New Pond owner here

[gardengimp]

The smartest thing is to go slow on fish. The hardest thing is to go slow on fish.

What you can do with fish now, is get some and put them in quarantine. Any 20 gallon or so sized tub and a good air pump will work for QT. and you can reuse the air pump in the winter to keep your fish alive.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Welcome from Medicine Hat, Alberta!! I have big Koi and they need lots of room for sure, like Sissy said. I would just get a half dozen small cheap goldfish for now to so how it goes, New ponds are the hardest to stabilize, high PH and ammonia could be a potential problems in the beginning.

I have been wintering my ponds in Canada successfully for over 22 years now, and will be glad to help were I can. Have you got any pond plants at all yet? Did you find any pond plants left over from last year that show any signs of new growth? I can help with plants and so can lots of people here too.

You will want some good hardy dependable pond sedges that come back every year as they are best at photosynthesis filtration. A big hardy Sedge will clean the water better than anything else. It will take a few years to get a good size clump to live year round in the pond. Sedges are any spear shaped plant, like cattails, rushes, water iris, and grasses. Tall sedges also provide shelter for fish in winter and summer, and shade the pond without smothering it.

You can read more about my pond under garden pond photography, Ponds in Canada thread. New to computers and I only have a tablet, but I can post lots of pictures!

Here are some of today's pictures from my pond, the big water iris (yellow flag) is in the second picture and it is slowly coming back to life in Canada...

pictures of the bottom pond, (three connecting ponds) from last year, so you can see how tall my grass like sedges are .... and the last picture you see the tall Yellow flag water iris, blooming yellow from last spring.

 

[studiovette]

Gardengimp I can see how wanting to buy fish quickly could become a problem in more then 1 way. I plan on taking it easy. After seeing pics of everyone's Koi and how big they get! Lol! Definitely want to go with smaller fishies.


Callingcolleen thanks for the great advice and pics. I actually had an over abundance of plant life that literally took over my pond. It was an absolute mess. I managed to trim and remove a lot of unwanted stuff and kept a lot of Lilly tubers and I think some parrot feather which was hard to remove. I didn't want to damage liner. Any suggestions with that? The previous owner had a couple of pots in there also. Your plants are very nice. Love that yellow Iris. Got to find a place that sells some nice aquatic plants down here. As mentioned I know of 1 major shop close by but needless to say I will not be going back to them!
This is what the pond looked like in the summer of 2012 when we first found our new home

 

[addy1]

lol I started with 4 fish, added a few more the first summer, now have over 200. I do have water room for more, but I keep mine lightly fed, they love the fresh eggs that are laid. Natural population control!

The shubunkins stay smaller than the goldfish. I love the colors of them, also love the colors of my mutt goldfish







At free , i.e. born in the pond and less than 2 dollars a fish if any do disappear it is not so painful to the wallet. I do protect the pond from the heron, it would eat until the pond was empty.

This fat mommy is responsible for a lot of the fry 20 cent fish saved from the feeder tank

 

[capewind]

Addy, how big are your largest Shubunkins? I have long finned shubunkins that I bought from two seperate locations, a couple years apart ... Both purchases look like the same species. The ones from PetsMart were labled to grow to 14-16" ... The garden center said they would get 6-8" ... They are all about 8-9" now. I would be very happy if they stayed this size

 

[Becky]

Welcome aboard! :wave:

 

[studiovette]

I think I'm gonna get myself some of those shubunkins when I'm ready I also like those little mosquito fish. Very cute! Any other small or tiny fishies good for a pond?

 

[j.w]

studiovette

 

[addy1]

Addy, how big are your largest Shubunkins? I have long finned shubunkins that I bought from two seperate locations, a couple years apart ... Both purchases look like the same species. The ones from PetsMart were labled to grow to 14-16" ... The garden center said they would get 6-8" ... They are all about 8-9" now. I would be very happy if they stayed this size

This is their third summer. I would guess the biggest is around 6-7 inches. I have some home grown, dark subbies with beautiful long fins, they are around 5 inches, (guessing) no way to catch them and measure.





Some of them are just around 2-3 inches, fry that made it from last year.



I have rosey reds in my small ponds, some in the big pond, They are neat little fish, survived a almost totally frozen leaking preform.........

I think I'm gonna get myself some of those shubunkins when I'm ready I also like those little mosquito fish. Very cute! Any other small or tiny fishies good for a pond?

 

[capewind]

This is their third summer. I would guess the biggest is around 6-7 inches. I have some home grown, dark subbies with beautiful long fins, they are around 5 inches, (guessing) no way to catch them and measure.

Thanks Addy. I measured ours as they got moved outside last year. They are not nearly as friendly as our Koi... the koi, I can sit pond side and lay a ruler or tape measure next to them to get a measurement, the comets, and shubunkins, haha, no way. I was hoping the adults were done growing.

 

[addy1]

My big pond fish have the freedom of knowing they are wild! lol ie never to be netted, handled moved. No way to catch them, without using a large tossed net, not worth it. But in saying that, when I go into the pond to trim the lilies, they swarm around my legs, I can actually reach down and touch them, pick up. If I ever want to catch one that will be the way to do it, while trimming the lilies.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Yes, netting. Fish can cause trama and injury to fins and scales. The fish hate to be netted, that is why most fish run for their life when they see net coming! If possible leave fish out and winter in the proper manner for your location, and then the fish will all be very friendly and not scared of net.