that's how the previous owners built it and dont think theres anything I can do about it at this point"
- usually keep about 1/2 the pond covered with lilies and hyacinths.
- waterfall with a 6-8 inch drop
- feed fish every other day
- located in Baltimore, MD so temps can get rather warm June-August
- not positive on the type of fish but I theres 2 shubunkins and 5-6 small skinny fast guys in there, no koi

Any help or advice you can give me is greatly appreciated!

Zach

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Fish likely perceive you as a predator. Do you spend much time around the pond other than when you feed them? Once they realize that you are not the 'Bogie Man' they will become less skittish.

 

[Zrz11386]

I try to. I'm not out there all night but do try to spend a little time each day sitting by the pond or near it attempting to watch the fish. But if that's the issue thats a good sign, id rather they be a bit afraid of me as opposed to having them live in an environment thats not conducive to them swimming in the open or near the surface.

 

[Usman]

Train them from food , try to feed them less and see if they are more interested when u feed them or they ask u for food .

 

[Zrz11386]

I try to feed them the same time on the days i feed them to almost get them on a schedule. But maybe feeding them a little less until they come around for the food would help. Thanks for the tip.

Someone also mentioned to me somewhere else that an aerator or bubbler might help? Something about the oxygen levels at the top of the water? The waterfall I have is a good size compared to the overall size of the pond so I figured that oxygenated the water enough, but maybe in the Baltimore summers with temps in the 90's and 100's thats not the case? Anyone have any ideas on this?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I try to feed them the same time on the days i feed them to almost get them on a schedule. But maybe feeding them a little less until they come around for the food would help. Thanks for the tip.

Someone also mentioned to me somewhere else that an aerator or bubbler might help? Something about the oxygen levels at the top of the water? The waterfall I have is a good size compared to the overall size of the pond so I figured that oxygenated the water enough, but maybe in the Baltimore summers with temps in the 90's and 100's thats not the case? Anyone have any ideas on this?

Dissolved Oxygen levels are highest at the water's surface. If Oxygen depletion were a problem the fish would stay at the water's surface.

 

[CometKeith]

My guess is they are probably a little skittish from preditors. One foot deep is quite shallow and this is a depth that makes them not very safe. I know you don't want to redig the pond but having it deeper would make your fish less nervous.

 

[Zrz11386]

Understood - and yes Comet I thought that depth was a little shallow before I even started looking into everything. Short of redigging, or building up, there's no real way to add depth at this point is there. I will admit right now theres a bit less surface cover than there is in mid summer when I have my plants all in there.

 

[CometKeith]

Hey Zrz. You can try to figure out what might be bothering them. It could be birds or a racoon or even a neigborhood cat. If you can find a way to keep them away from your fish then they will be more friendly. In my opinon unfortunately it will be always an uphill battle because of the depth. I have even seen my fish flinch when an airplane flew overhead let alone a large bird. Also you can try feeding them less per time and feed them every time you go out to sit by the pond. My fish follow me around when I'm by my pond like a puppy follows it's master because of all the treats they get!

 

[Usman]

my fish does same, koi and Goldfishes form a shoal begging for food, some times they would try to come out of water on submerged rocks lol , i think CometKeith have found the reason , its depth and more into it as i have seen goldfish can get fond of even in very shallow small aquariums or ponds , so some thing else is reason too . i have one open air aquarium under shelter where birds come to drink water from and fishes dont mind

@Zrz11386 do you have plants on border that gives it shade some? may be u can plant some med height plants at border or in pots that can give them secure feeling too and will keep pond cool in summer from sunlight as its shallow , temp of surface can get warm quickly at day time , i assume this type of pond should be under permanent shelter or shade , can u show us picture

may b they have just adapted to environment and became wild , need to work on it and tame them , we have mostly goldfiehs that were born in our ponds and have been seeing us since ages and even if new fish , they learn from old ones to b friendly

 

[Lisak1]

My fish act like they've never seen a human being before every single spring. I'm sure it's an innate defense mechanism. We spend a few weeks getting to know each other again and soon they will be following my every move. It does help once the plants start to fill in - gives them a bit more security.

 

[Faebinder]

When my pond was 12" deep the fish hated coming out much. Now that its 36" deep I don't have that problem as much. The best way to treat your problem is to net your pond so that no predator can come to scare the fish.. the fish are likely experiencing predator issues when you are not around and 12" makes it easy for them to spot the predator and vica versa.

 

[addy1]

My fish act like they've never seen a human being before every single spring. I'm sure it's an innate defense mechanism. We spend a few weeks getting to know each other again and soon they will be following my every move. It does help once the plants start to fill in - gives them a bit more security.

My fish swim out as soon as I walk by the pond, begging for food, well once it is warm enough to move. I think having the net up 24/7/365 keeps them calm, there has been no attacks in years now.

 

[Lisak1]

I think having the net up 24/7/365 keeps them calm, there has been no attacks in years now.

I think I just have a bunch of dumb fish... haha! Every year I'm like "hey! Remember me?" We haven't had a predator since the Great Skunk Attack three or four years ago. And if these guys can't remember me, I doubt they remember that!

 

[addy1]

Lol they run out to me the second they see me. I am not feeding but there is a lot of food in there for them to eat.
I don't even feed them that much or often.