Inherited comets(?) in a pond

[UnexpectedOhioPond]

Recently have come to possess a house with a medium-sized pond in the backyard. The house had been a rental for a while, then sat vacant for over a year, and was in pretty rough shape. The surrounding yard was massively overgrown and clearly unmanaged, but to our surprise the pond houses what seems to be a pretty good number of goldfish, research would suggest they are mostly comets.

There are probably around 25-30 fish in the pond, and to an untrained eye they seem generally healthy and active. Sizes vary between only an inch or so to probably 8 inches at the top end.

They have seemingly been surviving on their own for some time, but we are wondering what we can do to best support them.

The pond was choked with dead vegetation, but it’s been cleared out, leaving some potted water lilies. There is a small waterfall and basic filter which have been restored and replaced to working order. Advice and suggestions are welcome.

Thanks.

 

[Laaf]

It sounds like you are off to a great start !

 

[j.w]

and welcome @UnexpectedOhioPond
Can you provide some photos? You have done good by not removing the water from the pond and starting all over. Fish are accustomed to the conditions and are doing well. Never empty the pond water and start over, the fish will not like it. What you have done for now seems adequate. Every year or so the water lilies will need dividing as they can out grow their pots. We can tell you how to do that. They need lots of fertilizer too. Any questions ask away, we are here to help

 

[GBBUDD]

in a big enough pond goldfish can survive off algae and the occasional insects

 

[UnexpectedOhioPond]

Thanks for the kind words. We are literally in uncharted waters here. Here are a few pictures of the pond as it is.

Unfortunately we did not realize or expect there were fish living here, or we wouldn’t have removed so much of the plant life filling the pond. Any suggestions for aquatic plants to replace what was removed? Want to make sure the fish have some cover and for water quality.

Additionally, there are some small, dark fish in the pond as well (tried for a picture, not sure how well it turned out)…. They seem to be social with the other fish. Do young goldfish start out dark and change color, or is this likely a different species? There are some similarly sized fish which are orange ( as well as a few that seem to be orange and dark at once).

Thanks.

 

[Laaf]

That is a beautiful pond! If you enjoy it and want to put some more work into it, you can add a bog filter and get much clearer water and have an area to plant more plants. A bog filter is much easier to take care of than cleaning a basic filter.

 

[Laaf]

***yes baby goldfish often start out dark and change color as they get older. I have also seen some start out white

 

[j.w]

@UnexpectedOhioPond do you know the size of your pond? If not here is a way to try and figure it out approximatlely : https://www.pond.com/calculator

 

[rubyduby]

Thanks for the kind words. We are literally in uncharted waters here. Here are a few pictures of the pond as it is.

Unfortunately we did not realize or expect there were fish living here, or we wouldn’t have removed so much of the plant life filling the pond. Any suggestions for aquatic plants to replace what was removed? Want to make sure the fish have some cover and for water quality.

Additionally, there are some small, dark fish in the pond as well (tried for a picture, not sure how well it turned out)…. They seem to be social with the other fish. Do young goldfish start out dark and change color, or is this likely a different species? There are some similarly sized fish which are orange ( as well as a few that seem to be orange and dark at once).

Thanks.
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What a great pond and nice stone work!

 

[UnexpectedOhioPond]

Makes a lot of sense about the baby goldfish. There are a few different color patterns already, so it’s hard to know what’s what.

The pond is roughly kidney-bean-shaped, so it’s very much an estimate, but per the calculator, the pound is about 2200 gallons (7ft x 14ft x about 3ft deep). It’s not uniform in depth, but that’s the best average I could come up with.

I would very much like to look into doing a bog filter, sounds like an excellent option. Probably won’t be able to get to that immediately (there are plenty of other squeaky wheels around the property to deal with as well). But they sound fantastic and great goal for down the line.

 

[cas]

Nice pond! Definitely get some plants in there. It will help with the green water.

 

[Lisak1]

Welcome to the GPF @UnexpectedOhioPond ! Someone put a lot of love into that pond!

Is there a shelf around the interior of the pond? That's the best option for adding plants.

 

[UnexpectedOhioPond]

I don’t think there is an obvious shelf around the edge? We had to adjust some of the stones, trying to level things off and clean up, and didn’t notice a shelf. There were definitely some special plants at one point, because we already have some shoots and sprouts around the edges which are reaching roots for the water. Can’t make out what they are just yet.

Anyone have strong thoughts on or experience with hornwort? In generally poking around, sounds like a it’s a reasonable option for something that will process a lot of excess nutrients in the water with relatively little maintenance. Want to be thoughtful and take care with repopulating the plants, but potentially for a stop-gap option in the short term? With the warm months fast upon us, we want to make sure the fish have the cover they need when it gets sunny. As well as algae-mitigation. Welcome any thoughts or suggestions. Thanks.

 

[GBBUDD]

HORN WART IS ONE OF THE BEST OPTIONS IN MY AREA southern new England . its easy to grow and remove and will over winter. a fish cave is another option for them to hide from the hot sun and predator's. The pea green water will limit oxygen levels '

 

[addy1]

Welcome to the forum!

Hornwort and Anacharis are both good choices. I am removing some from my ponds. If you want to pay for shipping I can send you some. A small box = 10.50 medium box around 17