New Guy from Franklin, OH.

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Hello Everyone,

My name is Don. I am a retired firefighter. My wife and I had an area of our garden we weren't happy with, so one day decided to build a pond. We dug a big hole, and hauled in 4 ton of creek stone and before we knew it we had a 900 GAL. garden/fish. pond. We have 3 Koi, and 12 Gold Fish, plenty of water plants like Lilly, Parrot feather, Lotus, Aligenie Monkey plant,, Cat Tail and Creeping Jenny. We tried to run our pond without a filtration system, but we can't seem to keep the pond clear for more than just a few days. I finally broke down and ordered a Laguna 1400 filter, and pump. The filter has mechanical, bio and a 14W UV filtration system.

My concern now is will the new filter remove all of the plankton and all other beneficial material from the pond? We have baby fish, and we don't know if we should feed them or if the pond will remain self suficiant for the fish. We feed them a very small amount now, but will we have to feed daily once the new filter is up and running? Thanks for all replys.
 

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Beautiful pond...I was told I didn't have to feed my fish ever but I do because that is one of the parts I love about having my pond,they have tons of yummy stuff to eat in the pond along with bugs that may land.
 
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I've never had to feed my fish either but I did here and there to watch them do flips and circles and to take pictures of course. When I changed my last large pond from chlorine to natural they enjoyed nibbling on my knees.
 

addy1

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Welcome to the group! Your pond looks nice

I didn't feed my fish for over 6 months, they grew very nicely, I didn't know any fish survived when we first set ours up.
They do well on bugs and other stuff that just grows in ponds.
 
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Thanks for the welcomes and replys. I was just confused about what the fish will need once I install the filter. I have a 55gal aquarium and those guys are fed daily. I figured since the filter that I ordered has Bio, mechanical and a UV filter that it would remove all the beneficial stuff from the pond and the fish would have nothing to eat. Since my wife enjoys feeding the fish I'm guessing they won't starve.
 

j.w

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Don
I didn't feed mine for several yrs and they did just fine. I do it now to watch them come to me but they don't really need it.
 

taherrmann4

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Just be sure to not overfeed them, only feed them what they can eat in a few minutes. You don't want a bunch of excess food sinking to the bottom or getting into your filter as this can have adverse effects on your water.
 
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We feed them very little right now and they go through very quickly. I've had an aquarium for many years and I feed those fish just a small pinch once in the morning. I've had to keep the Mrs in check however as she would fed the pond fish to death.
 

j.w

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Posted this on another thread but I hear that goldfish have no stomach's and that you should feed them tiny amounts 4 - 5 times per day. Heard that on a tv show called Tank a couple days ago.

addy also found this on the net:

Goldfish do not have a stomach. Food is absorbed as it travels through their intestines so it must have a high alkaline content.
Goldfish are massive waste producers - even those tiny ones! Goldfish have no stomachs, so basically what they eat goes out. This fouls the water very quickly!
Goldfish are unusual in that they lack a stomach at the start of the digestive tract where food can be stored, so they need to eat small quantities of food on a frequent basis. Offering them a large amount of food just once a day will therefore be wasteful, and will also lead to a deterioration in water quality as the unwanted food breaks down and pollutes the water. Instead , give them a small amount of food four or five times a day, which will meet their appetite.
 
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I watch Tanked also.... love that show. I did not know that about the Goldfish till I seen that. When I started with my first pond, I just had goldfish and I didn't feed them. I was told they will feed off algae and plants. I only started feeding when I got Koi. Wonder if they give off more waste than Koi?
 

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